Helping Families with Holiday Health: Coping with eating disordered behavior during the holidaysHolidays are a time that can often trigger anxiety and feelings of loneliness, isolation and disconnection. These emotions can often be a catalyst for various eating disorder behaviors around holiday gatherings.
By: Dr. Judy Scheel 
When Food is Family-book image In addition to issues around food, the stresses, appearances and pressures associated with the holidays can often trigger anxiety and feelings of loneliness, isolation and disconnection for the person struggling with the eating disorder. According to Dr. Scheel, these emotions can often be a catalyst for various eating disorder behaviors around holiday gatherings. “Symptoms like severe food restriction, picking apart food or cutting it up into little pieces are behaviors you might see exhibited by someone struggling to control, conceal and comfort their true feelings,” said Dr. Scheel. “Mealtime and socializing with family members can become tense, argumentative and confusing to all involved. This is not only true for those suffering from an eating disorder, who may fear all eyes are upon them during the festivities, but also for family members who may be dealing with the reality and seriousness of their loved one’s condition.” Dr. Scheel says some of the struggles for people with eating disorders, as well as signs to look out for during the holiday, include: • The need to look good and fit into a particular holiday outfit, or an overwhelming anxiety about appearance to family members; • Physically isolating from others, and being pre-occupied with food and the upcoming meal; • Comments regarding physical appearance such as, “you look so thin” or “I’ve heard of this incredible diet” serve to reinforce eating disorder thinking and behavior; • Unusual behaviors at the table, such as: • Shifting food around on plate to look like food has been eaten • Cutting food into tiny pieces • Chewing food and spitting it out • Eating a great deal of food and then going directly to the bathroom • Frequent trips to the bathroom immediately following eating even small amounts of food In her book, When Food is Family: A Loving Approach to Heal Eating Disorders, Dr. Scheel takes a look at the relational underpinnings of eating disorders and how to treat them. When Food is Family explores how early relationships with a parent or caregiver that are weak or failing can be a trigger for eating disorders later on. It also offers a step-by-step approach to help families and individuals with eating disorders heal their relationships damaged by the disorder, and provides a clinical perspective for health-care practitioners, therapists and others who are seeking a better understanding about when and how to talk with their patients who are dealing with an eating disorder. “Eating disorders are treatable, but we need to understand that recovery is a different process for everyone,” said Dr. Scheel. “Recovery often occurs in response to psychological awakenings, being able to identify and articulate emotions, learning how to communicate among family members with authenticity, trust, support and empathy, and a host of other feelings and relationships. By taking the time over the holidays to nurture, rather than neglect these feelings, it could make a world of difference for those you love – especially with those struggling with eating disorders.” Dr. Scheel has been treating eating disorders for more than 25 years. She is the founder and executive director of CEDAR Associates, a private outpatient practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and other self-harming behaviors. A member of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), and the Eating Disorders Coalition, Dr. Scheel emphasizes the importance of mutual respect, empathy, trust, and the need to live authentically in eating-disorder treatment approaches. # # # When Food is Family allows family members to explore and rebuild relationships to each other that were damaged before the eating disorder evolved and continue to be impacted by its existence. The book teaches families, through expository text, experiential reflections, and step-by-step exercises, how to develop an “emotional language.-” It explains that trust, empathy, and respect are the core methods by which we communicate our love for one another and teaches readers how to experience and convey these concepts toward each other – especially toward the person with the eating disorder. Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ End
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