How to Prepare for the Holidays While in Eating Disorder Recovery 

The holidays can be a difficult time to navigate eating disorder recovery. Let’s explore some tips on how to get ready for the season. 

Throughout the year, eating disorder recovery has its ups and downs, but one of the most challenging seasons can be the holidays.  

No matter your religion or traditions, the holidays often center around food. With added attention on food recovery can feel difficult. Add the stress of seeing family and friends and trying to make time for all the events, and you can see why this season requires additional support and preparations. It is essential to begin preparing for the holidays early so that you can have a plan for how to prioritize.

Whether you’re recovering from an eating disorder or supporting someone who is, in this article, we will explore different tips for how to best prepare for the upcoming holiday season.  

What Makes Holidays Difficult for Eating Disorder Recovery? 

There are several reasons why the holidays can be difficult if you’re in recovery from an eating disorder, including: 

• The anxiety of managing food when it is a central focus of many events. 
• Interruptions to your typical routine due to added events or hosting relatives. 
• Coping with and reframing comments made about appearances.  
• Navigating new and potentially scary foods.
• The financial burden of gift giving and events. 
• The stress of attending social events where you might see friends and family you haven’t seen in a while.
• Triggering situations for eating disorder thoughts

Each person’s eating disorder recovery is a unique process, which means this list isn’t exhaustive. These are examples of ways the holidays can make recovery more challenging but may not include all the experiences specific to your journey.  

Journal prompt: Think about where you’re at in your recovery. Then, using the list above as an example, write down how the holidays might be challenging for you this year. 

Preparing for Each Situation

From the food to the parties and everything in between, planning for each aspect of the upcoming holiday season might feel overwhelming. So, I’ve broken the holidays into smaller categories to make it more manageable. In each of the categories below, I offer some suggestions for how to enjoy the celebrations while prioritizing your recovery. 

Food

• Keep your appointments. 

It can be tempting to cancel appointments with your treatment team over the holidays. Attending a session with your therapist or making your way to your dietitian appointment might feel inconvenient during this busy time, but having these check-ins during stressful seasons is a way to prioritize your recovery. These appointments force you to pause and focus on your recovery goals. They also allow you space for emotional support, a necessary tool for navigating stressful situations.

• Eat regularly and follow your meal plan.

Even though people around you may not follow a typical eating schedule, it is important not to compare and stick with your meal plan during the holidays. Eating disorders are sneaky and can easily be triggered by skipping a meal or snack or approaching a food spread without a plan. Discuss with your therapist and dietitian how to adapt your meal plan to fit your plans, and then commit to following this even when others aren’t. 

• Offer to bring a dish. 

If you are overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the food available at your holiday events, offer to bring a dish of your own. This way, you know there will be one thing offered that fits with your meal plan and that you will feel comfortable eating. 

Family and Friends 

• Set an intention that has nothing to do with your eating disorder. 

In the spirit of trying to remain present during this season, set an intention for what you wish to get out of the holidays that has nothing to do with your eating disorder. It can be easy to get swept away in thoughts around your meal plan, negative body image, or exercise worries. Setting an intention before the season begins gives you somewhere to redirect your thoughts when you get lost in the anxiety associated with this time of year.  

• Identify a support person. 

Choose someone on your support team who knows about your recovery to be your buddy during holiday gatherings. This person can help distract you in triggering moments or change the subject when conversations veer toward food, weight, exercise, or diets. They can also pull you aside and check in throughout the event. Pick your support person early so you have time to discuss how they can be helpful and make a plan for different situations. 

• Take a timeout. 

Many times, social events can sweep you away and leave you unsure of how to reground yourself. Plan for how you can give yourself breaks during holiday gatherings. Maybe you step outside for some fresh air, go to the restroom to splash cold water on your face, or signal to your support person that it’s time to go. Whatever it is, a break can offer a reset and leave you more capable of returning to the event clearheaded.  

Clothing and Body Image 

• Be open with your therapist. 

You might notice increased negative body image thoughts during the holiday season. It can be helpful to share your concerns with your therapist, who can be a resource in processing your thoughts and emotions. Your therapist can help you create a toolbox for redirecting your negative thoughts so that you can remain more present. Mindfulness exercises, reframing your thoughts, or focusing on your values might be great places to start. 

• Pick outfits that make you feel comfortable. 

Throughout your recovery, your body might change. The holidays are already stressful, so consider getting a new outfit to wear to events. Wearing clothes that you don’t have previous associations with can help ward off additional body image worries and allow you to feel more present. If you don’t have the resources to go get something new, consider wearing an outfit that fits and feels comfortable to help redirect your thoughts from your body. 

• Pause and set an intention before asking to see any pictures taken. 

Pictures are usually taken when you gather around friends and family you haven’t seen in a while, which can be overwhelming when you’re experiencing eating disorder thoughts. Try to pause before requesting to see any photos that are taken. During this pause, ask yourself what your intentions are for seeing the images. If your intentions don’t align with your recovery goals or personal values, then work to move on from the urge to look at yourself in the photo and instead focus on the feeling that the picture captured.  

Self-Care and Enjoyment 

• Don’t pack too much in. 

The holidays get busy quickly. Overbooking your calendar will only add anxiety to an already stressful time. In the spirit of prioritizing your recovery and your holiday enjoyment, revisit your calendar. If there are things you’ve committed to that you can postpone until another time of year, consider doing so. Moving around your commitments to make space for yourself and your recovery makes you more likely to enjoy the events you participate in. 

• Ground yourself.  

Grounding is a technique that can help you manage anxiety and quiet eating disorder thoughts. It enables you to move away from upsetting thoughts or emotions. A simple grounding technique is focusing on your senses. You do so by naming five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This technique can help you return to the present moment and enjoy your holiday events. 

• Breathe.

Okay, okay, cue the eye roll. But seriously. This may sound like overused advice, but breathing is a tool you can take anywhere. By taking time to slow your breath and empty your lungs with a long exhale, you signal to your body that you are relaxed and not anxious. In turn, this helps ease stress levels and makes you feel more capable of using your coping skills to manage any eating disorder urges that may come up. Breathing also brings you back to the present moment and makes you more likely to engage with friends and family fully.  

Reach Out for Support Today

If you are in recovery from an eating disorder and are worried about how the upcoming holiday season might impact your recovery, please reach out today. Hilltop Behavioral Health has a team of expert professionals who would love to support your recovery journey. Feel free to bring any thoughts or questions that might have arisen from this article to your session with your therapist. They can help you personalize a holiday plan that fits you and your recovery.  

Take the First Step. Find an Eating Disorder Therapist in Summit, NJ. 

Hilltop Behavioral Health has a team of eating disorder specialists who treat individuals in varying stages of recovery. On their website, you can request a free consultation call with a team member to see if they’d be a good fit for your needs.  

References 

Bardone-Cone, A.M., Hunt, R.A. & Watson, H.J. An Overview of Conceptualizations of Eating Disorder Recovery, Recent Findings, and Future Directions. Curr Psychiatry Rep 20, 79 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0932-9

Dannibale, K. (2014, October). The Effects of the Holidays on Eating Disorders. New Errands: The Undergraduate Journal of American Studies, 2(1).