Navigating Thanksgiving In Eating Disorder Recovery
Ah, autumn – the season of pumpkin spice, golden leaves, and cozy cardigans. However, it is also the season of food-centric holidays like Thanksgiving, an undeniably anxiety-inducing day for many individuals with eating disorders. Family gatherings centered around eating as much as possible? That in itself can be a trigger. By preparing yourself for the holiday, you can reduce the negative impacts Thanksgiving gatherings may have on you and your recovery.
By: Samreen Khan
Your eating disorder will cause you to attach labels to foods; good, bad, healthy, unhealthy. The truth is, your body will perceive whatever you eat this Thanksgiving as a meal like any other. That means it is still important to eat regularly leading up to the meal and continue regularly eating the next couple of days, regardless of how much you ate during Thanksgiving. Your body is smart. It will adjust and resume normal processes even if you overate one evening. Setting out a meal plan for yourself for the days preceding and following Thanksgiving can help prevent binges during or after the holiday. During your Thanksgiving meals, try to stay in tune with your body and notice what kind of food you are craving. Slow down and focus on the way the food makes you feel. The importance of mindful eating is elevated in times like these.
Unfortunately, it can be challenging to practice healthy eating habits when diet culture has reserved a seat at the dinner table. Comments about calories are thrown around as easily as compliments about cranberry sauce. Even though they may feel like a personal attack, these conversations do not say anything about you or your recovery.
If the conversation does turn to you, and someone thinks it is acceptable to comment on your eating habits or appearance, set your boundaries. Tell them you do not feel comfortable discussing this topic – a simple warning of, “I don’t want to talk about this, please don’t comment on my body or food” can do the trick. Or, if you want to opt for a more subtle way to divert the conversation, laying out a list of ways to change the subject the night before can help. It can be nerve-wracking to talk back to relatives in a way that might be perceived as disrespectful; therefore, practicing ways to exit the conversation beforehand can be a way to assure that you are not pressured into neglecting your boundaries.
If possible, reserve time for yourself in the days following Thanksgiving to allow yourself to destress and check-in with yourself. Schedule a therapy appointment, plan a relaxing day with people you trust, or enjoy some time alone. You might feel pressured to have a good time and feel guilty if you struggle through Thanksgiving, but it is okay if all you can manage to do is survive it. Be gentle with yourself and remember that it is just one day, and it will pass, and you will move on and experience better days. With every holiday gathering, you will continue to acquire the tools needed to have better holiday experiences in the future; even if this year’s holidays don’t turn out perfect.
To learn more about creating and implementing a holiday recovery plan, we invite you to join our Holiday Webinar: Your Guide to Navigating the Holidays and Recovery on Friday, November 12th at 12:00 pm EST. Click here to register today!
If you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder during this holiday season, we are here to help. At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below, or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Samreen Khan (she/her/he/him).
Samreen is a senior high school student with an ardent drive to de-stigmatize mental illness and eating disorders. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she experienced the harmful effects of “fitspo” culture firsthand for most of her childhood. Throughout her own recovery journey, she became passionate about deconstructing diet culture and raising awareness about eating disorders in her everyday life. Samreen began extending her own ideology of intuitive eating and body neutrality to others by publishing her own writing online when she was fourteen, and has since received several awards for her prose and poetry. She has conducted research on the biological and evolutionary implications of familial mental illness, and is currently taking college-level Sociology and Psychology courses with hopes to delve further into the social and cultural constructs that bolster disordered eating, especially within marginalized communities. She’s grateful for the opportunity to combine two of her strongest passions — writing and mental health — by working with BALANCE!