After the Feast: Reorient, Not Restrict

As I wake up during this festive season, I find myself reflecting on words I know I’ve uttered myself in the past words that are so commonly spoken they almost go unnoticed.

“I feel so guilty.”
“I need to detox.”
“Back on track tomorrow.”
“I’ve been so bad.”

Over time, these phrases stop being just sayings and quietly become beliefs, beliefs that are often passed down from generation to generation. Especially after celebrations like Christmas, many people wake up the very next day feeling remorse, shame, or the urge to restrict, punish, or control their bodies.

But what if this response has less to do with what our bodies actually need and more to do with ingrained cultural conditioning?

I wanted to explore this through a different lens:

what does the Bible actually show us about feasting, fasting, and the rhythm of the body after celebration?

Feasting and Fasting in Biblical Times: A Rhythm, Not a Reaction

In Scripture, feasts were intentional, sacred, and occasional. They were times of joy, remembrance, gratitude, and community not excess layered on top of excess.

What’s interesting is that fasting often followed seasons of celebration, not as punishment, but as reorientation.

One of the clearest examples is found in the Jewish calendar:

• Feast of Trumpets → a time of gathering and celebration

• Ten days later: Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) → a commanded fast

“You shall afflict your souls…”
(Leviticus 16:29–31)

“Afflicting the soul” was widely understood to mean fasting, rest, humility, and withdrawal from excess.

This wasn’t about shame or control. It was a sacred pause after celebration, a time to soften the heart, return to God, and come back into alignment.

If we translate this into embodied language today, it looks very much like a nervous-system reset, not a diet.

Simplicity Was the Foundation

Another important piece we often overlook is how people lived daily life in biblical times.

• Food was simple, whole, seasonal, and unprocessed

• Feasting was occasional, not constant

• Daily life included movement, sunlight, community, and circadian rhythms

• Sabbath rest was non-negotiable

Because of this, the body naturally returned to balance after a feast , without detoxes, cleanses, or rigid plans. There was no spiralling self-talk about being “good” or “bad.”

The rhythm of life itself supported digestion, regulation, and restoration.

Fasting Was Never About Guilt or Punishment

Biblical fasting was not about:

• Body punishment

• Appearance

• Shame

• Earning worth

• Control

Isaiah 58 reminds us that fasting was meant to:

• Soften the heart

• Restore justice

• Create humility

• Realign with God

• Bring freedom, internally and externally

In other words, fasting was about compassion, not condemnation.

This mirrors what we now understand through trauma-informed and nervous-system-aware practices: healing does not come through restriction, but through safety, regulation, and gentleness.

What This Means for Us at Christmas

The issue isn’t the feast.

The issue is what happens after in our thoughts, beliefs, and inner dialogue.

Many of us don’t struggle because our bodies are overwhelmed, but because our minds spiral into:

• Negative self-talk

• Overthinking

• Old programming around worth and control

So instead of asking, “How do I undo what I ate?” A more aligned question might be:

“How do I return to simplicity, safety, and presence?”

Gentle, Grounded Support for the Festive Season

Rather than dieting or restricting, consider these supportive practices:

• Return to simple meals, not restrictive ones
  Warm foods, protein, fibre, hydration — nourishment, not punishment.

• Create moments of stillness
  Short walks, sunlight, breath, prayer, or sitting quietly before reacting.

• Notice the inner dialogue
  When guilt arises, gently ask: Is this a belief I’ve inherited, or truth I choose?

• Support digestion through regulation
  Slow eating, grounding, rest, and nervous-system safety matter more than “fixing” food.

• Honour a sacred pause
  Just as Scripture models — not to control the body, but to come back to centre.

The biblical pattern was never:

Feast → guilt → punishment

It was always:

Feast → pause → simplicity → reorientation → rest

Perhaps this season is an invitation to break not just food cycles but belief cycles.

To choose compassion over control, presence over punishment and to remember that our bodies were designed to return to balance when we meet them with kindness.

Perhaps this season is an invitation not to control the body, but to soften the heart.

If you’re ready to explore a more compassionate relationship with food, emotions, and your body, we’d love to support you. Our Discovery Calls and Mood & Food Initial Consults offer a space to unpack beliefs, restore balance, and use food as a tool for nourishment and regulation.

You don’t need to carry this alone.