Tabs content 1
Tabs content 2
The holidays are often described as a time for comfort and joy, but for many people, they actually usher in old pain points and mental health triggers.
If you’re having a hard time right now, know you’re not alone. Many people in the eating disorder community struggle with this time of year.
Naming those struggles is one of the best ways to understand and work through them. Here are some we hear about the most.
For all their cheer and merriment, the holidays include a little bit of everything that can make recovery harder—food-centered events, disrupted routines, tricky family dynamics, and financial and social pressure —all crammed into a short, intense timeframe with no time to recenter between events.
It’s not just getting through one difficult meal or meeting. It's dealing with six weeks of accumulated pressure.
That being said, it’s important to remember that this too shall pass. Do your best to breathe through it, and work with your treatment team to help you keep all your appointments, or create a schedule that feels helpful and achievable.
The holidays are a time for feasting, and these food-centric events involve potential challenges like:
Between the amount of food available, the amount of family around, and approaching New Year's resolutions, these events also invite many opportunities for people to comment on bodies, weight, appearance, food, and diet. Even if these remarks are well-meaning, they can put you in a difficult position and create a difficult headspace.
Coming back home for the holidays can introduce more potential triggers, including:
Yes. It is very common for people to feel the pull of old coping mechanisms during times of increased stress, and experiencing these heightened feelings around the holidays is a recognized seasonal pattern. If you’re having a harder time following your routines or maintaining your recovery outlook right now, you are far from alone.
Still, urges are not the same as actions. And even actions are not the same as failure.
If you experience these types of thoughts or a relapse during the holiday season, it’s okay. Tell your therapist or a member of your treatment team what’s going on so they can help guide you through this difficult time. And give yourself some grace.
Diet culture intersects with the holidays and post-holidays in a number of ways.
So much of the season is framed around the idea of “indulge now, repent later.” Comments about people “cheating on” their diet or having to “pay for” their meal later come up at nearly every get-together.
And then there’s the diet wave that washes over in January. Going on a restrictive diet or starting some type of workout regimen are still among the most popular New Year's resolutions.
Together, this upholds the major tenets of diet culture: that there is a “right” type of body to have, and that achieving it should be everyone’s top priority.
In reality, health—not appearance—should be the top concern, and health can be achieved at any size. The idea that a new year should represent a “new” you is also misleading, and can set you up for disappointment.
If you like the idea of starting fresh on January 1, you can work toward much healthier goals that have nothing to do with how you look.
Anecdotally, there is a lot of evidence that the holiday season represents a higher-risk period for relapse, especially during early recovery. This is exactly why support and planning matter.
Watch for early warning signs—increasing dread, avoidance, symptom creep. Noticing these types of things early is protective, not pessimistic.
Looking at pages like this can also be a sign you're concerned, but it’s a good first step toward finding the reassurance or help you need to get through this time of year.
If you’re worried about relapsing during the holidays or noticing warning signs, it’s best to reach out to your treatment team so you can work together on ways to stay on a healthier path through these weeks.
Families are complicated things. Even after many years, old dynamics can remain or resurface, and it can be easy to fall into old roles, patterns, or coping mechanisms, even after many years of recovery or self-work.
Being around family often feels like being “observed.” It can feel hard to act naturally when everything you do seems up for evaluation. And your family may feel equally unsure how to act around you.
You may be treated as “the fragile one,” or your illness may be ignored completely. Even with the best intentions behind them, these responses can feel upsetting or triggering. But they certainly don’t mean your family doesn’t love you.
Even if they react with the spotlight or silence, try to remember that the people who love you often act with good intentions.
It’s normal to experience struggles or even setbacks during the holidays. But when the seasonal stress stops and these thoughts or actions continue, it’s a sign that you need more help.
Escalating symptoms, withdrawing from people or social activities, and a sense of dread that won't lift are all signs that things are getting more serious. There’s no shame in recognizing this and finding the care that you need.
Getting support during this tough time of year is common and sensible. At Within Health, we work to make sure seasonal struggles don’t start taking over your life. Call or click today to see how we can help.
