Thanksgiving is a week away. I’m already looking forward to having a slow, relaxing day at home with my family. But I know not everyone feels the same way. For those with eating disorders, the holiday season is a time of guilt, anxiety, and high stress levels. So I’ve created a guide to help you through this week of Thanksgiving festivities.
Talk to an adult or family member about how you’re feeling. Let someone know upfront that this is a difficult time for you. Ask them for accountability. Be specific about the kinds of thoughts you’re having. Getting it all out into the open allows other people to speak truth to your thoughts.
Don’t restrict leading up to Thanksgiving Day. In fact, eat more than usual. Practice eating big portions so that Thanksgiving dinner will be a breeze. Commit to a minimum of 3 meals and 3 snacks everyday before and after Thanksgiving.
Let someone else fix your plate at the Thanksgiving meal. Eating disorders love control. Therefore, put yourself in a position where food is out of your control. Then commit to eating everything on your plate, even if you “don’t like it.” Chances are, that’s just an excuse to eat less. Starving people aren’t picky about what they like and dislike.
Stop thinking about food. The more you think about food, the more your brain will fear it. So actively reroute your thoughts to focus on something else. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
I should also mention that thinking about food is a sign of hunger. Therefore, you must honor that hunger by stuffing your mouth with food. Mental hunger cues don’t go away on their own. You have to eat your way out of them. So continue eating, but don’t entertain disordered thoughts about food.
Keep nourishing yourself, even after Thanksgiving Day. I have no doubt that you’ll be tempted to restrict following Thanksgiving dinner. But you aren’t going to give in because that would mean that the eating disorder gets the upper hand. You’re going to keep eating what’s normal for a person in recovery. You’re going to fix a big breakfast the next morning, and then you’re going to have a nice snack. You’re going to continue on as normal, as though Thanksgiving Day were just a regular day. Because in terms of eating, that’s exactly what it is.
– Taylor
