The holidays can feel intense. There’s so much to manage, from balancing work or school with travel and celebrations, to navigating complex family dynamics, to attending social obligations, sending cards, buying gifts, and more—all while trying to take care of yourself and others. Amidst all this, you might start to notice more negative thoughts about your body, especially if you’ve struggled with body image or an eating disorder (or both).

If that’s the case for you, know that you’re not alone. In fact, a 2025 study of people with body image concerns showed a link between the holiday season and increased body dissatisfaction, which may be related to heightened expectations surrounding social gatherings, associated pressure to pose for photos, and expectations to set diet culture-based New Year’s resolutions. The good news is that, whatever the reason for this increased distress, there are ways to find relief.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, body image is defined as “the thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors around one’s physical appearance, [and includes] how one senses and controls their body as they move and how one physically experiences one’s body.” In other words, body image isn’t about what your body looks like, or its shape or weight; it’s about how you see and feel it, what you think and believe about it, and how you treat it. This means that in order to improve your body image, your body doesn’t need to change —but your mindset does.

Read on to better understand why the holidays can cause body image distress, and learn expert-backed ways to help you avoid spending the season preoccupied by how you look

Why this season can be so tough for body image

So, why do body image struggles often crop up or intensify during the holidays? Typically, it’s not one driving factor, but at least a couple that, together, create the perfect storm for body distress. Here are some common reasons why your relationship to your body can be difficult this time of year:

Diet culture

Unfortunately, you’d be hard-pressed to find a holiday table free of diet culture. It infiltrates many conversations any time of year, but seems to get louder between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

“The holidays often include a lot of food, and people talking about that food, and that commonly leads to conversation around bodies,” says dietitian Paige Aberasturi, RDN, CPT. Unfortunately, most of our society is still steeped in diet culture, so these conversations tend to be about what’s “good” and what’s “bad,” while body talk typically includes unnecessary shame, judgement, and guilt. Then, there’s the media frenzy surrounding “New Year, new me” messaging, which inevitably leads to people everywhere discussing diet- and fitness-focused resolutions. “It's not surprising that all of this may result in personal feelings about your own body,” Aberasturi adds.

Being perceived by others

If you’re in eating disorder recovery and healing your relationship to your body, you might be worried that people you haven’t seen in a while will judge how you look, especially if you’ve recovered into a larger body and were praised for your smaller body. “This leads to worries of how our bodies will be perceived, if anyone notes any changes and if they might comment or ask us about it,” explains dietitian Ana Pruteanu, MS, RDN, CEDS-C, LDN.

And even if you’re not in recovery from an eating disorder, you may feel anxious about reuniting with family and friends if your body has changed. Comments about other people’s bodies are unfortunately common in our society, so it’s understandable to feel this concern.

Then, there’s the pressure of taking more photos than usual. “For some, including folks in recovery, this can lead to an increase in negative body image thoughts and pressure to change their bodies leading up to the holidays and seeing others,” Pruteanu explains.

Stress, overwhelm, and other hard feelings

If you notice that negative body thoughts tend to increase after difficult emotions, it’s possible that your body has become a funnel for your feelings. “When stress and overwhelm start to happen, it's easy to project those feelings onto how you feel about your body. They become an object in your mind when you’re stressed and it’s the ‘easy’ thing to do—blame your body for something,” explains therapist Amanda Marks, LPC, LMHC, CPCS.

While the holidays can be a time of joy and happiness for many, they can be equally troubling for others, whether they’re grieving or struggling with feelings of depression or anxiety, or something else. This difficulty, in turn, can exacerbate negative body image. For example, one of my past clients always noticed an intense heaviness in her body when she was around a certain family member at the holidays, and she would shame her body and herself for feeling this way. Over time, however, she realized that her body’s heaviness was in fact an intense sadness that was waiting to be felt and processed. Oftentimes, it can seem easier to try and bypass hard feelings and blame your body, instead of feeling and safely expressing them.

Festive food and family

In my practice, I notice an uptick in negative body image among clients this time of year, especially the ones who struggle being around certain family members. The abundance of festive foods combined with complicated or chaotic family dynamics can contribute to distress and negative body image for those with an eating disorder or in recovery, or anyone who struggles with body image. Plus, returning home for the holidays can cause old patterns around food, body image, and approval to resurface, even if you’ve been committed to healing. “When you’re under stress, it is easier to fall back on old coping mechanisms because they’re comfortable, even though they no longer serve you,” explains dietitian Jessica Villalvir MS, RDN.

Villalvir adds that since food is often the main event during the holidays—and the food served is often challenging itself—there’s an extra layer of emotional complexity. The eating disorder brain can get louder when there are more fun foods around, since the food scene feels more threatening than usual. “For some going through the recovery process, holidays may be a time when they are faced with fear foods—foods which cause stress or anxiety. And being faced with having to eat foods prepared by others or foods outside of one’s safe range may also cause additional body image distress,” Pruteanu adds.

Strategies for fostering better body image this holiday season

It’s common to experience heightened negative body image this time of year. But fortunately, there are ways to navigate this holiday season more peacefully and avoid spending it consumed by body hatred or distress.

