Recovering from an eating disorder is a lifelong process that can be very difficult, especially with the upcoming holiday season. Going into the busy holiday season can be stressful, especially when it revolves around food.
If you're not sure how to prepare or get through the next few months while recovering from an eating disorder, the team at Carolina Wellness Psychiatry can help. Our team consists of three psychiatric specialists offering medications, psychotherapy, and telehealth visits for people living with mental health disorders or eating disorders.
Eating disorders are a group of behavioral issues that affect how a person eats and thinks about food. The conditions often cause distressing thoughts and emotions centered around food and lead to poor eating behaviors.
The most common types of eating disorders include anorexia and bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. Recovering from any of these disorders takes time, patience, and often, therapy.
The recovery process is complete, marked by celebratory milestones and all-time lows. Still, in the end, it's best for your body. But recovering over the holidays when food is the primary focus is extremely difficult.
However, with persistence and help from our team, it's entirely possible to have a healthy relationship with food over the holidays.
Recovering from an eating disorder takes constant effort – but it does get easier. However, stressful situations like the busy holiday season make it tough to stay on track. We offer the following helpful tips to stay the course over the next few months:
Stress can cause binge or emotional eating in someone recovering from an eating disorder. Try to be flexible with your plans and know that you can cancel or arrive late if necessary, without overstressing yourself.
A support person is extremely beneficial over the holidays when food can trigger emotions. Pick someone you can readily get hold of and who you feel comfortable sharing your feelings with.
Nutrition or therapy appointments are crucial during the holiday season, even if you want to cancel. These appointments help you overcome the stressors and triggers that pop up during holiday gatherings.
Sticking to your regular eating plan is key during holiday recovery. Don't feel pressured to eat more or less. You know what works for your body, so stick to what does and stay on track at any gathering.
Lists are a great way to stay on track during the holidays and reduce stress. Make a list of what you need to do and the food-preparation items you have to get to keep on track and avoid last-minute scrambling.
If you don't know what someone is going to serve at a meal, think about bringing a dish to share. You can make it something you know you'll eat and that has what you need on your meal plan to stay healthy.
It's essential to set limits and stick to them, especially when talking about recovery. You’re allowed not to want to discuss your eating disorder. You can choose to leave a conversation if it makes you uncomfortable.
To make the holidays a little less stressful and less about food, set a goal that has nothing to do with recovery. You could opt to decorate the house or ask someone what they're thankful for. A positive goal takes the anxiety and stress out of the busy season.
Call Carolina Wellness Psychiatry today to schedule an appointment to discuss eating disorder treatments, or use our online booking feature to request a consultation with our team.
