7 Ways to Find More Joy This Holiday Season
Does the holiday season ever feel more stressful than magical? With so much pressure to create the “perfect” holiday, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and out of sync.
In this episode of Embrace Your Real, I am here to help you take a step back, breathe, and focus on what truly matters. I will share seven heartfelt reminders to guide you toward a holiday filled with connection, joy, and balance—without the impossible standards. If you’re ready to navigate this season with more ease and grace, this episode is for you!
I also discuss:
1. The Perfect Holiday Doesn’t Exist
2. Your Body Is Worthy Exactly As It Is
3. Memories Matter More Than Macros
4. Gratitude Always Wins Over Comparison
5. You Can’t Change Yesterday, So Let It Go
6. You Deserve Joy Without Guilt
7. It’s okay for things to be “good enough”...
and more
If you loved this episode, you'll also love episode 401: 8 Holiday reminders you need to hear today…
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with Me. Do I better? I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:22][22.5]
[00:00:31] Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace here, a podcast. I want to share some reminders to help you really navigate the holidays with grace, with confidence and joy. I truly believe that this time of year we can feel off track, whether that's mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually. We have this pressure to have like the perfect holiday and this can make us feel very overwhelmed. I don't know if you can relate, but in today's episode, that's why I want to share some important ways that you can find more joy in the holiday season this year. I think that they will serve as reminders to hopefully help you to ground yourself more, to give you hope and to encourage you to embrace your real this holiday season. But before we dive in, I want to share this Superspreader view. It comes from she's laughing and I love that. So she revised our view and said, Great learning tool. After finding this podcast and using Julie's workouts on Pinterest. I have learned so much. I am so grateful that she puts this content out there so young people like me can learn from her life. I also love how she incorporates her faith into the podcast. It's a very refreshing thing for all of the secular fitness voices out there. I love this so much. So grateful. Not only that you are tuning into the podcast, but that you're finding this helpful. That's so, so amazing. And also the fact that you are using the workouts on Pinterest. Shout out to my Pinterest crew. You guys keep showing up on these reviews and I literally love it so much. I actually love Pinterest a lot and I think Pinterest can be a great tool and so that's why I'm sharing all my workouts over there. So if you're not following me over on Pinterest, be sure to do so. Okay, let's dive into this seven ways to find more joy this holiday season. Number one, you have to realize that the perfect holiday doesn't exist. I think that it's easy to think that everyone else is having this magical picture perfect holiday. But the truth is, nobody's life. Looks like an Instagram highlight reel. What you see online is so carefully curated and the reality is so often messy and perfect and just as human as yours. You have to remember this, that the best holiday moments are the unplanned ones. That's what you'll remember from years from now, right? Not whether everything went perfectly, not the curated moments. The holiday season as meant to create real Ariel memories. Not just the things that look good in photos. So when you see those perfectly curated moments online, just remember that your unplanned, you're imperfect. Those moments that you have this holiday season are so much more beautiful. And those are the ones that you're often going to remember for years and years to come. Number two, your body is worthy exactly as it is seeing family or old friends. This can oftentimes stir up insecurities, especially about our bodies. Now, though, is not the time to be thinking about your weight or your pant size. Now is the time to be relaxing, to enjoy, to soak up these sweet moments. Don't let your insecurities ruin that for you and postpartum ladies, please, please, please hear me when I say this. I know that you might not feel normal. You might not feel like yourself. You might not feel like you felt last year. Well, for me, last year around Christmas, I was very much so. I definitely don't feel like that. But you know what I'm talking about. You might have not gotten your postpartum pink yet. And hey, me either. Like we are still in the trenches over here. And I just want you to know that this is your baby's first Christmas. And I know that it's hard. And I know it's messy. And I know it might not feel good. But just remember that this is a beautiful time. And it's okay. It's okay to feel all of those things and still embrace, like the holidays, right? It's okay to want to have your baby's first Christmas, like super memorable, but also not feel like yourself. Like that is totally okay to have those two feelings coexist together. And so I just want to remind you that you are okay. You are exactly where you need to be right now, and the shape of your body does not define your worth. And the way that you look is not the most important thing about you. So please, please, please remember that when you walk into the holiday party, I need you to lead with your heart, your confidence, your kindness, the people who you love and that love you and that care about you. They care about you. They don't care about what you look like. They don't care about the number on the scale or the size of your pants or what you look like last year and what you look like this year. Like they love you for you. So just remember that. Number three memories matter more than macros. Yes, Staying on track with goals is important, but it's okay to choose memories over macro. Sometimes food is a part of the holiday experience, and enjoying a special meal with loved ones is not falling off track. It's living your life, sharing laughter over a holiday dinner, indulging in a favorite holiday tree or clinking glasses in celebration. These are all moments that nourish your soul, not just your body. And remember this. That one meal one day or even one week will not undo your progress. I know. I keep saying that, but you. You need to hear it just as much as I need to hear it over and over and over again. What matters is consistency over time, not perfection in every single moment. Progress is about finding balance, not restriction. And part of that balance is knowing when to loosen up. Don't let your body quills take away from your holiday experience. Nothing is worth more than