Have Your Candy, and Eat It Too

It's hard to believe that Halloween is just around the corner! Halloween is an exciting time for kiddos, but it can trigger feelings of anxiety for adults because we feel like we're surrounded by candy 24/7. Maybe your kids bring it home from trick-or-treat, or maybe coworkers bring it to the office because they don't want it in their houses. Whatever the reason, candy is everywhere and we're scared that we will lose control at any minute and eat way too much of it. But it doesn't have to be this way.

For starters, candy is not "bad" and you are not a "bad" person if you enjoy eating candy. Viewing candy in this way only serves to make us feel guilty every time we eat it (or anything else deemed "bad.") Instead, let's call it "play food." It is something you eat simply for the enjoyment of it, and there is no shame in that. Ever.

Let's also consider what sets us up for for feeling like we will lose control around candy (or other play foods). For many, this loss of control is rooted in not allowing ourselves to enjoy these play foods in our everyday lives. When Halloween (or another special occasion) rolls around and candy is everywhere, we think "now is my chance to eat the stuff I never allow myself to have!" Inevitably, we lose control, overindulge and then get swallowed into a sea of guilt. And this reaffirms our false belief that we cannot control ourselves around candy. Does this vicious cycle sound familiar?

The paradox is that we actually feel more in control around food when we give ourselves unconditional permission to eat any food, at any time. It doesn't mean we actually do, but we know we can if we decide it is what we want and need at the moment. How can you feel in control around a food you do not normally give yourself permission to eat? You can't. And you definitely can't enjoy any kind of food if you are feeling out of control and guilty while eating it. So give yourself permission, stay mindful about why and how you are eating that Halloween candy and enjoy it when you do eat it. This is how we can have our candy, and eat it too!