The Holiday Season and Eating Disorders

Thrive • Nov 05, 2020

How Intuitive Eating Can Help Brighten the Holiday Season

Festivities, friends, and family give the holiday season a cheerful glow and wraps a bow around the past year. We treat ourselves to mellow winter days and partake in merry meals surrounded by loved ones.

But unfortunately for individuals struggling with an eating disorder, the holiday season can be the most dreaded time of year, partially because there is such a large emphasis on food. Most gatherings center around food and drinks. And everywhere you look, there are pictures, commercials, and billboards of holiday feasts, fancy silverware, sweet treats, and new recipes. Seeing, hearing and/or talking about food during the holidays is almost unavoidable.

For many of us, this is a joyous time, and we look forward to gathering around the dinner table, eating a holiday feast with our loved ones. But for those battling an eating disorder, the season’s emphasis on food can increase fear, anxiety, stress and even the symptoms of the eating disorder itself.

Fortunately, intuitive eating can be used as a healthy strategy for individuals with eating disorders to cope with food anxiety and embrace the holiday season. Intuitive eating is an approach to food that has nothing to do with diets, meal plans, discipline or willpower. It teaches individuals how to get in touch with their body cues, like hunger, fullness and satisfaction. The concept challenges the false notion that there is good and bad food. Instead, there is no such thing as good or bad food, and all food is beautiful. Realizing that all food is beautiful opens the door to a new food journey. By listening to what the body is craving, and paying attention to hunger and fullness cues, individuals can begin to develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.

Another important aspect of intuitive eating is to practice mindful awareness by tuning into your senses. Notice how the food smells, tastes, and makes you feel. Appreciate the different colors and shapes on your plate. By tuning into their senses, individuals are more likely to enjoy the dining experience and be satisfied with their meal. Mindful eating can help all of us honor our body’s hunger and fullness, and allow us to nourish our bodies, minds and spirits with sustenance that we need and enjoy.

How to Support Someone Struggling With an Eating Disorder

We always want what is best for our loved ones, especially during the holidays when we center our activities around family and friendship. When a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, we need to act as a support system for them. Here are some ways to help a loved one through this difficult time:

Educate yourself on eating disorders. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to understand and identify the difference between facts and myths.
Be honest, and use “I” statements. Honesty is always the best policy. When addressing your loved one, use “I” statements so they do not feel attacked. For example you could say “I feel like you have not been acting like yourself lately” instead of “you are not yourself anymore.”
Be patient, kind and supportive. Your loved one cannot heal their relationship with food overnight. It takes time, and there will be good days and bad days. You need to be someone who will encourage them, not criticize them.
Encourage them to seek professional help. Eating disorders are complex and greatly impact physical and mental health. Instead of facing an eating disorder alone, individuals should rely on specialists to help them heal. Seeking professional help is the first step to recovery.

We have your back!

Thrive’s team of mental and physical health professionals specialize in treating eating disorders. Because eating disorders affect your mental and physical health, we use a holistic approach that examines the individual’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.

We offer an intensive outpatient program (IOP) and a partial hospitalization day treatment program (PHP) designed to support those struggling with eating disorders. We also host a free eating disorder recovery support group that meets every Tuesday at 5 p.m. To learn more about our programs and support groups, click here. Let’s get through this together!

The post The Holiday Season and Eating Disorders first appeared on Thrive Wellness.

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Clean House, Healthy Mind: Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health

By Sage Tippie • 23 Apr, 2024

Spring Cleaning Benefits for Mental Health Spring is a time of new beginnings, change, and transitions, including in our homes. With the warmer weather kicking motivation into high gear, Spring can be a prime time to do a deep clean. Not only is a clean space aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but it can also help to improve your mental health. Learn about how tidying up your space can also tidy up your thoughts below along with tips for cleaning when you’re struggling with your mental health. 4 Reasons Why Cleaning is Beneficial to Mental health 1.Decreased Stress Not only does an uncluttered space provide a sense of calm, but the physical act of cleaning can release feel-good endorphins, reducing feelings of stress and anxiety. As you cross tasks off your checklist, your body also releases Dopamine. Also known as the “happy hormone”, Dopamine provides a sense of accomplishment and pride that can promote motivation in other areas of our lives. 2. Improved Focus Studies have shown that an uncluttered space can also lead to an uncluttered mind. Your focus can be drawn away from important tasks by a chaotic, messy space. Research has also shown a connection between procrastination and clutter, as an unwillingness to tackle larger chores like cleaning can translate over into various areas of our lives. By keeping your space tidy, it can inspire you to stay on top of other major tasks like work and school assignments. 3. Regulated Emotions According to this 2015 study , cleaning can function as a practice in mindfulness, providing an increased sense of calm and inspiration. Slowing down while cleaning gives you room to relax and free your mind of burdens, stressors, and irritants that can affect your mental health. Cleaning can even be considered a practice of self-care as the action helps you to connect with yourself and the outcome allows you to better enjoy your own space. 4. Sense of Order and Control When experiencing mental health struggles, people may feel a lack of control over their lives and emotions. Cleaning even small areas of the home can provide an increased sense of order and control as you cross tasks off your to-do list. Through realizing your own power by simply completing minor tasks like cleaning, it can reaffirm your ability to do more. 10 Tips for Cleaning When Struggling with Mental Health Mental health struggles and disorders commonly create barriers to one’s ability to clean and properly practice personal hygiene. Although these behaviors are normal side effects of mental health disorders, we want to work to aid our clients in cleaning to the best of their ability even in difficult times. Below, Thrive Wellness occupational therapist Meadow Deason shares some helpful tips she gives to clients when they struggle with cleaning due to mental health conditions: 1.Ask For Help Having support to clean can make a huge difference. Do the cleaning with the person helping you and have them hold you accountable. 2. Don't Wait for Motivation Motivation might not come before action, but it can build as you begin to see the results of your efforts. 3. Start Small Start with one area or one task and go from there. For example, concentrate on your bedroom first and then move on to the living room and bathroom. 4. Do Something Daily Even if you do only one small cleaning task a day, doing that one task creates momentum and prevents small tasks from building up and becoming overwhelming. 5. Use Sensory Modulation Change your environment by playing music, adjusting the lighting, or using aromatherapy. This can help to put you in a new headspace for cleaning. 6. Start with "High Impact" Tasks Start with more intensive or all-over cleaning tasks such as picking up clutter or doing the dishes. The visual "noise" of some tasks makes a large impact on the entire space, building motivation to continue cleaning. 7. Make a To-Do List Write a detailed to-do list of tasks and cross them off as you go. Physically marking down what you’ve accomplished can promote increased motivation. 8. Reward Yourself Set up a reward system where you reward yourself with a favorite activity or item when you complete a task as an incentive to clean. 9. Use the Rocket Method Don't think about it, just choose a task, countdown from five or ten and then start. This can help you to avoid potential anxiety and dread that can prevent you from cleaning. 10. Gamify Tasks Make up a game for your tasks or time yourself to promote increased engagement in cleaning. Your ability to complete tasks can be affected by a multitude of different factors and conditions including OCD , anxiety, depression , ADHD , and more. If you are struggling with motivation due to your mental health, help is here at Thrive Wellness.

child getting bandaid from doctor while mother smiles

The Importance of Whole Family Primary Care: A Q&A with Dr. Stephanie Wright

26 Mar, 2024

By serving the whole family, physicians are able to have a better understanding of family dynamics, family health care goals, and history of disease in the family.