the memories that you're meant to create and the connections that you're building with the people that you love. Those moments of joy, of laughter and love, those are going to stick with you far longer than the specifics of what you ate or what you didn't eat. Number four, Gratitude always wins over comparison. Again, this time of year is the time of year for comparison. It's so, so, so easy to fall into this trap where everyone's posting about, you know, all the presents or all the things that they're doing for the holiday season or what their perfectly curated house looks like. So when comparison creeps in, whether it's about your body, it's about your traditions, it's about your holiday plans, it's about what your house looks like or doesn't look like. I need you to pause and shift your focus to gratitude. Gratitude and envy cannot coexist. They simply can't remember this, that the holidays are not a competition. Focus on what you have. The people who love you, the memories you're creating, the blessings in your life right now. That is all that you need for building a beautiful holiday. Number five, you can't change yesterday. So I need you to let it go. If you feel like you've maybe overindulge, you've skipped too many workouts. You've fallen short of your expectations. This season, I have to remind you to give yourself grace. The holidays are not about perfection, and slipping up doesn't erase all the progress that you've made this year. Don't get mad at yourself and just throw in the towel and tell yourself that you'll start over on January 1st. Well, why? Well, you can't undo the past, but you can decide how you move forward. And here's the best part. You can start again at any time, not just the New Year. Each day is a moment is an opportunity to realign with your goals and honor your body. Waiting for January 1st only delays the progress that you could start making right now. Remember this that beating yourself up about what's already done that's wasted energy. Instead, use that energy to make choices that honor your body and make you feel good today. Acknowledge the past without dwelling on it and focus on what you can do now to move closer to the healthiest, happiest version of yourself. Number six You deserve joy without guilt. This season is about connection. It's about celebration. It's about creating memories. Not about tracking every bite. Not about obsessing over every missed workout or worrying if your plans are enough. When you spend your time feeling guilty about what you're eating, how much you're moving, or how you're celebrating, you're robbing yourself of the magic in front of you. Guilt is a heavy weight to carry, and it does not serve you. It never has. And it never will. It doesn't make you feel better. Help you make healthier choices or add anything positive to your life. Joy, on the other hand, is light. It's energizing. It's what makes this season so special. And joy doesn't come with strings attached. It's something you deserve simply because you're here living and experiencing life. Remember this. You don't have to earn the right to enjoy the holidays. You just don't. You don't have to justify indulging in a favorite meal or taking a rest day or celebrating in a way that's meaningful to you. Give yourself permission to let go of guilt and embrace the beauty of the season exactly as it is. Joy will always serve you better than guilt ever could. And last but not least, number seven. It is okay for things to be good enough. I think that we oftentimes feel the need that we need to go all in in the holidays. Perfect gifts, perfect meals, perfect workouts. The list goes on and on and on. The pressure to do it all and to do it perfectly can be so overwhelming. But here's the truth Perfection isn't required to have a joyful, meaningful holiday season. Sometimes letting something be good enough is honestly the most freeing thing that you can do for yourself. Think about it. When you let go of the need to overachieve, you actually create space for what really matters. Maybe this year you don't stick to your regular workout routine, but you commit to moving your body daily. Even if that's just a walk with your family, your dog, Or maybe you skip the three hour baking session that you normally do and just grab some cookies from the store. Guess what? The memories at the party are going to be just as sweet. Letting things be good enough does not mean that you're failing. It also doesn't mean that you're giving up. It just means that you're prioritizing your energy and your mental health. And it means that you're recognizing that progress isn't about perfection. It's about showing up consistently in the ways that feel sustainable. Remember this when you allow yourself to take shortcuts where it makes sense, you actually avoid burnout. You protect your energy for the moment and the people that truly deserve it. And you'll end this season feeling fulfilled rather than exhausted because you focus on what truly matters, not on meeting these impossible standards. So this holiday season, I want you to challenge yourself to embrace. Good enough. It's not a compromise. It's a conscious choice that you are making to prioritize balance, to prioritize joy and to prioritize sustainability over perfection. And in the end, that's truly what makes the holidays special. So there you have it. Those are seven reminders for the holiday season. Let me quickly recap what I talked about. Number one, the perfect holiday doesn't exist. Number two, your body is worthy exactly as it is. Number three memories matter more than macros. Number four, gratitude always wins over comparison. Number five, you can't change yesterday. So let it go. Number six, You deserve joy without guilt. And last but not least, in number seven, it is okay for things to be good enough. If you love this episode, I know you will also love another holiday episode I did last year. Eight Holiday Reminders That You Need to Hear. So I will go ahead and link that in the show notes that you can easily go check that out. I hope that you found this episode helpful. I hope that you found this encouraging. I would love to hear all of the things, so be sure to screenshot this and posted up on your Instagram story. But that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I mean it. And I like your accent. [00:11:32][660.1]
[00:11:42] All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram. Be sure to do so, Julie. A lot better. Yes, it's an A in the middle for that Daily Post workout. Real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going. [00:12:12][30.3]
[00:12:12] To leave you with one last thought. [00:12:13][1.1]
[00:12:14] The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace Maria, because you're worth it. [00:12:14][0.0]