5 Ways to Protect Eating Disorder Recovery During the Holidays

Although holidays are typically seen as cheerful and celebratory, they can trigger stress and anxiety for individuals working on eating disorder recovery. The cultural focus on food, body talk, and family gatherings can activate old triggers and make recovery feel more challenging.

If you’re noticing increased anxiety, changes in urges, or a desire to withdraw, you are not alone—and these reactions do not mean you’re failing in recovery. They mean you’re human.

Why Holidays Can Be Difficult in Eating Disorder Recovery

Holidays tend to involve:

• Meals that feel unpredictable

• Family members who may comment on food or bodies (often without realizing the impact)

• Routine changes that disrupt your sense of structure

• Emotional dynamics that can feel overwhelming

Eating disorders thrive on disruption, anxiety, and perfectionism. When things don’t go as expected—or when conversations feel uncomfortable—your eating disorder may try to convince you to skip events, restrict, binge, purge, or “just this once” step away from recovery.

But you are allowed to show up imperfectly. You are allowed to struggle. And you are absolutely allowed to continue healing, even on the days that feel hard.

Maintain Your Meal Plan and Coping Routine (With Flexibility)

As much as possible, continue the routines that support your recovery:

• Follow your treatment team’s recommendations

• Keep therapy and dietitian appointments, even when the season gets busy

• Practice the coping skills you’ve learned throughout the year

A supportive structure helps you stay anchored when emotions run high. At the same time, give yourself permission to be flexible. Holiday meals may look different than your typical days—and that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. Flexibility is recovery.

Be Mindful of Your Reactions to Triggers

Triggers might show up in the form of:

• Changes in meal options

• Comments from family members

• Feeling out of routine

• Social pressure

• Comparisons with others

When you feel activated, pause and notice what’s coming up. Pay attention to patterns like:

• Withdrawing from family or friends

• Avoiding meals

• Using eating disorder behaviors to cope with stress

Awareness doesn’t mean you have to “fix” the feeling immediately. It simply allows you to respond with intention instead of reacting automatically.

Practice Radical Acceptance

Radical acceptance—an essential skill from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)—invites you to acknowledge things as they are, even when they are uncomfortable.

This might include:

• Not loving the holiday meal options

• Feeling distressed about body image

• Experiencing tension or discomfort at family gatherings

• Struggling with the structure of your meal plan

Acceptance doesn’t mean approval. It simply means recognizing that fighting reality often intensifies suffering. You can feel discomfort and choose to stay in recovery at the same time.

Include Your Support System

Recovery does not have to be a solitary effort. If you feel safe doing so, consider involving loved ones in your holiday plan.

This could look like:

• Discussing warning signs that you’re struggling

• Letting someone know how to best support you before, during, or after meals

• Incorporating family into therapy sessions ahead of the holidays

• Asking someone to sit with you during or after a challenging meal

• Setting boundaries around comments about food or your body

Sometimes family members simply don’t know what’s helpful—and providing them with guidance can ease the pressure on you.

Stay Connected to Your “Why”

Recovery takes courage, and during stressful seasons, reconnecting with your motivations can be grounding. Ask yourself:

• What has the eating disorder taken from me?

• What has it limited in my life?

• What parts of life do I want to reclaim?

• Who do I want to be beyond the eating disorder?

These questions are not meant to shame or push you—they simply help you remember the larger story behind the hard work you’re doing.

Remember: Struggling Doesn’t Mean Failing

Recovery is not linear. You may feel urges intensifying, emotions rising more quickly, or old thoughts resurfacing. This is expected. What matters most is not perfection—it’s recommitment, compassion, and reaching out when you need support.

You deserve holidays that feel safe, connected, and meaningful. Even if this season brings challenges, you can still protect your recovery, lean on your support network, and honor the progress you’ve made.