Scenarios to Enjoy Fall in Eating Disorder Recovery
For those of you who are Halloween fanatics, it is spooky season! And for those, such as myself, who are scaredey cats, it is pumpkin season! No matter where you fall on the spectrum of Halloween enthusiasm, enjoying October with a recovery-oriented mindset is crucial to help you create memories and experiences.
By: Tori Barkosky
This blog will discuss making this a season where you can participate in fall festivities without being stopped by your eating disorder.
Fall and Halloween Activities
October is full of activities to get into the fall or Halloween spirit. Whether you’re a fan of all things scary or prefer to keep it calm and festive, this month has activities for you! Try picking one of these activities to enjoy this fall:
Visit a haunted house
Navigate a corn maze
Explore a pumpkin patch
Carve or paint pumpkins
Pick apples in a new-to-you orchard
Go trick-or-treating or hand out candy to trick-or-treaters
Cook or bake a fall-themed recipe
Visit a cafe for a specialty fall beverage
As you read this list, you may think some of these activities would be more challenging with a disordered relationship with food. To provide examples of how it could look to participate, here are three scenarios that give you a framework for enjoying a fall activity with recovery in full focus.
Scenario 1
Your group of friends wants to do a fall activity together. They are considering going to a haunted house or a corn maze in the evening but going out to dinner first. Your instinct may be to cancel your plans or just meet up with them after eating dinner on your own. Instead, consider challenging your eating disorder by planning to attend dinner, preview the menu ahead of time, and pick a meal you can enjoy. This way, you can feel confident in your food choice without missing out on a chance to connect with your friends.
Scenario 2
You and your partner want to carve pumpkins together, but first want to go to a pumpkin patch. Upon arrival, you see all of the free samples of pumpkin treats and feel your stomach drop as your partner mentions stopping to try some. You may even find yourself saying that you aren’t hungry, even if a sample looks really good. In this situation, you can remind yourself that you deserve to enjoy a festive fall sample no matter what you ate earlier in the day or plan to eat later. A simple mantra or affirmation at the moment can help shift your thinking toward recovery and allow you to enjoy your favorite fall treat!
Scenario 3
Your family wants to go to an apple orchard to pick your own apples. As you are all trudging along the beaten paths of the apple orchard, your sibling stops you and asks you to try a piece of the apple they are eating to get your opinion on it. While this spontaneity can be challenging in recovery, it is an opportunity for you to lean into your recovery by taking a bite of the apple and maybe even sipping some hot apple cider after you’re done picking apples! In these moments, having a support person on standby can be very helpful, so you can send them a quick text for support in stressful moments.
Regardless of your fall activities, remember you deserve recovery, and with the right support, full recovery is possible for you. Let this be a season of memory-making, bone-chilling, tongue-satisfying fun!
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, we understand how difficult it can be to approach food peacefully. To unpack food anxiety and learn more about fear foods, you can join BALANCE Registered Dietitian Genevieve Prushinski, MS, RD (she/her) on Friday, October 27th, at 12 PM ET for a FREE Unmasking Fear Foods: A Halloween Recovery Webinar. Learn to identify your fear foods and food anxieties and understand how they impact your life, practice methods to overcome food-based anxiety, unpack diet culture’s role in amplifying your stress around food, learn when and how to reach out for help with food-based anxiety, and more. Learn more about this webinar and sign up here!
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Tori Barkosky (she/her).
Tori is a recent graduate of St. Catherine University, having earned a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Nutrition Science. Tori is passionate about all things related to intuitive eating, HAES, mental health, body respect, eating disorders, and disordered eating. She also geeks out on neuroscience and loves studying the brain and its anatomy. Tori currently works as a Mental Health Practitioner at an eating disorder clinic. Outside work, she enjoys practicing yoga, exploring nature, and drinking coffee.