Handling Isolation and Eating Disorder Recovery During the Holidays
For those with eating disorders, the holidays can be a challenging, isolating time of year. The coronavirus pandemic has only added another layer of disruption and solitude to the holiday season. While staying connected to friends, family, and loved ones may look different this year amid the social isolation restrictions, it is still possible and vital to our mental health and overall well-being to keep in touch with our support systems.
By: Sadie Grant
This year, your holiday season probably looks a little bit (or a lot) different. While the holidays are often filled with family reunions, parties with friends, and community, this year many of us will be spending the season with only those in our immediate household.
If you have or have ever had an eating disorder, you probably know that the holiday season in normal times can be a difficult time of year. The holidays often involve excessive food consumption, which can be triggering for those with an eating disorder. Furthermore, the holiday season often involves reuniting with friends and family, which can be emotionally draining and lead to feelings of being watched and judged. This year, holiday-related stress is also compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. With social isolation, anxiety around health, and overall international uncertainty as the backdrop to the 2020 holidays, it’s the perfect storm.
Even though this socially-distanced holiday season may feel very daunting for those living with or recovering from an eating disorder, there are still ways to maintain recovery, prioritize self-care, and find connection during this time of year. Today, we are going to share tips to overcome and even enjoy this holiday season. Even in the midst of the pandemic, we can fight isolation and prioritize connection and healing.
How to Get Through the 2020 Holiday Season in Eating Disorder Recovery (Quarantine Edition):
1. Nourish your body.
Have regular snacks and meals. Even if you are not able to be as physically active as you might during normal times, you always deserve to eat. Even if there are big or otherwise difficult holiday meals, continue to eat regularly. Especially during these times of stress, hunger and fullness cues can be more difficult to read. Eating at frequent intervals (i.e. every three hours) can help the body relearn these cues and ensure that you stay nourished.
2. Stay connected (social distancing does not equal social isolation).
Having a person or people who can support you should any holiday-related challenges arise can be tremendously helpful. Consider identifying friends, family members, or support professionals who you can connect with if you feel triggered. Of course, your support system may not be joining you to celebrate the holidays this year due to pandemic-related social distancing measures. Remember, “social distancing” is not the same thing as social isolation. Reach out to your supports through Facetime, text, or phone.
Eating disorders thrive on isolation. Even if you are not directly seeking support for your eating disorder, consider joining virtual groups, talking to friends online, or meeting with people outside at a distance. Social connection is powerful and can be very supportive for recovery.
3. Maintain a schedule.
With fewer scheduled activities and outlets due to the pandemic, it can be easy to fall out of consistent sleep patterns and day-to-day structure. Consider prioritizing consistent sleep habits. Sleep provides us with the energy to go about our days and is an essential part of emotional regulation. During the holidays, when more eating disorder triggers can arise, it is especially important to develop regular sleep/wake times.
If your days feel unstructured and lonely, consider doing daily activities that will relax and engage you. During the holiday season, this could look like decorative crafting, gratitude journaling, watching a favorite holiday film, or even taking a nap. Be gentle with yourself — if the holiday season wasn’t already hard enough, you are now facing it in the midst of a global pandemic!
4. Set boundaries with friends and family (in-person and remote).
If you know that your friends and/or family may say or do something that could be triggering, set healthy boundaries in advance. Maybe someone in your immediate household tends to comment on other people’s eating habits, or your friends are texting you about a diet plan for the new year. Perhaps in setting boundaries with family and friends around food/diet talk you may be able to educate them about the risks of dieting.
Consider talking to your treatment team about ways to set boundaries both with those who will share the holidays with you in-person and those you interact with remotely. Especially during this year’s holiday season, remember that socially-distanced (i.e. digital) relationships are real relationships, and should be treated as such.
5. Plan ahead with your treatment team.
If you know that a specific meal or event will be difficult for you, come up with an action plan with your treatment team. Maybe that looks like working with a dietitian to plan how to nourish your body appropriately during a holiday dinner. Or perhaps that looks like coming up with coping strategies with your therapist to address missing your favorite family members and special traditions this year.
Even if you cannot meet with providers in-person, it is important to continue to follow through with nutrition, psychotherapy, and medical appointments. Numerous providers now offer telehealth counseling and support, and most insurance policies currently offer coverage for telehealth services. There are also many virtual support groups, helplines, and meal support opportunities.
6. Establish boundaries for social media use.
With fewer in-person social outlets, you may be turning to social media to keep up with friends, celebrities, and news. While staying in contact with friends and following the news is fine, excessive media use can be unhealthy for your mental health. Overconsumption of social media is related to increased rates of depression and low self-esteem, which can exacerbate eating disorder symptoms.
Furthermore, social media pages are often jam-packed with messages about diet, fitness, and false “health” information. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, diet culture promotes fear of quarantine weight gain and potentially unhealthy fitness goals. If this unsolicited and harmful advice wasn’t already enough, many social media accounts promote diet and exercise strategies related to big holiday meals and New Year’s resolutions. Remember, you are always allowed to nourish your body, no matter how many holiday meals you have eaten. You deserve to eat no matter how active you have been. Unfollow accounts that promote diet and weight-loss strategies, or even consider going on a social media hiatus.
While this year’s holiday season may be especially difficult for those who have or have had or currently have an eating disorder, recovery is possible. Even in a time of global uncertainty and social isolation, we can still stay connected with one another and prioritize healing and personal wellbeing.
Remember, increased social isolation does not equal absolute isolation. There are still so many ways to stay connected with others. This year, do not let your eating disorder thrive on isolation. With (perhaps socially-distanced) connection and support, you can maintain recovery and experience joy this holiday season.
If you’re looking for extra recovery support during the holidays, BALANCE is offering Winter Break Virtual Support for College and High School Students, with several flexible short-term intensive programming options. All of our programs are offered in a virtual format and will be open on a rolling admissions basis with individualized treatment plans tailored to one's schedule during the holiday season. Click the link above or book a free consultation call with our admissions team below for more information!
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Intern, Sadie Grant.
Sadie is a recent graduate of Oberlin College with a B.A. in psychology. After recovering from disordered eating, Sadie became passionate about eating disorder awareness, body neutrality, and destabilizing beauty standards that are established by social and cultural norms. While earning her Bachelor’s degree, Sadie conducted quantitative research, worked with populations experiencing barriers to essential services, and studied Spanish. Sadie hopes to use her developing research and interpersonal skills to work in the field of eating disorders and address the way in which expectations around eating and beauty vary across different populations.
Resources
Christianson, D. (2019, October 22). 5 Tips for Coping with an Eating Disorder During the Holidays. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/tips-eating-disorder-during-the-holidays/
Spanjers, B. (2020, April 03). Coronavirus Quarantine and Eating Disorders: A Perfect Storm. Retrieved December 13, 2020, from https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/coronavirus-quarantine-and-eating-disorders/