Thanksgiving can be a challenging time of year for individuals living with eating disorders. The food, family, and social aspects of the holiday can be particularly challenging. 2021 may be even harder if you did not have a typical Thanksgiving last year and have not seen certain family or friends in a while. The guide below offers helpful tips on managing the holiday triggers associated with Thanksgiving.

Identify Triggers: Try to identify potential triggers ahead of time and plan self-care strategies in advance.
- Think about how you will handle a particular family member that tends to make food or body comments.
- Think about who you will talk to and who you may be able to avoid.
- Ask certain family members if you can sit at the same end of the table as them.
- Think about the menu ahead of time and how you can plan to get your meal plan completed.
Self-care: It can be really hard to prioritize self-care if you are traveling for the holiday.
- Try scheduling your self-care practices.
- Put them on your calendar and treat them like an appointment you have made a commitment too. If you prioritize it and schedule it, you will be more likely to follow through.
- Ask a friend or family member to do a self-care activity together.
Accountability: Ask a friend or family member to help you stay accountable. Let’s be honest, no one like to let people down. If we know someone is going to be checking up on us, we are more likely to follow through. Finding a self-care buddy can be a great way to help each other stay accountable.
Boundaries:
- Set boundaries with family members.
- Talk about the boundaries in advance and reinforce them through out the holiday.
- Take space and time for yourself.
Support:
- Having people to vent to is incredibly helpful.
- Utilize your treatment team or support network.
- Identify a friend or family member to be your holiday support person.
- Journal
- Call a friend