4 Ways to Cope With Body Image Challenges During the Holiday Season
Written By: Jessica Attas, LICSW, LCSW
The holiday season is officially here!
Gathering with friends and family, attending holiday parties, and enjoying all of the activities the season has to offer. All while navigating the messages of making resolutions for the New Year can bring up a variety of emotions. If you are someone who struggles with your body image, seasonal activities that center around meals and spending time with family and friends can bring up feelings of fear, guilt, and shame rather than holiday cheer. If you feel guilty about what you will eat over the holidays, experience anxiety around family and friends making comments about how you look, or avoid pictures at gatherings because of concerns about how you look, you are not alone.
Equipping yourself with techniques to manage the challenges that come with the holiday season can help you feel more empowered. Practicing body neutrality, setting clear boundaries, and leaning on your support system are a few essential strategies you can use to cope this holiday season. Using these strategies can increase your confidence, diffuse unwanted tension, and keep the holidays cheerful.
Below are a few strategies to create a body-neutral holiday season.
Practice Body Neutrality :
When you struggle with body image, it can be hard to feel positive about your body. Body neutrality focuses on your experience in your body and what it can do rather than how you look. Body neutrality emphasizes respecting and caring for your body. Practicing body neutrality around the holidays includes being compassionate towards yourself and doing what helps you feel most comfortable. One main way to practice body neutrality is by reframing negative self-talk. Rather than focusing on what your body is not doing, focus on what it can do. Practicing a body-neutral mindset this holiday season can help you focus on all of the experiences you have rather than focusing on your appearance.
Nourish Your Body:
People use food to connect, celebrate, and care for each other. With so many holiday festivities centered around food, you may find yourself feeling anxious or guilty about what or how much you eat. Rather than focus on “good” and “bad” foods, tune into how your body feels and what food appeals to you. Diet culture makes us believe that there are “good” and “bad” foods, while food does have nutritional value, it does not have any moral value! Eating the foods you enjoy this holiday season has no reflection on your worth or value. Just remember that you do not need to earn your food by exercising or restricting yourself. Staying well-nourished this holiday season can help you connect with friends and family and make cheerful memories.
Set Boundaries:
Boundaries are an essential part of navigating the holiday season. Setting boundaries can help you comfortably engage in social gatherings. Some ways you can set boundaries this holiday season include:
Communicating your needs with your family and friends prior to gatherings
Proactively sharing topics of conversation that can be challenging with others
Changing the topic of discussion
Snd excusing yourself from conversations when and if you need to
Not only can setting boundaries be helpful for managing interactions with others. It can help you protect your energy throughout the holiday season.It is OK to limit your time at events and to say no to activities, parties, and other gatherings! Having the space and time to focus on yourself and the things you can enjoy can help you feel rejuvenated and empowered rather than drained.
Lean on Your Support System:
Before attending holiday gatherings it can be helpful to identify your support system. Having an ally to help you navigate body image challenges during the holiday season can help you feel less isolated. Whether it is a family member across the table or a friend a text message away, it can be comforting to know you have someone in your corner to support you. Take time to connect with friends and family by doing something you love together! The holiday season can be a great time to reconnect with your loved ones and create new memories by doing a new activity or creating a new tradition. By engaging in new traditions and activities this holiday season, you will create memories to look back on that have little to do with your appearance.
The holidays can be a whirlwind. Practicing these strategies can help you feel more equipped to handle any challenges that may come your way. If you try these strategies and continue to struggle, remember you are human, and taking a body-neutral approach takes practice. By giving yourself the gift of body neutrality this year, you are reminding yourself that you are deserving of respect and care no matter how you feel about your body.
Begin Working With A Self-Esteem Therapist in Washington, DC
You deserve to love the body you are in this holiday season and all year round. Our team of caring therapists would be honored to provide support in improving your relationship with your body. You can start your therapy journey with The Sterling Group by following these simple steps:
Schedule a consultation with us using our contact form.
Meet with one of our skilled therapists.
Start making the most of the holiday season!
Other Services Offered With The Sterling Group
Our team understands there are many factors that may affect your holiday season including body image issues. This is why our counseling practice believes in healing for the whole self. Our skilled therapists offer a range of services related to your healing including self-esteem therapy, trauma therapy, and self-discovery. We help folks struggling with anxiety, depression, life transitions, and executive function, and ADHD struggles. Additionally, we can provide boundary-setting therapy, LGBTQ+ therapy, and couples therapy. We hope that you’ll reach out to us to get started with counseling and we can’t wait to hear from you.
