Coping With Body Image Comments From Outsiders During the Holidays

Contributor: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, Special Projects Coordinator at Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope

The holiday season is often a time to get together and celebrate with people from various walks of life, including work colleagues, friends, and family members. This is typically a time of year where it is common to see distance friends and family members who you may not see a regular basis, and this can also trigger interesting conversations.

For lack of better conversation starters, many individuals may commonly resort to commenting about your body, size or weight, especially if some time has past since you have seen each other.

“You’ve lost so much weight!” “You look so healthy now” “Wow, you look so thin”. These are just a small sample of the types of comments that may be heard during this holiday season, especially around gatherings of friends and family members.

It is much easier to talk about the latest diet someone has been on and focus on shallower topics, like weight and food versus having deeper conversations, and for this reason, this tends to be the topic of conversation at many holiday meals.

Filter Out Comments!

If you are struggling with poor body image, these types of conversations can be particularly triggering, especially when comments are directed at you and your own body.

Insecurities you may already be feeling about yourself and your body can be validated by a simple comment that someone casually makes during a holiday meal or gathering. What is the best way to approach situations like this?

While it is difficult to filter out comments like this, this is essentially what must be done. Remember that it is easier for others to focus on surface level issues, like food and body, rather that initiate other types of conversations.

When a topic of conversation is headed toward that direction, be proactive in redirecting the conversation. This in itself can be helpful when you are constantly approached with these types of comments.

Focusing on aspects about yourself that you appreciate and enjoy can also be helpful when you are receiving unwanted comments about yourself and your body. Using positive body affirmations can be especially helpful during this time of year.

You may also consider staying connected to your support group and/or therapist to process some of the difficult emotions you may be experiencing or that might be triggered by some of the conversations you are having this time of year.

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Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on November 27, 2015
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com