The festive period is often billed as the "most wonderful time of the year" and, yeah, for some people it is. But not to sound like the Grinch - though he's an anti-capitalist icon and even predicted the rise of Gen Z green before trend forecasters did - for many, Christmas isn't what the ad industry builds it up to be. It's worth remembering that there are plenty of folk out there who don't celebrate the holiday. There's also the fact that if you happen to work in the retail or hospitality sectors, December feels more like a hellish curse than a blessing. And let's not miss the very important detail that time spent locked up with family often leads to fiery political disputes in between bites of pigs in blankets (or veggie nut roast)...

That's not to say that Christmas can't be a fabulous time for those who partake - but let's drop the rose-tinted specs and get real. It's time to work with the festive raw material and develop realistic expectations around the season and how it is set to impact us. This includes our mental health - and given the December focus on communal meals and being merry, there can be plenty of difficult feelings to contend with when it comes to body image or feelings of shame around food.

But how do we create practical coping strategies and where do we find support with festive food guilt? In order to find out, woo reached out to Dr Beverly Marais, a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, Chartered Scientist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society specialising in eating disorders, and Chance Marshall, therapist and co-founder of high street therapy service Self Space.

What causes festive food shame?

Before you contend with how Christmas makes you feel about food, it can help to know why, exactly, it can be such a triggering time - bringing up self-critical thoughts around food which you might not normally experience.

Firstly, it's all to do with the nature of the season. "The festive period can be a difficult time for anyone who struggles with feelings of food guilt or shame because there is often an emphasis on indulging in rich and high-calorie foods and drinks — which can be triggering," explains therapist Chance Marshall.

"Internally, already stressed, tired and in need of relief at the end of the year, many of us might turn to food for comfort. Externally, when we're at events and gatherings centred around food and drink, we can feel the pressure to conform to expectations and indulge even if we don’t want to," he continues. "The guilt and shame come from feeling out of control with our food or drink intake."

Consuming these kinds of foods or beverages isn't necessarily a problem in and of itself. However, we may experience social food-shaming - who hasn't had a family member making an insensitive comment about the food on your plate? - which is often reinforced at a higher level through cultural messaging around calories or weight gain. "Headlines are rife with Christmas calorie-shaming this time of year, stuff like; 'this is how many calories are really in your Christmas pudding,' and it brings a painful critical lens on people's eating," Marshall adds.

There's a whole lot of mixed messages: expectations that make eating and drinking central to partaking in festive activities but without any change to fatphobic attitudes which are present at all times of the year and place a cultural fixation on how people look and what they eat.

How to cope with and combat feelings of food guilt over Christmas and New Year

Now you have some insight on why Christmas can be triggering, we consulted an expert for some advice on how to cope with these difficult feelings as and when they arise.

First, it's all about acceptance about the nature of the holiday, so that you can prepare yourself. "Normalise that eating is different over the holiday season and acknowledge that people will be eating in excess on occasion and snacking on chocolates or biscuits," says Dr Beverly Marais.

After this point, it can help to envisage what food you may be eating in the coming days and make peace with that. "If you are someone more prone to experiencing negative emotional reactions such as guilt or shame in response to food, it helps to have a plan as to how to approach the days leading up to and post the festive period," says Marais. "Once you have given yourself permission to have certain meals or snacks, it reduces anxiety and leaves you feeling more in control of your relationship with food."

Throughout the process, keep in mind that things don't always go to plan. "Accept that there will be times when things do not go according to plan and try not to catastrophise," she adds. "Be mindful that this is temporary, and you will be back in a regular routine again in January."

And finally, try not to diet during the period - restricting food intake is closely linked with the very feelings of guilt you are trying to escape. "Most importantly, do not restrict or diet as this will create harsh food rules which are likely to be broken, and lead directly to feelings of guilt of shame," concludes Marais. "Practice being kinder to yourself and by giving yourself permission to partake and celebrate in festive activities around food, while still working on holding boundaries within this."