Your Guide to a Stress-Free ED Recovery Summer Vacation
Summer is upon us – bringing warmer weather, longer days, outdoor activities, and vacations. But the whimsical air of summer, while positive for many, can also bring increased eating disorder-related anxiety. Vacations, in particular, can be a unique challenge in eating disorder recovery—from being off your normal routine, to being surrounded with people, and confronted with what might seem like perpetual challenging food exposures. But these difficulties don’t mean your summer vacation has to be a bust before it’s begun. We want to share three tips to help you enjoy summer vacations while maintaining a solid position in eating disorder recovery:
Tip #1: Formulate a meal and snack strategy ahead of time.
Come up with some easy meal and snack ideas that you know you’ll be able to rely on when you’re both on the go and in the house. Because vacations can be unpredictable, make sure to have a few choices that travel easily so that eating consistently is as seamless and stress-free as possible. It can be helpful to have a Plan B as well. For instance, if you miss a meal, what are several snacks you can group together as a replacement? An emergency stash of supplements may be helpful for you throughout the day.
Tip #2: Challenge yourself with fear foods before you leave.
Shaved ice, ice cream cones, snowballs, and beachside hotdogs are one of the defining elements of a summer vacation. It can be helpful to work with your dietitian or therapist before your trip to prepare to meet some of these challenge foods face to face without feeling the need to restrict, over-exercise, or compensate in any way. That way, you can enjoy these foods without stress when the time comes.
Tip #3: Remember–boundaries are a good thing, especially on vacation.
We love spending time with family and friends, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be stressful too! Sharing a house, doing hours of activities together, and eating meals in groups can take a toll after a few days. Taking care to devote some time each day to decompress away from family or friends can help. If you find that people are making triggering, food-related comments to you, it’s okay and normal to tell them you would rather not have those conversations. Setting boundaries like this is a great way to make sure you care for yourself properly while enjoying your time away.
At the end of the day, vacations can be an excellent way to grow in your eating disorder recovery—and to reinforce why recovery is worth it! When all else fails, always keep in mind, you can do hard things.
Caroline is an eating disorder dietitian based in based in Knoxville, TN. She has devoted her career to empowering women to fight diet culture, embrace body neutrality, and love themselves for all of their beautiful, authentic, messy glory. When she is not working, you will find her mountain biking, smothering her two dogs, and writing cut-throat book reviews.
This is a guest post written in partnership with NourishED Nutrition.