3 Ways to Navigate Thanksgiving in Eating Disorder Recovery
For many, Thanksgiving is a time for loved ones to spend together and engage in giving thanks for their loved ones, experiences, and opportunities. You might hear laughter, smell apple pie in the oven, see big smiles, feel the warmth of family members, and eventually taste a multitude of foods.
By: Sajel Jani
While the thought of Thanksgiving may bring about happy memories and excitement for some, for those in eating disorder recovery, it can be a challenging and incredibly stressful time. Thanksgiving is the first of many holidays coming up in the winter season that may bring about negative feelings and thoughts surrounding food and eating. Here are some tips to help keep your focus on gratitude, reduce stress, and prioritize your recovery during Thanksgiving celebrations.
Practice Mindfulness
Engaging in a mindfulness practice before, during, or after a Thanksgiving event can help you feel more grounded and present. Additionally, it can give you the space to practice gratitude and give thanks to the people or things that you appreciate in your life. Some ways to practice mindfulness on Thanksgiving Day include a guided gratitude meditation, gratitude journaling, or writing a gratitude letter to your body or for your recovery.
Focus on Your Own Plate
It can be easy to let your eyes wander to everyone else’s plates and potentially feel triggered when it registers what others are eating. This opens the door to comparison, which is not helpful to your recovery path. A great way to challenge this is to focus on your own plate. Remember that everyone’s plate will look different depending on what they need to fully nourish themselves and their individual taste preferences or dietary needs. Remember your own meal plan and try to adequately nourish yourself during this holiday meal.
Have Conversations About Boundaries
A lot of potentially harmful comments about diet culture, food, eating patterns, and bodies can arise at the Thanksgiving dinner table. If possible, it may be helpful to set boundaries with members of your family ahead of time around what is appropriate for dinner table conversation. If you are not comfortable with this, or if your recovery is not something that is widely known in your family, you can designate a support person to set these boundaries for you ahead of time or to sit next to you and be there at the family function.
If this feels like something you are ready for, you can also acknowledge this kind of talk as it is currently happening. Offering reframes, like “Instead of talking about this, could we talk about that?” or simply saying that it makes you uncomfortable, like, “Hey, this kind of talk makes it more difficult for me to enjoy my meal. Any chance we can avoid it at the table and talk about something else?” can help guide the conversation towards a more light-hearted and less activating environment.
Remember to practice self-compassion and be gentle with yourself this Thanksgiving and for the future winter season. Managing holidays in eating disorder recovery can feel like climbing a mountain, but if you bring all of your necessary tools with you and plan ahead to the extent possible, you will be setting yourself up for success.
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 12-Day Winter Break Eating Disorder Treatment Program can guide you toward lasting recovery. Reimagine the joy of the holidays with expert guidance, eliminate being overwhelmed with food and body distress, and reconnect with yourself before the new year. Learn more about our limited-time Winter Break 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 Clinical Intern, Sajel Jani (she/her).
Sajel Jani is currently in her final year of Columbia University’s MSW program and holds a B.A. in Psychology from The College of New Jersey. Her passion lies in supporting clients on their eating disorder recovery journey, including finding confidence, self-empowerment, and what is considered healthy for them. Sajel is an active fighter against diet culture on social media and strives to spread messages of self-love and acceptance. Ultimately, she wants to pursue a career where she can help those struggling with an eating disorder discover the life they deserve without an eating disorder. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, going for walks, and reading. Sajel is excited and eager to learn from the talented staff at BALANCE and aid clients in their journeys toward recovery.