Are you in recovery from an eating disorder or working on your relationship with food? Are you feeling anxious or nervous as we head into the holiday season? If you answered yes to either of these questions, this blog post is for you!
As someone who has recovered from an eating disorder, I know all too well the fear and anxiety that can come up as we head into the holidays. In this post, I will share my top 3 tips that helped me get through the holidays while managing recovery from an eating disorder. I now use these steps with my clients to help prepare them for the holidays, too!
3 Tips for the Holiday Season
1) Plan Ahead
Planning ahead for special occasions or holidays can help prepare you for any triggers you may encounter. You want to talk with your team about potential stressors and strategies you can use to help you cope. Remember, you don’t need to challenge all the fear foods this holiday season. Talk with your team about ways to ensure you’re meeting your meal plan while giving yourself space to try something new!
2) Support System
You want to create a support system if you don’t already have one. Friends, family members, therapists, recovery coaches, dieticians, etc., can play a role in your support system. Resources and helplines can also be great additions as well. You want to talk to your support system beforehand and tell them what they can do to support you. Let them know what’s helpful and what isn’t helpful. They can’t read our minds (as much as we wish they could), so it’s important to communicate your needs.
3) Self-Care
It’s important to take care of yourself over the holidays, and self-care can be a great way to ground yourself. Try to be gentle with yourself and engage in activities that fill your cup. A few ideas you can try are listening to a podcast, colouring, reading a book, sitting by a fire, watching a favourite show, going for a walk outside, or reaching out for support. These are just a few examples of things you can try. Create a list of activities you enjoy that can be a part of your self-care over the holidays.
Remember, community and connection are so important in recovery! The holidays can be stressful with unwarranted food or body comments and lots of diet talk. However, we can also shift the focus from the food to being present with the people around us.
If you’re looking for extra support this holiday season, please feel free to reach out! I would love to chat about ways we can set you up for success this holiday season.
With Hope,
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