It’s Holiday season which means it’s also time for a few recovery based reminders from your friendly eating disorder therapist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and trauma informed yoga teacher. 

This season can be a time of joy and celebration and it can also be a time of unique seasonal stressors that we experience from a busy holiday schedule, managing school and child care schedules, expectations of spending time with family, politics, grief over losses, body distress, and anxiety around more focus on food.   

If you are in eating disorder recovery all of the above mentioned stressors can really set your eating disorder thoughts up to be louder and to feel more uncomfortable in your body.  You may notice yourself wanting to default to disordered behaviors or feeling increased anxiety and worry about your body.

Going into the Holiday with an intentional recovery protection plan can be helpful.  It provides you with an opportunity to outline areas that may be hard for you, specific tools to address these challenges, and a plan to help set your recovery up for success.

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A few ideas for you to think about for your recovery protection plan include:

1.  Schedule those therapy and dietitian appointments!  Get them on the calendar for before and after the holiday so you have the support ready for you.

2. Keep to your meal time structure and do not skip meals.  It’s not an uncommon occurrence with travel to disrupt your normal routine. It’s also not uncommon for there to be this unhelpful disordered belief that you should skip breakfast etc.. to save space for a large Holiday dinner.  Work to keep your normal meal time structure of 3 meals with snacks even when traveling and having a holiday meal. 

3. Pack snacks.  To help you meet your hunger cues and to keep to your meal time structure pack lots of convenient snacks. This way regardless of what your family members are doing or if you are stuck with a wonky travel day you always have access to food.  This will help protect you from the restrict binge cycle of becoming too hungry and then overeating or binging.

4. Set boundaries. Being with family can be hard for a lot of reasons.  You have permission to set boundaries. That may mean you plan to drive yourself so you have your vehicle accessible to you, or you may choose to plan to stay in a hotel vs with family at their home. You may also choose to set boundaries letting family members know that you do not want or need anyone to police your food choices or your body.  Also in case you need to hear it you do not have to go to a toxic family event you are allowed to say no and do something else. 

5. Have a plan on  how to manage food or diet talk. This is tied with boundaries.  You are Going into the Holiday with an intentional recovery protection plan can be helpful.  It provides you with an opportunity to outline areas that may be hard for you, specific tools to address these challenges, and a plan to help set your recovery up for success.

6. allowed to get up and leave any conversation.  You are allowed to switch topics and move the conversation away from food or diet talk.   You are allowed to set a firm boundary and say “this conversation is not very helpful for me and the work I am doing”.

7. Plan for respite.  Put together a plan that lets you take the dogs for a walk, or the kids out to play, or just go for a walk yourself.  Bring a book with you and excuse yourself for a nap or to go read.  It’s ok to let yourself take longer bathroom breaks so that you can put on a meditation app and work on deep breathing.

8. Wear clothing that you feel comfortable in. F*ck flattering.  Let yourself pick clothing in a color you love, something that lets you breathe, and perhaps allows you to shift your focus off of your body.  

9. Write out a few positive affirmations ahead of time. Let these words become your mantra.  “I am grounded, I am safe, I am present, Just breath” whatever resonates to you

10. Let yourself write self compassion letters!! They are a really tangible way to practice self care. I wrote about it and provided a template here

11. No matter what happens on the Holiday you are worthy of love, respect, of food and care. So the next day you do not have to punish or make up for anything no matter what food was like for you.  Please eat and care for your body in every way.