The holiday season often brings joy, connection, and celebration — but for those in eating disorder recovery, it can also bring stress, anxiety, and overwhelming expectations around food and body image. Between large family meals, disrupted routines, and visiting with loved ones who don’t understand recovery, this time of year can feel especially challenging. Still, recovery doesn’t pause for the holidays — and with preparation, support, and self-compassion, it’s possible to honor your recovery while also finding meaning in the season.

Create a Support Plan

Work with your therapist, dietitian, or recovery coach to develop a holiday-specific plan. That might include:

• Scheduling meal support for navigating challenging meals
• Making a coping skills list for moments of stress or urges (deep breathing, stepping outside, grounding exercises).
• Make a list of supports you can reach out to if you’re struggling — whether that’s a friend in recovery, a helpline, or an online support group.

Maintain Routine in Ways You Can

The holidays may come with travel plans, visitors, and all around spontaneity. Though this can bring a lot of joy and connection, it can bring also stress and increased urges to seek control through the eating disorder. It’s important during these times to maintain routine in simple ways. This can mean journaling in the morning or before bed, taking evening walks, and sticking to your everyday self-care routines, like hygiene practices and skin care. Doing these everyday tasks can create a sense of autonomy and control so that it does not feel necessary to seek that from eating disorder behaviors during the more spontaneous times.

Remind Yourself of Internal and External Boundaries and That You are Allowed to Have Them!

Diet talk, body comments, or comparisons can easily arise during holiday gatherings, especially during meals. If they do, remind yourself: you don’t have to engage. Setting boundaries can be done in many ways. Sometimes this means directly verbalizing you are uncomfortable. Sometimes it means changing the subject. And sometimes it means leaving the room. Remind yourself we all have limits, and you are allowed to honor your’s. It’s also important to remind yourself that recovery does not mean not getting triggered. It means taking care of yourself when triggers arise.

Communicate Your Needs Ahead of Time When Possible

If possible, talk with trusted family members or friends before holiday events. Let them know what’s supportive for you — and what isn’t. You might say, “It helps me when we focus on how we’re feeling instead of what we’re eating,” or “I may need to take breaks during the meal.” Having allies who understand your boundaries can make a huge difference in feeling grounded and safe.

Remember You’re Not Alone

The holidays can be tough for all of us for many reasons. It’s incredibly important to reach out to your supports and keep them updated on how you’re doing – they may need this right now too. It also may be helpful to utilize support resources during this time of year, such as EDA meetings or the national alliance for eating disorders.

Final Thoughts

The holidays can be hard — but they can also be an opportunity to practice resilience, deepen self-awareness, and celebrate how far you’ve come. Whether your season is quiet or festive, know that recovery belongs here too. You deserve peace, nourishment, and joy — in every season of your life.