Women In Business Share What Self Care Really Means To Them
The holiday season is often painted as the “most wonderful time of the year.” Between festive meals, family gatherings, and cultural traditions, it’s a time that many look forward to. But for those in eating disorder recovery, this season can feel complicated, overwhelming, or even isolating. With so much emphasis on food, body image, and routines that get disrupted, the holidays can bring up stress and triggers that challenge even the strongest recovery journey. The good news is: you are not alone, and there are ways to approach the season with more compassion and support.
For so many of us, especially those healing from disordered eating, chronic dieting, or body shame, shopping isn’t “just” shopping. It’s a mirror to all the body image stories we’ve internalized over the years. Stories that hold pain, sadness and doubt. When clothing doesn’t fit the way we expect, it can activate feelings of failure, fear, and unworthiness. This is not your fault. These reactions are learned from a culture that teaches us to equate thinness with value and control with morality. But there are ways to meet these moments with more compassion and grounding.
Photo grief is the emotional response to images that evoke loss, longing, or sadness. This could be a photograph of someone who has passed, a memory of a place or time that’s gone, or even pictures of yourself that bring up complicated feelings about identity, body image, or life changes. Photos can be a physical representation of so many emotions that live under the surface. Sometimes seeing a photo can evoke stronger emotions than when you think about the past. Seeing the physical memory can be really powerful.
