Navigating Holiday Consumption: An Ayurvedic Reflection on Gut Health, Emotions and Mindful Celebration

by Sylvana Janssen

As the days get shorter and the air cools, I can feel the holiday season settling in. There’s the familiar anticipation of family meals, bright lights and giving gifts, and then there’s a quieter awareness telling me that these celebratory moments are also when my body and mind tend to feel overwhelmed. The holidays magnify every kind of consumption: not just the food on our plates, but the emotions we hold in, the digital content we scroll through, the social obligations we juggle and the sensory overload we silently endure.

In Ayurveda, the gut isn’t just a digestive organ; it’s the seat of our emotions and the home of our inner fire. Modern research now supports this idea, with scientists describing a gut–brain axis where nerves and molecules carry messages between the gut and the brain. When that communication gets jumbled, our mood, sleep and motivation suffer as a result.

A diverse community of microbes living in our gut helps regulate digestion, metabolism and immunity and can even influence how we feel. This more personal reflection explores how holiday indulgence touches every part of this system. My hope is to offer you gentle, practical guidance so you can enjoy the season without losing your sense of balance and inner glow.

Food: When Celebration Turns into Overeating

Who hasn’t found themselves reaching for one more cookie or another helping of mashed potatoes just because it’s the holidays? In Ayurveda, this is an example of Kapha energy building up. Kapha is linked to heaviness and stability, so too much of it can leave us feeling sluggish and foggy. Research shows that emotional or stress‑induced eating is real: somewhere between 4% and 55% of people eat more when stressed. Stress releases cortisol, a hormone that triggers cravings for high‑energy foods.

Around this time of year, stressors are everywhere. Many people feel more pressure than usual, whether it’s figuring out how to afford gifts, missing someone who won’t be at the table, or navigating the emotional dynamics that come with family gatherings. It’s completely normal to feel a bit stretched during the holidays, even when parts of the season are genuinely joyful.

So how do we support our digestion without missing out? Here’s what I’ve learned through Ayurveda and personal practice:

• Eat your heaviest meal when the digestive fire, agni, is strongest. Your digestion is strongest around midday. If you can, make lunch your biggest meal and keep dinner lighter. Avoid icy drinks as they can diminish your digestive fire.
  

• Chew and listen. Slow down, savour each bite and listen for your body’s signals. A wise teacher once told me to pay attention to the first burp after eating, which is a sign you’ve had enough. 

• Be mindful of your meals. Avoid mixing multiple heavy proteins in one meal (such as meat, dairy, eggs, beans, or fish together) because each requires a different digestive process. Combining them can weaken the digestive fire, slow digestion, and lead to bloating and heaviness.

• Support your digestion with rituals. I start my mornings with warm water with ginger to gently simulate digestion. After a festive meal, taking a gentle stroll helps your body settle and digest more comfortably.

Holiday treats are part of the joy. Rather than restricting yourself, focus on quality and enjoyment. A few mindful bites enjoyed slowly will often satisfy more than mindless grazing.

Emotions: Making Space for What You Feel

The holidays can bring about many, sometimes conflicting, feelings: gratitude, excitement, loneliness, grief, nostalgia. For many of us, food then becomes an easy way to soothe emotional discomfort. When we’re under pressure, the brain’s stress response kicks in, raising cortisol levels and fueling cravings for sugar and fat.

Ayurveda teaches that clarity and peace, sattva, come from meeting ourselves with honesty, not from overindulgence. To stay attuned to your heart:

• Name what you feel. Instead of reaching for comfort food, take a deep breath and ask yourself what’s really going on. Journaling or talking with a friend can bring insight.
  

• Set compassionate boundaries. Family gatherings sometimes reopen old wounds. You can step out for a walk, change the subject or simply decline a second helping when you feel full. Protecting your energy is an act of love.
  

• Feed your heart. Doing small acts of kindness, like volunteering, writing notes of gratitude or sharing a family recipe,  can nourish your spirit just as much as your body.
  

Digital Diet: Reclaiming Your Attention

When I’m not paying attention, my phone can easily take over an entire evening. And while a little scrolling is harmless, too much of it does interfere with how we sleep and how we feel. Screens keep our minds switched on, they cut into the time we would normally be winding down, and the blue light they emit makes it harder for the body to produce melatonin, the hormone that helps us fall asleep. It’s a simple combination that leaves many of us more wired than we realize at night.

Here are some small shifts I’ve tried:

• Create a nightly digital curfew. Choose a time in the evening to turn off your devices. Light a candle, read a book or simply rest with a cup of herbal tea.
  

