Your body was never the problem.

The holidays tend to make anxiety louder.
Photos feel heavier.
Food feels more loaded.
Comments land deeper than usual.

For teens and young adults, this often turns into constant self-checking.
How do I look?
Did I eat too much?
What are they thinking about me?

When routines change and social pressure increases, anxiety looks for something visible to control.
Your body becomes the target because it feels concrete and measurable.

If I control this, I will feel safer.
If I look right, I will belong.
If I fix this, the pressure will stop.

But control does not create safety.
It creates more monitoring.

This week’s episode explores why body anxiety shows up so strongly during the holidays, what anxiety is actually trying to protect you from, and how to stop treating your body like a project you need to fix.

Episode 43. Why Your Body Feels Like the Problem During the Holidays

A Practical Tool You Can Use Right Now

When anxiety starts scanning your body, try this simple reset from the Anxiety Survival Toolkit.

Pause and name what is happening.
Ask yourself one question.
Is this my body talking, or is this anxiety trying to protect me?

Your body communicates through sensations like hunger, fullness, tension, or fatigue.
Anxiety communicates through urgency, fear, and rules.

Naming the difference creates space.
You are no longer reacting.
You are responding.

If anxiety is loud, use one grounding tool from the toolkit.
Box breathing for one minute.
Name five things you can see.
Holding something cold or textured to anchor your attention.

Small regulation moments like this help your nervous system settle before the spiral takes over.

A Quick Reframe From The C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method

One part of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method that fits this episode is this.

Understand that fear is not fact.

Just because anxiety says your body is the problem does not make it true.
Fear feels convincing when it shows up with urgency.
That does not mean it is accurate.

You do not need to change your body to belong.
You need safety.
And safety starts in your nervous system, not in control.

Just a Reminder

I don’t say this enough, but I’m really glad you’re here.
Thank you for trusting me with your time and your attention.

The holidays can bring a lot up.
Pressure, comparison, exhaustion, or the feeling that you should be further along than you are.

No matter how this season is going for you, I want you to know this.
You are not failing.
You are still moving forward, even when it doesn’t feel obvious.

Progress doesn’t always look like confidence.
Sometimes it looks like staying, listening, and trying again tomorrow.

Enjoy the holidays in whatever way feels doable for you.
And when things feel heavy, keep going.
You don’t have to rush. You just have to keep showing up.

With you in this,
Jessica
Mindset Coach for Anxious Teens & Young Adults

P.S. If you want help building your confidence or figuring out where to begin, book a 1:1 Confidence Coaching. I work with teens, young adults, and adults, and together we’ll map out a clear path forward.

Related Listening

• Struggling with confidence and second-guessing yourself more than usual.

• Feeling pressure from family dynamics, comments, or expectations.

• Feeling behind as the year ends and comparing your timeline to everyone else’s.

• Finding yourself shrinking or holding back to avoid judgment.

• When anxiety shows up suddenly and you do not understand why.