How to minimise food-related triggers for yourself and others these holidays 

“Give yourself permission to enjoy.”

Content warning: This article contains discusses eating disorders.

If the sound of spending time with family, exchanging gifts and filling up on a Christmas feast is a dream come true, you’re one of the lucky ones. Not only can the festive season be a stressful time for those with difficult family situations, but the holiday period can also be hugely anxiety-inducing for people with eating disorders. 

As someone who has personally struggled with disordered eating in my past (but is now mostly on the other side), allowing myself to eat to excess is still a trigger for me. When I’ve stuffed my face beyond full and start to feel bloated, as I often do on Christmas Day, the familiar negative self-talk creeps in and I often feel the need to punish myself. 

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Although I make a concerted effort to listen to my body when I’m both hungry and full, the presence of copious food and alcohol at parties can compromise this intuition. It leaves me either overindulging or forgetting to eat while wrapped up in all the excitement, and then feeling guilty when all is said and done.

While I work towards a healthier approach to the holidays, I chatted with Eating Disorders Victoria Communications and Marketing Manager, Breanna Guterres, to uncover some tips and tricks around navigating disordered eating during this time of the year.

Why can the holidays be difficult for those with eating disorders?

The extra focus on food during this season can cause additional anxiety and overwhelm for people with eating disorders. Typically, people with eating disorders like to have control over what they eat and when, so it can be difficult to have this challenged.

While it can be hard, it’s also an important step for those in recovery. The aim is to be able to enjoy the holidays with freedom and flexibility around food, so finding [a] balance between self-care… and challenging the eating disorder is important.

How can we minimise our own and others people’s triggers around eating during the holidays?

The holidays can be stressful for many people for a huge variety of reasons. It’s important to practice self-care and maintain boundaries. Can you say no to some events? Arrive later or leave earlier to conserve energy? Bring a support person with you? Keeping conversation away from topics like dieting or commenting on what others are eating is key.

Appearance-related comments are also best kept at bay… [but] that’s not to say you can’t talk about food. Exchanging recipes and complimenting the chef is totally okay. Just be mindful that there may be someone struggling around the table. Try not to draw attention to them and give them space to have a break if they need [it].

Any tips and tricks for those with disordered eating around the festive season?

Many people will be having a break from seeing their regular therapists and supports, so thinking ahead and being prepared is important. You might try writing down what you think will be challenging and then come up with coping strategies to help get you through. Having these coping strategies on hand… will be useful if the time comes to use them.

Plan Ahead

If you are nervous about disruption to routine, try to plan ahead to the best of your ability to ensure you are still eating regularly and meeting your nutritional needs. Know that there will be times when you may have to be more flexible, but anticipating this can help ease anxiety.

Set your own boundaries

Give yourself permission to enjoy yourself. It might be for an hour, a day or a week. It may feel strange to set yourself those boundaries, but it can provide great relief. Try using affirmations, like “I give myself permission to celebrate”.

Have support on hand

Importantly, make sure you have support around that you can call on. This might be a friend or family member, just someone you can be honest with about how you’re feeling. Helplines are also available right through the Christmas period, with many open 24/7.

What help or services are available to those who are struggling? 

Butterfly’s National Helpline will be open every day except for national public holidays. Other national services will be open every day, such as Lifeline, BeyondBlue Helpline, MensLine and 1800Respect.