It's the holiday season.

You've been doing great with your health goals, abstaining from alcohol and junk food.

You've felt a sense of deep accomplishment, and you don't want the holidays to get you off your game.

But here they come! The people in your life who think that sharing is caring.

They offer food and drink; sometimes they even push it on you!

Nicknamed "pushers" or "food pushers" by those who face such challenges, many feel uncomfortable saying no to them.

Why do some people push food or beverages on others? And how can you hold a firm boundary when it is tempting to say yes to their offer?

Seen as a sign of hospitality and generosity, almost every culture and subgroup has some use of food as a symbol of love and inclusion.

Some food and beverage pushers are doing so as an expression of love, an invitation to belong, or a gesture of compassion.

The direct approach includes 4 steps:

(1) Acknowledge the loving intention.

(2) Express gratitude for the benevolence in the intention.

(3) Explain your prioritized goal.

(4) Invite a redirection of the loving intention toward something that truly supports you.

An example of the direct approach

(1) "How loving........

© Psychology Today