For many, the holiday season can be a difficult time of increased stress and anxiety. For those in eating disorder recovery, the increased emphasis on food and body image, social pressure, the prevalence of diet talk, and lack of routine and structure can be anxiety-provoking and difficult to navigate.

By: Emma Hart

Whether you are celebrating with friends, visiting your extended family, or celebrating at home, feelings of isolation, anxiety, and stress are standard for those battling an eating disorder during the holidays. Therefore, it is important to develop an action plan to prepare for social gatherings, alleviate associated stress, and reduce the chance of relapse.

Recovery during the holidays can feel overwhelming and challenging to maintain. Here are some tips to help you get through this difficult time of year:

Have a Plan

One key to sustaining recovery during the holidays is to develop a plan containing some structure and ground rules. Meet with your treatment plan about what will be helpful for you and create a guide for helping you and family members navigate upcoming plans. This could include conversation guidelines for friends and family members during meals, identifying potential triggers, avoiding them, and skills to use if you experience them. It might be tempting to cancel appointments with treatment providers leading up to the holidays, but meeting with your team before the holidays is necessary to ensure that you have enough support and time to plan.

Communicate Your Needs to Loved Ones

Prepare by communicating in advance ways your loved ones can support you. This might mean letting your family and friends know ahead of time which topics of conversation are not supportive of your recovery. Setting boundaries and communicating your needs to others will help ensure that you get the support you need.

Eliminate or Minimize Triggers

Think through various triggers you anticipate experiencing and how you can eliminate them or minimize their effect. Maybe you ask your family/host to hide their scale ahead of time or get rid of magazines around the house. If social media is a potential trigger, turn off notifications, delete anxiety-provoking apps, and unfollow social media accounts. If a loved one slips and makes a triggering comment, have responses prepared to shut down the conversation. Having one-liners on hand such as, “I’d rather we didn’t talk about that,” can be handy. Or, just change the topic or walk away.

Take Breaks

Be gentle with yourself, and don’t push it. If you feel you need to take a breather, allow yourself to step away. Ask a friend or family member to be “on-call” during your holiday gathering. If you feel anxious or triggered, give them a call or shoot them a text. If you anticipate being questioned for stepping away, prepare a response. For example, you might say you need to take your dog for a walk or return a call from a friend.

Have an Exit Strategy

Rehearse what you’ll say should you feel it’s necessary to leave a holiday event early. Don’t push yourself - remember that your recovery comes first.

Wear Something Comfortable

You already have enough to think about, and the last thing you need is to stress about an outfit. Make sure you feel comfortable in your clothes so that you can focus on spending time with loved ones and your recovery. Don’t give your eating disorder something extra to nag you about.

Follow Your Meal Plan

If you have one, meet with your dietitian before the holidays and plan for meals. Make sure your host is serving foods that fit your meal plan and dietary needs. If you are unsure, ask your dietitian or bring your own options for backup. Do not deviate from healthy eating habits (e.g., don’t skip breakfast to prepare for a big dinner). Review skills with your dietitian to help you get through meals. For example, if distraction has been helpful in the past, maybe bring a deck of cards or ask loved ones to play a game during or after meals.

Self-care

Practicing self-care is vital in building resiliency towards stressors, making it one of the most important things you can do over the holidays. Self-care means different things to different people. Think about what makes you feel grounded and connected to your healthy self. Start by taking notice of your needs and then take one action towards meeting those needs. Be gentle and flexible with yourself. It’s okay to struggle and feel overwhelmed during the holidays, but give yourself credit for showing up and acknowledging that you are doing the best you can.

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 Social Work Intern, Emma Hart.

Emma is a Therapy Intern and graduate student at New York University, where she is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Social Work. Before beginning her graduate program, Emma worked at a neurofeedback clinic where she provided neurotherapeutic services to children, adolescents, and adults with a wide range of diagnoses. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut, majoring in Psychology. Emma’s clinical experience also includes an internship at an outpatient community mental health clinic as part of her social work education. Emma is deeply passionate about eating disorder awareness and recovery and plans to work as a therapist in the eating disorder field after completing her graduate degree.

Tips for Navigating Eating Disorder Recovery During the Holidays