May You Have a Healthy Thanksgiving

Written by Michelle Shelton

November 22,  2023

It’s Thanksgiving week and this year I am grateful for health.

I am grateful for a healthy relationship with my body. It has been a hard fought journey, something that did not come naturally to me. Or maybe it was natural when I was very young, but quickly lost, also when I was young. I am grateful for the trust I have regained in my body signals, in my hunger and fullness, in my taste preferences. I am grateful to not be at war with my body, always trying to out smart my physiology, but to honor and respond to it without reservation. I am grateful that I can nourish it without obsessing over whether it is “the right time” to eat, and I am grateful I no longer feel the drive to over eat. I am grateful to no longer be under the oppression of “will power,” but instead to be connected to the intuition of self care.

I am grateful for a healthy relationship with food. This is also something I have fought hard to regain. I am grateful I can eat pie without the anxious feelings and questions of how much weight I might gain. I am grateful that I can choose salad, not because it is “good” and I am “good” for eating it, but because I enjoy it. I am grateful that I can eat a full variety of food for the pleasure of taste. I am grateful to know that food doesn’t always have to be the most nutrient dense possible. It can just be simply enjoyed. I am grateful for the smell, for the color, for the variety of the food I am blessed with, and I am grateful to be able to enjoy it fully. I am grateful to know that no matter how or what I eat, I am good and worthy.

I am grateful for a healthy relationship with myself. At this point, you may have noticed a theme… this, too, has been a hard fought victory. I am grateful to see my good inside, independent of my looks, my achievement, my food choices, or my health habits. I am grateful for self compassion, that I can see my strength and resilience in my struggle and setbacks. I am grateful that I have learned to rely on myself for encouragement and validation and stop seeking it from others. I’m grateful I finally trust myself enough to tap into my internal source of confidence, courage, and wisdom. 

My journey of health has been a hard fought labor of love. Because it has been this for me, I believe it is available to anyone. No matter how broken or how much the exception you feel you are, it is possible. And for this reason, I wish you a healthy Thanksgiving. Not because you only ate salad and turkey and skipped on the rolls and pie, but because you fully enjoyed the abundance, fully appreciated the flavors, maintained a deep connection to self and your personal worthiness, and responded to your physical cues with wisdom and self care. If this doesn’t feel attainable this year, that’s ok, too. You are not alone. Just know it is achievable and it is a journey worth taking.