thanksgiving is coming up, which can be a tough holidays for those in recovery. i’m just here to remind you that you have the strength to get through this. ask yourself what kind of support you might need and plan ahead of time.
- if you’re working with a dietitian and you’re on a meal plan, find out what food will be at thanksgiving and collaborate with your RD to figure out how you can meet your meal plan. if you’re working on intuitive eating, listen to your mental and physical hunger. what sounds good? is there something you’ve been wanting to try? treat it like you would any other day. you may eat more, that’s ok. you may not, that’s ok too. it’s ok to eat the foods that are there AND there is no need to compensate in anyway before or after this holiday.
- if you feel you need to exercise before or after to feel “ok” with the meal - i’d venture to say that’s disordered and to look at your intentions. movement should happen because you genuinely want to and the mindset is purely for joy. if you’re doing it to help decrease anxiety around the food so it makes eating easier, that’s a compensatory type of behavior/mindset and that’s what keeps you stuck in the disorder. you don’t need to exercise in order to eat and eating doesn’t suddenly mean you need to exercise to “use that fuel for good use.” be mindful of your intentions and the language you’re using.
- focus on the company rather than the food. conversations that could be triggering might come up. tell a trusted family member beforehand what kind of talk might be activating to the ED so they can help to redirect the conversation or let family members know ahead of time. or, if you’re in a place to do so, redirect the conversation yourself.
- to avoid potentially activating situations, play games, tell old stories, go around the table having everyone say a few things they’re thankful for. there is so much more conversation that can be had that doesn’t involve food/weight/body/exercise. get creative!!
- worse comes to worse, remove yourself from the table. sometimes situations happen and they continue. if you find nothing is changing, remove yourself from the situation and reach out if you need to. don’t let your recovery get derailed. some people can sit with the discomfort of these situations and can tune it out, others can’t. just know yourself and your limits.
- be mindful of social media the next few days. it’s going to be flooded with diet culture type messages about working off dinner and detoxing the body and calories and watch your weight this and don’t eat that kind of stuff. if you notice this is happening with people you follow, unfollow. if you see it on your explore page, maybe just stay off social media for a few days.
- be kind to yourself and remain nonjudgmental. what you eat is not a reflection of your worth. your body size is not a reflection of your worth. your exercise habits are not a reflection of your worth. you are worthy always always always and you deserve to have a wonderful holiday. be proud of yourself for at least showing up on this day and doing what you can. there is support out there for you so utilize it. reach out if you need to. you are not alone!!
i hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday!
