EP 314.5: Dreading the Upcoming Holidays? Your 6-Step Plan for When Food & Body Comments Trigger You

Sis, we’re heading into the season of triggers — and if you’re already spiraling about how you’ll handle all the food, all the people, and all the comments about bodies and what’s on your plate, this episode is your armor.

You know the moment: you sit down at the table, and your aunt says “you look so healthy, are you eating more?” or “wow, you’ve lost so much weight!” — and just like that, your chest tightens, your throat closes, and before you even realize it, you’re making plans to restrict tomorrow or add an extra workout this week. I’ve been there (Thanksgiving was the trigger for me). So today I’m handing you the real-time game plan I walk through with my clients — including one, “Allison,” who texted me mid-panic from a family gathering this week.

The 6-step plan for when you’re triggered:

Notice your body. Drop out of your racing head and into your body. Is your chest tight? Shoulders at your ears? Jaw clenched? Holding your breath? Don’t judge it, don’t fix it — just notice. Your body is giving you all the information you need.

Breathe. Hand on your belly, deep breath through your nose, slow exhale. This isn’t woo-woo — it’s how you re-regulate your nervous system. You’re safe. You don’t need to run, fight, or freeze. Breathing creates space between the trigger and your reaction — and that space is where your power lives.

Name the sensation. Where’s the tension? Chest, stomach, shoulders? When you name what feels overwhelming, you make it make sense — “this is what’s happening in my body right now” — so you can address what comes next.

Name the emotion. Not the story your mind is spinning, not the restriction plan — the actual emotion. Scared? Ashamed? Not good enough? Say it out loud if you can. You can’t heal what you won’t feel and acknowledge.

Give it compassion. That emotion exists because at some point it kept you safe — a time you learned your worth was tied to your appearance or how little space you took up. But that old experience isn’t happening now. You’re not that former version of you anymore. Put your hand on your heart: “I hear you. I see you. I know you’re trying to protect me — but I’m okay now.”

Meet your now needs. This is where action happens. Not what the disorder says — what does your body need? Maybe fresh air. Maybe texting your person. Maybe eating because you’re actually hungry. Maybe doing the opposite of what your brain screams — when you want to run from the table, you stay.

The heart of it — act as if you’re already