The Holidays Are Hard When You're Still Learning to Love Yourself
Written by Savannah Chrisley
Published November 14, 2026
Y'all. It's the middle of November. The air finally got crisp in Nashville, Chloe already asked when we're putting the tree up, and Grayson is somehow taller than me again. And every year around this time I feel it... that quiet pressure creeping in.
The holidays are supposed to be the happiest time of the year. Twinkle lights, pie, people you love packed into one kitchen. And I DO love it. But I'd be lying if I said this season didn't bring up a whole lot of stuff for me. Food stuff. Body stuff. Grief stuff. All of it.
For years I walked into the holidays bracing myself. Bracing for the comments. Bracing for the mirror. Bracing for that voice in my head that would start counting... counting bites, counting pounds, counting everything except the blessings right in front of me.
I spent too many holidays at war with my own body
I've been real with y'all about my endometriosis. About gaining 40 pounds in like three months and not understanding what was happening to my own body. About almost hitting 160 and feeling like a stranger in my skin. And the holidays? They used to make all of that feel ten times louder.
I'd show up to Thanksgiving already feeling defeated. I'd eat and feel guilty. I'd not eat and feel miserable. There was no winning because I was playing a game I set up to lose. And nobody at that table even knew the war happening inside me.
This year is different. Not because I'm "fixed" — I don't believe in that word anymore. It's different because I finally learned to meet myself with grace instead of a scoreboard. Therapy helped. My faith helped. Getting my hormones actually supported helped SO much. On the days I feel sluggish and foggy I lean on my little B12 boost, and it genuinely makes me feel more like me again.
“You cannot shame yourself into healing. I had to learn to love the body that was carrying me through the hard days, not punish it.”
If you're reading this and you're already dreading the dinner table... I see you. I know that knot in your stomach. And I want to tell you something I wish somebody had told 24-year-old me: your worth is not on that plate. It's not on that scale. It never was.
Taking care of my health this year hasn't been about shrinking myself to feel acceptable at a party. It's been about showing up WELL. Feeling strong. Being present for Chloe and Grayson instead of mentally spiraling about dessert. If you've been doing the work too, whether that's a GLP-1 journey with Good Girl Rx or just finally giving your body what it needs, I'm so proud of you. Truly.
- Eat the pie AND the vegetables — both can be love.
- Set one boundary with someone who comments on your body.
- Say one gratitude out loud at the table, even if you feel silly.
- Take ten minutes alone when the noise gets too big.
- Remember you're allowed to just... be present.
I'm walking into this Thanksgiving softer with myself. I'm going to laugh with my mama, steal bites off Grayson's plate, and let Chloe boss me around while we decorate. And I'm not going to keep score. Not this year. Not ever again if I can help it.
So here's my prayer for all of us this season: let it be gentle. Let it be full. Let it be grace. You've carried enough. Set the scoreboard down and come to the table as you are. With love, Savannah.
Walk into this season feeling like you
If you're ready to support your body with real care and a little grace, our team at Good Girl Rx is here when you are.
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