The invitations have been sent. The backyard renovations are nearly complete. The decorations are purchased and ready to be put out. The food has been ordered. Delaney has discussed what her perfect graduation cake will look like with her Aunt Sara. Our outfits are purchased. Our calendar is full of opportunities to celebrate with other graduates, some we have known most of their lives and some not as long, friends and family and EMOTIONS are high.
We are first time parents of a child graduating from high school. I have come to the conclusion that preparing for the “graduation season” is similar to the holiday season. Meaning, several weeks of celebrations and social occasions with lots of food, drinks and many opportunities to lose sight of my healthy lifestyle.
Having a well thought out schedule, eating healthy and yummy foods, drinking plenty of water, limiting my alcohol consumption, moving my body and getting 7-8 hours of sleep are all a part of a routine of healthy habits that I have created over the years that helps me live my own best life.
Some people might have the opinion that my routine is too rigid and I am perfectly fine with that. Losing control is not the best version of me and my shut off valve gets blurred quickly if I am not mindful of the potential triggers coming and prepare myself.
Alcohol consumption is my common denominator to the disruption in all of my healthy habits, if consumed in excess. I don’t limit my alcohol intake because of the calories and how I want to look on the outside. In fact, it is the opposite, it is how I feel on the inside.
I spent many years filled with guilt, regret and shame because of too many beverages, leading to poor choices including overeating junk, not getting enough sleep, dehydration and more. Not only do I physically feel bad and crave nothing but junk food the next day but I have mental fatigue. I fear I might have said something unintentionally that hurt someone or acted a certain way embarrassing myself so I replay the entire night over and over again. No matter how hard I convinced myself that I was just “having fun”, I could never find the peace that I wanted and I was left physically and mentally feeling awful.
Despite others’ opinions, this was a cycle that I needed to break in order to find peace. Now I consciously make the choices that I have control of daily, on holidays and on vacations so as not to live with shame, regret and guilt. This took time, consistency and the commitment to get back up when I fell.
When it comes to alcohol, I limit myself to 3 per week maximum. I am not perfect at this and will always be a work in progress. For me, it is worth it because I FINALLY feel like I am finding the best version of me! However, even after years of creating these healthy habits, it is easy to slip back into those old “fun” habits when triggered so I need to go into “graduation season” prepared knowing it is going to be both BUSY and EMOTIONAL.
my healthy habit guide for graduation season:
scheduling. Make sure that you have all your parties on your calendar so you can coordinate. If I am not organized, I will snack excessively.
food. Never go in hungry! If you don’t know what it is being served, bring your own food or snacks. Unless you are one of those people that tells me “I love veggies”, don’t just bring a bag of veggies because that is boring at a party and you WILL NOT be satisfied so bring something fun too. Bring a Freckle Face Foodie Fudgy Brownie Bite so you don’t end up yearning for the grad cake and use up all your willpower on the first gathering. Make sure to eat more than one. If fact, eat them at every party. GO FOR IT!
drinks. Always bring water with you and remember you don’t have to drink alcohol – some might disagree with me and that is okay. However, if you are drinking all day because you have 5 graduation parties, make sure you have food to eat. Drinking on an empty stomach is not a great choice and alternate each drink with water. If you don’t want to drink but everyone else is, flavored water is my go to, and I put it in a favorite koozie so it’s in disguise. Less peer pressure. It is hard to believe there is peer pressure at 47 years old, but there is. However, some of which is merely the fear of what WE THINK others will think.
If you are hosting the party, it’s easy to stay on track as long as you are prepared. If you don’t want to drink make a mock cocktail and drink it out of your favorite glass. You have complete control over how much alcohol you put in a drink and you have complete control over what food is served so make them good options that are tasty.
move your body. Get your exercise in before the day gets started. This will keep your routine going and will help with STRESS!
sleep. If you are at my house and it is 8:30 pm and I am nowhere to be seen, I have gone to bed. Please take no offense. In all honesty, my weekday head to bed time is 8:30 pm. I will stay up later on the weekends because I can sleep in but I do try to get 7-8 hours of sleep.
If I do all of the above consistently, I will sleep well and be refreshed for the next day! Most importantly, I will have had FUN these next several weeks without guilt, regret and shame.
Let the GOOD TIMES ROLL Class of 2022!!!!
emi – coach kristen
Share this Post