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www.mirasol.net | The holidays can pose a particularly difficult time for women struggling with eating disorders as issues with food and family can come to a head during this time of year. Social pressures to eat, along with stressors related to dysfunctional relationships with family can exacerbate problems for women coping with anorexia, bulimia or other eating disorders. Finding strategies to cope can help these women maintain a healthy attitude toward eating and diffuse potentially stressful and unpleasant interactions with family members.
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Strategies For Women With Eating Disorders During the Holidays
Mirasol Eating Disorder Recovery Centers
Overview
The holidays can pose a particularly difficult time for women struggling with eating disorders as issues with food and family can come to a head during this time of year. Social pressures to eat, along with stressors related to dysfunctional relationships with family can exacerbate problems for women coping with anorexia, bulimia or other eating disorders. Finding strategies to cope can help these women maintain a healthy attitude toward eating and diffuse potentially stressful and unpleasant interactions with family members.
What are Eating Disorders?
Holidays Trigger Major Stressors
The pressure to conform to the good cheer enjoyed by many
during the holiday season can be stressful for anyone, not just
people suffering from eating disorders. Women struggling with
bulimia or anorexia or other eating disorders may find the holiday
season particularly stressful, however, because of factors such as:
• Pressures related to looking good for holiday family functions and
social events.
• Pressures related to spending time with family members you may
have difficult relationships with. Critical or negative comments from
family members, even those meant in jest, can be hurtful for women
struggling with eating disorders.
• Isolation. Women struggling with eating disorders often feel alone,
even when others are present. Seeing others enjoying the holiday
season may cause them to feel isolated.
Holidays Trigger Major Stressors (cont.)
• Eating in front of others, particularly large groups, may be extremely
uncomfortable for women with eating disorders as it may increase the anxiety
they feel related to eating.
• An overabundance of food during the holidays may spur an episode of binge
eating.
• As holidays mark a milestone, reaching them may leave women feeling down
about where they are in life.
Learning to Enjoy the Holidays
The holidays don’t have to be times of stress and discomfort for you. By learning strategies to cope during Christmas, Thanksgiving and other festive seasons, you can enjoy these times of year as well. Some coping strategies include:
Take family in small doses. If being around relatives is stressful, limit your family obligations.
Positive self-talk. Keep your attitudes toward yourself positive by reminding yourself of your good attributes.
Stick to your nutritionist’s advice for eating during the holidays.
Maintaining Positive Eating Habits
While it may be difficult, maintaining healthy eating habits during the holidays is possible. You can do it! Here are some tips:
Eat regularly. Stick to a healthy eating schedule.
Have a trusted person to talk to if you begin feeling that you are slipping into unhealthy habits.
Have a plan for what you are going to eat.
More Strategies For Negotiating the Holidays
Focus on your personal goals for the
holidays.
Write your feelings in a journal.
Keep an open mind during the holidays
and try to establish better
communication with family members.
Facts About Eating Disorders
About 24 million people in the U.S. struggle with
some sort of eating disorder.
About half of these people also suffer from
depression.
Women make up the majority of people suffering
from eating disorders.
Eating disorders have a high mortality rate
compared to other mental illnesses.
Seeking Help
If you believe you have an eating disorder but aren’t currently working with a medical or mental health professional, the holidays may be the time to reach out for help. If you are engaging in some of the following activities, you will want to work with a professional: Dieting, even when thin. Taking laxatives to lose weight. Compulsive exercising. Eating alone or in secret. Hoarding junk food. Binge eating. Rapid, unexplained weight loss or gain. Preoccupation with weight that detracts from your work or social life.
About Mirasol Recovery Centers
Based in Tucson, AZ, Mirasol Recovery Centers provide adults and youth
struggling with eating disorders with the best psychiatric and medical care.
With the help of Mirasol’s medical doctors, psychiatric staff and alternative
medical treatment personnel, our patients can resolve underlying issues
contributing to binge eating, anorexia, bulimia and other eating and self-
image disorders and learn to live happier, healthier lives. For more
information, visit http://www.mirasol.net/.