While the holidays can be full of joy, love, and fun, they can be a minefield for someone in recovery from disordered eating. Societally, we put a lot of focus on the food during the holiday season that is embedded in diet culture. ‘I’m eating too much’, ‘I’m going to gain so much weight’, ‘My new year’s resolution is to cut out carbs’, the list goes on and on. While this might not be bothersome to all, for people in recovery from a past of eating challenges and body issues, this time of year can be the most triggering.
We’ve compiled a list of suggestions for those struggling to help aid themselves with navigating this time while prioritizing their needs, wants, and boundaries.
Try to Stick to your Eating Routine
This will help you refrain from restricting your food intake. The holidays are full of traditions and large, elaborate meals might be one of them. This can be tricky if you have had a past of restricting behaviors that made you compensate for holiday meals. Remind yourself that, regardless of the sentiment, this is just another meal on the day. If it’s a celebratory dinner, still eat breakfast and lunch. If it is a mid day meal, make sure you have a plan for dinner.
Identify a Support
If you come from a family or are going to be spending time with loved ones who become hyperfixated on food/use a lot of food stigmatizing language, it can be helpful to identify an ally. Even going as far as discussing it prior to the actual event to establish what would be helpful during the day. Asking for our needs is important and having help can be crucial.
Determine your Boundaries a Couple Days Prior
Boundaries can be an essential lifeline. We want to think about our boundaries with people, places, and things. Maybe it’s committing to redirecting family members who discuss weight and bodies. Maybe it’s not attending the meal if you are only going out of obligation and not actually wanting to go. Maybe it’s having the boundary for yourself of not compensating for what you consumed the day of the day after.
Take Breaks to Regulate
Sometimes the social aspect of the holidays can feel overwhelming, especially to those in recovery. If you need a breather, it might be helpful to exit the function for some fresh air and quiet. Remember that this can help immensely with regulating our bodies, and can be a key component to our self care during that day. It’s okay to have alone time.
Attend your Appointments
Things can become busy really quickly during this time of year. It’s important to remember that making time to keep your mental health provider appointments can be crucial to prioritize our wellbeing. If you don’t have an appointment coming up, it might be helpful to reach out and put one on the calendar just to feel the additional support before, during, or after the events that you have going on this year.
As always, this list isn’t exhaustive of what can be done to cope with disordered eating and body dysmorphia during the holidays. However, we think of it as a helpful starting point. If you have a loved one who is in recovery, remember that it’s more than okay to ask what they might need during that time. It can help that person not feel alone, overwhelmed, and might be the thing they need to hear to jumpstart their coping plan.
The information on this website is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or psychological condition and is not a substitute for therapy. If you are experiencing an emergency please call/text 988 or go to your nearest emergency room.
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