Holiday Q&A: How Do I Manage the Urges to Use Eating Disorder Behaviors to Compensate for Holiday Eating?

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Holiday Q&A: How Do I Manage the Urges to Use Eating Disorder Behaviors to Compensate for Holiday Eating?

It can be stressful to have multiple challenge meals close together. If you’re noticing higher urges to engage in restriction, exercise, or other behaviors in the days following, or even just thinking about these meals for a while after you’ve eaten them, consider focusing on the following…

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Holiday Q&A: My Family Doesn’t Know I’m In Recovery From An Eating Disorder

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Holiday Q&A: My Family Doesn’t Know I’m In Recovery From An Eating Disorder

If you’re spending your holidays with extended family members or friends who are unaware of your recovery journey, the idea of eating with them may be anxiety provoking. What if they make a comment about my food? Are they going to judge me for having a second helping and dessert? What if they notice my body has changed? If eating in a large group setting is already challenging to begin with, these additional unknowns can exacerbate feelings of discomfort and may lead you to want to skip out on the event altogether.

Below are some suggestions that may help with getting through these situations.

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Holiday Q&A: How Do I Manage Eating Disorder Thoughts at Holiday Gatherings?

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Holiday Q&A: How Do I Manage Eating Disorder Thoughts at Holiday Gatherings?

It’s a good idea to have a plan for how to navigate challenging environments for your eating disorder so that you can feel a bit more prepared going into these situations. For many the holidays are a particularly challenging time due to food being a major part of the celebrations. While it may feel less stressful to push the holiday gathering out of your mind in the days leading up to it, this can set you up to feel completely overwhelmed once you are there. This is not to say having a plan will guarantee food will be totally stress-free, but you will at least have some strategies to try with when you notice the eating disorder thoughts starting to creep in.

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Holiday Q&A: What do I do if someone comments on my weight gain?

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Holiday Q&A: What do I do if someone comments on my weight gain?

Let me start by saying, I have so much compassion for anyone feeling this way right now. The last almost 2 years has been hard for many reasons. And a changing body in a world that tells us bodies can’t or shouldn’t change unless, of course, it’s to make them appear smaller and younger, might be one of them. Here are some thoughts on how you might prepare for holiday gatherings amidst changed body worries and concerns.

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Holiday Q&A: How can I avoid overeating during the holidays?

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Holiday Q&A: How can I avoid overeating during the holidays?

This is such a common concern. Oftentimes we are confronted with some of our most challenging foods during the holidays. The ones we’ve been trained to believe we cannot trust or control ourselves around. The ones that are labels as “sinful” or “indulgent” or “unhealthy.” This can then set the stage for eating these foods in a what that really doesn’t feel good. Here are some thoughts to consider, I hope you find them useful.

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