The winter holiday season is a time of year to focus on family, community, and connection. However, the holidays can also be challenging for individuals who are either struggling with or are in recovery from an eating disorder.
By: Regina Colie
As we leave fall and head into winter, the seasonal shift brings about the promise of new opportunities to connect with friends and family in celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. However, the food focus of these holidays can cause a lot of stress if you or a loved one is in recovery from an eating disorder. Although having a support system and building a treatment plan before the holiday season may be helpful, managing those internal eating disorder urges can be hard, especially when the holidays place such heavy emphasis on meals.
As such, here are some helpful tips for those struggling to help make the holiday stress-free and enjoyable for everyone at the dinner table.
Make a Plan
Set up a plan for yourself before the holidays so that you’ll be prepared for what is to come and how to navigate any unexpected urges that may arise. Write your plan down to remember it and potentially share it with your support system. Talk to your loved ones so that you have a support system, and they can be there for you if anything arises.
Reduce Time Spent on Social Media
Unfortunately, social media can serve as a gateway for negative and potentially false information, and triggering comments, both during and after the holidays. Some accounts dedicate themselves to spouting harmful diet advice, which is just disordered eating in disguise. Avoiding all contact with these accounts can make for a more enjoyable holiday season and make you feel more confident.
Find Helpful Distractions
Find times throughout the day when you can sit alone and ground yourself or try to relax. Choose an activity that you enjoy. This will keep you distracted from the possible urges or thoughts that may appear unexpectedly. You may wish to play a game, write down your thoughts in a journal, draw or color, work on a chore that can help you stay busy, or do a puzzle. Keeping yourself busy for a moment can help keep those nagging thoughts away, and enjoy the holiday with your loved ones.
You may notice that eating disorder triggers and urges seem to come up more frequently, especially with the holidays right around the corner. BALANCE’s new Holiday Headstart 12-Day Intensive can guide you toward lasting recovery. Get tools to jumpstart your recovery, expert guidance from our experienced, compassionate team, actionable steps to build into your everyday routine to solidify your recovery, concentrated care to help you build resilience this holiday season, and more. Learn more about our limited-time Holiday Headstart 12-Day Intensive here.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call below, or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Regina Colie (she/her).
Regina Colie is a blog contributor for BALANCE, whose previous work has been featured in Project HEAL and Nourishing NY. She is an alumnus of The New School of Social Research, where she received her Masters in Psychology. After attending Marymount Manhattan College, she had the opportunity to be published in Dr. Nava Silton’s book, The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Child, Adolescent, and Adult Development.
References
Georgiou, A. (2023, August 10). How to get through Thanksgiving with an eating disorder. Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/how-get-through-thanksgiving-eating-disorder-1761786
Marson, G. (2020, November 17). Seven Tips for Facing Thanksgiving With an Eating Disorder. Psychology Today. Retrieved November 5, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-binge-eating-prevention-plan/202011/seven-tips-facing-thanksgiving-eating-disorder
Spann, M. (2023, September 25). Navigating Thanksgiving with an Eating Disorder – Tips for Individuals and Families. Monte Nido. Retrieved November 5, 2023, from https://www.montenido.com/eating-disorder-navigating-thanksgiving/
Carroll, A. (2021, November 22). Eating Disorders: Tips for navigating Thanksgiving. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/eating-disorders/tips-for-managing-your-eating-disorder-around-thanksgiving
