Jessie Diaz-Herrera is an inspiration to women everywhere. Her day to day finds her juggling a dancing career and hectic parenting schedule. So, we invited Jessie to the Dia&Co HQ to learn how she manages to stay happy and healthy during the holiday season. Check out the above video for the full conversation or read on for our recap. Answers have been condensed and edited for clarity and length.

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Remember that the holidays are about family, they’re about food, and they’re about getting together. So try to focus on the fun aspects! Dress how you want, feel cute, and don’t stress about the little things.

2. Respond to shaming in a positive way.

If someone says, “Oh, you’ve gained some weight,” there are a few things you can say in response. “Yeah, actually, I did, but I feel really good about myself. I’m actually on this whole body-positive journey and would love to tell you more about it.” Educate them. Some people think that body positivity is just about being happy with your weight, but body positivity is so much more than that. It’s also about feeling good about your hair, or feeling good about the scar on your arm, or feeling good about your makeup, or any little thing that you have insecurities about.

3. Take a breather.

There are great apps with 3-minute or 10-minute meditations. Honestly, for me, my best time to meditate is actually in the bathroom, right before my shower. If you’re a mom, that’s the only privacy you really have. Whether it’s 10 minutes or if you can have a whole hour to take yourself to lunch, I recommend that 100%. No phone—just give yourself that time to enjoy your own company.

4. Stay active.

We know the holidays are carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs—and it tends to slow down our bodies no matter what size we are. So make sure you have a little time to be active, like taking a 10-minute walk. If a New Year’s resolution for you is to go to the gym, do things little by little. If you do start on January 2nd, don’t go for a full two hours just because you have the stamina to. Do 30 minutes on the treadmill. Starting off slow is going to give you the momentum to keep going. It shouldn’t be a sprint—it should be a marathon.

5. Manifest your year.

Don’t set a bunch of crazy resolutions that you do every year that won’t end up happening. Manifest something that you know you’ve been working on and focus on that one thing. I also recommend starting a congratulations jar. If you’ve got a typical mason jar, write yourself little post-it notes about things that you’ve accomplished throughout the year. It can be small things. By the end of 2019, you can open them right before New Year’s and feel good about the year that you manifested for yourself.

Love these tips? Share them with family and friends so that everyone can have
their best holiday yet.