is not for the faint of heart during the flu season. Once everyone has been vaccinated, what’s left to do? Just sit and wait for the inevitable? Wellness coaching is especially valuable during the holiday season. Unfortunately most people aren’t out looking for health coaching right now; they are gearing up for the holidays. But if you start promoting wellness coaching now, you can really help make it a happy new year.

Why Wellness Coaching and Health Coaching Are Somewhat Seasonal

It’s not coincidental that flu season starts in October, but how can wellness coaching help? It’s a virus, right? Yes, and no. What I learned from my health coaching training is that we have viruses among us all year around. So why do they attack us most aggressively during this time of year?

So much of what most people think about health coaching is telling people what to do, or not to do. But the real source of the flu season is from what I refer to as the “Certainty Season.” This is the time when we are looking for comfort and security. Sipping hot chocolate or hot toddies by the fire and snuggling up in our favorite blanket. It gets darker earlier and we look for comforts in all the wrong places. Like overeating and drinking. Our drive for comfort even keeps us away from the gym. And most people will avoid wellness coaching at this time of year like the plague. But why?

Health Coaching and the Holidays

The real kickoff to the season starts with Halloween. As my neighbor said once, “My favorite holiday is Halloween. Let’s be honest. No family, no presents to shop for, and no stress. It’s all about the candy!” Then we have Thanksgiving and Christmas which are more about food and family; in that order. And lot’s of stress. Don’t forget Hannukah with its fried potato pancakes and donuts. By the time we get to New Year’s Day, we are firmly committed to never follow THAT pattern again. Now people start looking for wellness coaching, health coaching, and any other type of coaching that will get them out of the rut.

Make Wellness Coaching a Year-Round Affair

Instead of promoting health coaching to beat people over the head to get them do what they know they should do, why not promote wellness coaching to help people get their needs met for certainty in different ways. When they see how their behaviors really don’t provide certainty and comfort, and in fact might destroy what they are truly going after by making them more susceptible to the flu; they just might start working on their health before it disappears.

Colette Seymann
JTS Advisors Designated Accountability Coach