4 Tips for Navigating the Holiday Season
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The holiday season can bring a significant amount of joy; however, it also presents its fair share of challenges. There is an expectation that the next few months are the best time of the year, which can be especially daunting for those who struggle with mental health issues.
For individuals who struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating, the holidays pose unique difficulties. Between the strong emphasis on food, diet talk, and that family member who comments on your weight each year, the holiday season may be something that you are dreading. The “busy-ness” of this time of year, lack of routine, social experiences, and painful memories can further exacerbate disordered eating, anxiety, or depressive symptoms.
Holiday Joy & Anxiety
I typically start talking to my clients who struggle with eating disorders about the holiday season in September. Already so many of these individuals are worrying about the “what ifs” surrounding the holidays and are planning their “get back on track” strategy for January.
In all reality, their anxiety surrounding the holidays makes sense. We all have that family member who makes cauliflower mashed potatoes and brags about their new diet. We have that distant cousin who tells everyone about their new exercise routine. We have the grandparent who lets you know if you’ve gained or lost weight.
We all have holiday stressors.
And, let’s face it, there is a lot of delicious food during the holidays. Our culture connects and celebrates using food. Many families even have specific traditions surrounding the holidays with food. Christmas Eve, I grew up eating “Cioppino” (fish soup) and freshly baked bread. I have a friend who always makes tamales on New Year’s Eve with her family. These can be positive opportunities allowing you to connect and be with those that you love.
I want you to know that you are not alone if you are feeling anxious approaching the holidays. I know that especially in eating disorder recovery, the holidays require serious strength and courage. I want to share a few tips to help you navigate these next few months and to provide some skills to enable you to continue on the path of recovery.
Tips for Navigating the Holidays
1. Create a holiday coping plan.
Meet with your treatment team and come up with a specific plan. Make sure to include your therapist and dietician as you process what obstacles might come up for you this season. Identify coping skills or statements that you can tell yourself in a moment where you are struggling. Visualize and practice these with your therapist. Remember: Being scared in recovery is normal, but you don’t have to let that fear control your actions.
2. Set healthy boundaries
As mentioned above, family members or friends might use weight-related or diet talk. Come up with a few strategies for how you could handle these situations. It can be uncomfortable to set boundaries. But remember, diet talk is not very interesting, and it is never helpful. You have the right to change the subject or ask if you can talk about something more meaningful. You have the right to walk away and take a break. You can give yourself permission to tell your family member that you choose to live in a “diet-talk-free zone”, or that you are trying to focus on other aspects of the holiday season.
3. Practice self-compassion
True strength is not denying yourself food or avoiding certain foods. True strength requires challenging yourself, despite what the eating disorder might be telling you. Be gentle with yourself as you take these uncomfortable steps.
Practice self-care. Talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend or a child. We are not looking for perfection but for progress. What small step can you take these next few months to help you in your recovery journey? If you need to decompress, leave the room for a few minutes. You don’t have to wait until you go home to take a break. Take some time to breathe, feel, and experience the calming stillness that is always there within you, despite all of the holiday noise.
4. Change your focus
What do the holidays mean to you? Reflect on this. Focus your time and attention on what you are grateful for, and what you want to remember five years from now. If you find yourself focused too much on the food, focus on the process of making it with someone you love. Meaning leads to meaningful.
Learn about why your family holds certain traditions, and what they enjoy most about them. Learn about holiday customs and what those mean. This can shift your focus away from the eating disorder, and help you to focus on the things that actually matter this holiday season.
4 tips for navigating the holidays listed in a hierarchy. Numbers listed in green circles.
We hope these tips are helpful this holiday season! What tips would you have for others? What’s been helpful to you around this season?
Collaborative Counseling & Nutrition is an outpatient nutrition and body image counseling center, with locations in Indianapolis and Carmel, that provides compassionate, holistic eating disorder treatment. Through practicing mindfulness, intuition, and Health At Every Size, we are on a mission to help you find a true state of well-being! We take an anti-diet, weight-inclusive approach with all our clients and work to help guide you towards a way of healthy living designed by you, just for you! This post is for education purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for treatment for an eating disorder. If you are looking for a registered dietitian or therapist to assist you on your recovery journey, please reach out today!