Here are some expert-backed ways to help soften your relationship to your body as you move through the holidays:

Designate a safe person

Whether it’s someone you’re around often throughout the holidays or someone you can text or call easily, clarify who your safe person or people will be this season. “Identify your support system—people you can reach out to for support if you’re struggling with body image, who would listen or encourage you,” Pruteanu advises. “Let them know ahead of time how you’d like to be supported in those moments and what you find most helpful.” If your safe person is at the table or event with you, try creating a safe word together for you to say when you need a break and their support.

Set boundaries

This one’s hard, because it can feel scary to speak up to friends or family members about what’s okay and not okay for you. However, setting boundaries about conversation topics at holiday gatherings can be empowering and help to mitigate triggering scenarios. For example, a relative may always comment on your body size or other people’s body size when you reunite, and you can set a boundary by asking them to leave body size comments off the table this year. You can have this conversation either beforehand or in the moment, depending on what makes sense and feels safest for you. If it feels overwhelming, role play what you’ll say with your therapist or dietitian before setting the boundary.

Remember, many people are likely to respect your boundaries, but not everyone will. What’s important is that you’re voicing them. Marks also encourages “stepping away from the table or conversation and taking some grounding breaths or reaching out to your support person” as another way to create a boundary. Changing the topic can be another way to make it clear that you don’t want to engage in diet culture talk this year.

Pamper your body

Maybe it’s putting on a soothing lotion after a shower, or wearing a piece of jewelry that brings you comfort—whatever helps you and your body feel most at ease before a gathering or event, do that. Then, go for the clothes and accessories that fit well (not ones that are too tight or feel uncomfortable sitting or eating in) and feel authentic. “Choose an outfit that makes you feel comfortable and confident,” Villalvir says. “Add a little spice that gives you an extra pep in your step—wear your hair in your favorite way, do your nails, or put on those special earrings. I love putting on a nice lipstick.”

Decode your negative body thoughts

Negative body thoughts are often an indication that something deeper is happening. First, take some time to make sure your nervous system is regulated. Then, with curiosity and non-judgement, ask, “What am I feeling?” and “Is this actually about my body?” Based on what you find, follow up with, “What do I need?” If your distress is about something else, you can address the true stressor instead of blaming your body and try to get your honest needs met the best you can.

Express your feelings

Since feelings are felt in the body and it’s common to take hard feelings out on the body, it helps to have go-to, safe ways to express your emotions. It could be journaling, mindful movement, crying, some form of art, or venting to a safe person. If you’re unsure of how you can safely express feelings, especially hard ones, it can be helpful to work with a therapist to help cultivate a healthy coping toolkit.

Shift your perspective

If you struggle with taking photos, try seeing the process of being in or looking at photos as opportunities to create treasured mementos from special moments in your life. Marks encourages her clients to focus on what’s happening in the picture instead of what people look like. Try zooming out over the whole image and experience instead of fixating on how your body looks, which will help soften judgment. Pruteanu also suggests not reviewing photos for flaws, and instead, “letting them be on your phone as a memory of the 2025 holiday season,” she says. “Future you may want to have this recording.”

Another way to change perspective is to focus on what your body can do for you instead of what it looks like, or viewing your body as an instrument in your life—not as an ornament to be judged. So, consider what you’re glad your body allows you to do this time of year, and keep it simple (e.g. hugging loved ones, smelling cinnamon, singing your favorite songs, or feeling warmth from a fire).

Embrace your inner child–literally

My clients can often pinpoint when their negative body image started, and it’s usually in childhood. Consider envisioning your younger self (alone or with the support of a therapist, depending on what feels safest), and be specific: what were you wearing, where were you, and who was there? Then picture you now walking toward your younger self, holding them close, and offering the words they longed to hear. Maybe it’s something like, “I am more than a body,” “I deserve to take up space,” and “My body isn’t the problem.” Stick with the same one throughout the holiday season, write it down, and say it out loud on a regular basis, especially when you’re struggling.

Reconsider social media use

Social media can affect how you relate to yourself and your body, especially this time of year. If you follow social media that disturbs your relationship to your body or heightens your body anxiety, eliminate those accounts and sources as soon as possible. You might even consider taking a break from social media entirely: a 2024 study of young women showed that even a one-week break can help improve body image.

Reconnect with your holiday values

Ask yourself what you want this holiday season to be about. Perhaps it’s calm, peace, joy, fun, connection, or self-care. “Think of what you enjoy or value about the holiday season,” Pruteanu suggests. “Maybe it’s spending quality time with a specific person or people, or a specific tradition you enjoy. Try to add one value-centric activity to each day during the holidays if you can.” You can also set the daily intention to seek out glimmers (micro-moments of joy that signal safety to the nervous system) that connect you to your values for little pockets of time. This could be admiring a crackling fire or a beautifully decorated tree, smelling hot chocolate or coffee, or listening to the sound of birdsong on a walk or your favorite holiday tune.

Practice self-compassion

To use self-compassion during a tough body image moment, identify your negative body thoughts and find some space between you and the thought by placing the statement, “I am having the thought that” in front of it. Then, observe the thought and call it what it is: a negative thought about your body. Instead of continuing to be fused with the thought and berating your body, speak to yourself and your body with kindness. This could be something as simple as, “I am struggling right now, but my body is working for me.”

You’re not alone in your struggle and other people are struggling with negative body image at this moment, too. If self-compassion feels difficult, that’s understandable—all that matters is that you give it a shot. “Remember, this is your eating disorder’s favorite time of year, and you’re fully capable of surviving,” Villalvir encourages. “Don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect.”