"Imagine sitting down to a holiday meal with family and friends while battling an eating disorder. The experience can feel completely different from that of those who are not struggling. Many people look forward to holiday meals-the flavors, the enjoyment of good food, and the satisfaction of a hearty appetite. Most of all, they anticipate the warmth of gathering with loved ones. But for someone coping with an eating disorder, these moments can be fraught with anxiety rather than comfort."
"All eating disorders involve an intense preoccupation with body weight and shape, a fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. These concerns gradually erode the ability to nourish the body properly. Eating is no longer guided by natural hunger and fullness cues or by the simple pleasure of food. Instead, it becomes governed by elaborate, rigid rules designed to control eating and pursue an idealized body image."
Holiday meals often provoke anxiety rather than comfort for people living with eating disorders. Restrictive eating disorders involve intense preoccupation with weight, fear of gaining weight, distorted body image, and rigid rules that override hunger and fullness cues. Social situations, multi-course meals, and family expectations can feel overwhelming and terrifying. Young people like Marly may dread holiday dinners and need understanding and concrete support. Practical support includes avoiding talk about weight, food, and exercise, offering predictable routines or smaller servings, setting gentle boundaries, modeling balanced attitudes, and combining social support with self-help and professional treatment to aid recovery.
Read at Psychology Today
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