• Prioritize purposeful viewing. Watch a favourite film or show with loved ones instead of hopping from app to app. Make screen time meaningful.
  

• Experiment with social media breaks. Even an afternoon away from your phone can reveal how much energy social media drains. Notice how your mood changes when you cut back.

Social & Sensory Overload: Finding Calm in the Chaos

Parties, dinners, office gatherings, gift exchanges. The calendar fills quickly during the holidays. Then there are the decorations, music, scented candles and bright lights that bombard our senses. While many of these experiences are delightful, they can also send our nervous systems into overdrive. 

From an Ayurvedic perspective, overstimulation aggravates Vata, the dosha associated with movement and the nervous system. When Vata is out of balance, symptoms like anxiety, insomnia and digestive upset may arise. To soothe your senses:

• Schedule quiet moments. Whether it’s a ten‑minute morning meditation, a short walk or time spent simply gazing out the window, give yourself regular pauses to recalibrate.
  

• Simplify your environment. Go for warm, natural decor, soft lighting and essential oils like sandalwood or lavender. Less is often more.
  

• Choose your commitments wisely. You don’t have to attend every event. Listen to your body’s energy and accept only what feels nourishing.
  

The Invisible Mental Load: Lightening Your List

Behind every holiday gathering is a long list of tasks: planning meals, buying gifts, remembering everyone’s dietary preferences, coordinating schedules, honoring family traditions. This mental juggling act can be exhausting, especially when you’re the one doing it.

Ayurveda offers practical wisdom here: align your life with circadian rhythms to ease mental strain. Waking early, eating at regular times and going to bed before 10 p.m. help regulate hormones and calm the mind. Anchor yourself in small routine habits even during the busiest of times to maintain a sense of familiarity and ease. When I follow this rhythm, my thoughts are clearer, and I feel less rushed. It’s also okay to ask for help; delegating tasks shares the workload and the joy.

Gentle Practices for a More Balanced Holiday

Over the years, I’ve gathered small habits that keep me grounded during the holidays. Feel free to adapt them to your own life:

1. Start with warmth. A cup of warm water with ginger or herbal tea first thing in the morning to gently stimulate digestion. Add a moment of quiet reflection or breathing to set the tone for your day.
   

2. Make lunch the main event. Eating your heaviest meal at midday supports digestion. Sit down, avoid distractions and chew thoroughly. Pay attention to the first signs of fullness.
   

3. Declare a mini digital detox. Choose an evening, a day or even just a few hours without screens. Notice how your sleep and mood shift.
   

4. Release stored emotions. Gentle yoga, meditation or self‑massage (abhyanga) can help you process feelings without numbing them with food or digital distractions.
   

5. Be in nature. Even in winter, a few moments outside can reset your nervous system and support your immune health.
   

6. Prioritize rest. Dim the lights, drink warm spiced milk and disconnect from screens before bed. Adequate sleep supports both mood and digestion.
   

7. Practice gratitude. Write down a few things that warm your heart. Gratitude gently shifts attention away from consumption and toward contentment.
   
   

Remember, these are suggestions, not strict rules. Ayurveda celebrates individuality; what works for me might look different for you. Listen to your body and adjust your practices accordingly.

Discovering Your Unique Balance

Every one of us has a unique blend of the three Ayurvedic doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata resides mainly in the colon, Pitta rules digestion and metabolism and is centered in the small intestine, and Kapha governs structure and stability and is primarily seated in the stomach. Knowing your constitutional makeup helps you understand why certain foods, climates, emotions or activities affect you differently.

I created The Art of You to help people explore this very thing. It’s a gentle, personalised way to learn your doshic balance and tailor your routines. Instead of giving generic advice, it invites you to look inward, discovering which practices truly nourish your gut and your mind. If you’re curious about how to bring these teachings into your everyday life, this guide offers a comprehensive, yet gentle roadmap.

A Season of Enough

The holidays can be a time to reconnect with what really matters: love, community and the small, everyday moments that make us feel grounded. They don’t need to revolve around doing or having more. Ayurveda teaches us to slow down, pay attention to our inner cues and stay in rhythm with nature. Modern science also supports this: the gut and brain are in constant communication, and the way we eat, feel, scroll and interact can either support that connection or throw it off balance.

By tending to your digestive fire, honouring your emotions, curating your digital and social environment and creating supportive rituals, you can move through the season with grace and vitality. May your holidays be full of warmth, meaningful connection and the kind of consumption that truly feeds you, mind, body and soul.