H unger means you eat when physically hungry instead of emotionally hungry.
A ttitudes about your size has to do with the size of your heart instead of the size of your body.
P eople accept and value you for who you are, not according to how you look.
P roblems are resolved in ways other than stuffing your feelings with food.
Y ou spend as much time and energy on helping others, as you do on how you look.

H appiness comes from within rather than from expectations of others.
O ccasions for the holidays emphasize relating to others instead of emphasizing food.
L ove of self means you deserve to treat yourself in the best humanly possible way.
I dentity of self involves more than how you look.
D isapproval of self is changed to approval of who you are.
A cceptance of what one can not change includes your body features.
Y ou treat yourself as you treat your best friend.
S ociety values you for being you without emphasis to your weight or size.

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Self-care is highest priority so do something every day for self-care (light candles, take bubble bath, schedule massage, get a facial, wear your favorite scented body products, take daily walk, practice 2 minutes of guided imagery/meditation, read inspirational stories, write daily gratitude list)

Stick to your routine as much as possible since the increased stress people feel around the holidays is often aggravated by the changes in their routines. We are creatures of habit so stick with your healthy habits (eating, sleeping, activities/exercise, self-care).

Limit alcohol intake or avoid it as it lowers inhibitions and is a depressant.

Say no to extra tasks or events.

Decide ahead of time what your limits are for how many events or things you will do (think of them as how many tickets you have available for an event or thing to do) then prioritize and put the most important on your schedule first. Once you have reached the maximum number of events (i.e. you have run out of tickets), you can say “I’m sorry but I won’t be able to be there or do that this year.”

Say a “soft no” by limiting what you are willing to do (“I would love to help you out, however, I can only do ___________________ this year. Keep me in mind for next year.” And smile when you are saying it.)

Start your own traditions by staying home more and giving thanks for what you already have.

Create the holiday of peace by being clear about what is important to you and practice letting go of the things that aren’t really important to you.

When deciding what to do, ask yourself if this is the message you would want to model for children – even if you don’t have children of your own (i.e. doing too many things around the holidays so everyone is stressed out and the children associate the holidays with being stressed)

Have realistic expectations of the family during the holidays by going into the holidays with as few expectations of yourself and others as you can. Repeat to yourself a mantra like, “It is what it is!” “People are not perfect so holidays won’t be perfect either!”
Let go of the image that we think it “should be” (like from TV shows where those actors and actresses are getting paid a lot of money to act as if they actually like each other –if you were getting paid that much to act as if you were the perfect family, you could probably project that for the time of the event as well!)
Practice radical acceptance of others (i.e. don’t assign a “good” or “bad” meaning to what they are doing) that they are just doing what they were taught or what they think they need/want in these situations but that does NOT mean we have to do that as well. Maybe say to yourself, “well that’s one way of doing that. Not the way I would choose to do but they are not me so they can choose to do it their way.”
Remind ourselves that this is NOT the world according to me so people/family will NOT think like me, act like me or feel like me! Then accept that they are them and they are just doing what they think/feel/believe will get their needs met right now and that it is NOT about me!
Approach the holidays as a negotiation rather than a dictatorship where not everyone will get what they want and that’s ok so you can let go of some of the demands being put upon you and your time.

Practice emotion regulation skills (like recognizing your emotions and accepting them without judgment of whether you “should” be feeling that way or not)
Practice changing the meaning you assign to the event (i.e. this holiday event really isn’t as important as we are making it into)
Reduce your emotional vulnerability by practicing compassionate self-talk (i.e. talk to yourself the way you would a child – with more compassion, grace, acceptance and understanding)
Practice self-coaching by talking yourself through the situations the way you would coach or encourage a child
Practice taking a deep breath and letting go of the negative emotions around what someone else has said or done. Otherwise YOU are taking the poison hoping THEY get sick – which is just silly!
Use laughter to diffuse strong emotions by having some really funny short YouTube videos bookmarked on your phone or tablet then step away from the situation, put your ear buds in & watch the video.

For many people the holidays are a time of joy and celebration. It is a time to gather with family and friends, catch up on each other’s lives, and share a few laughs. For most people, highlights of the holiday season includes the food and sitting down to enjoy a traditional holiday meal. For people with eating disorders, however, the holidays are often not quite so enjoyable. In fact, they can be the ultimate nightmare. For many sufferers, the holidays bring tremendous stress, anxiety, and fear.
It is common for people who suffer from eating disorders to experience an increase in symptoms of their illness as the holiday season approaches. This may be due to stress over the impending festivities and/or anticipation of the presence of challenging (often high calorie) food in the weeks to come. Many sufferers tell themselves that if they lose a few pounds prior to the holidays, they will be able to allow themselves to eat like everyone else. In reality, this approach rarely works and the eating disorder reasserts itself during the family time.
The following is an account of the holidays as written by Colleen Thompson:
“Whether it was Christmas, Easter or any other holiday, I could never relax and enjoy the day because I knew the moment would arrive when I would have to sit down at the table and face all that food. Usually with my in-laws I could get away with not eating very much. I especially liked having people over to my house, because I could keep busy in the kitchen and spend less time at the table. When I was with my own family, I would sit and eat with everyone else, but the meal was never enjoyed because I was always too busy adding up all the calories in my head and the fear of getting fat would grow stronger with each bite of food. I always looked forward to the moment I could leave, so that I could rush home and purge. The days following the holidays were just as bad. The guilt I would feel was enormous and I would feel desperate to try and make up for all the calories I had consumed. I would really restrict my intake and I would exercise more. Holidays were a time that I just never looked forward to.”

Holidays and intense periods of time spent with family can be stressful for all people, not just those who suffer from eating disorders. Holidays often place pressure on families and this pressure can result in frayed tempers. For families who have a member who is affected by an eating disorder, the pressure and resulting stress can be even greater. It is important for family members to remember that food-related situations are stressful for sufferers of eating disorders and to try above all else to remain calm and loving during fraught times.
It is an unfortunate reality that many eating disorder sufferers dread the holiday season. Fortunately, this can be improved with proper treatment. After recovery, sufferers can progress to a stage in which they enjoy and look forward to holidays once again.
Planning Ahead
In the midst of the problem however, good planning will help make the holidays a little easier. Below is a list of suggestions to help cope with the holidays:
• Talk to your treatment team and help identify what difficulties you may expect and problem-solve some strategies for dealing with them.
• If you are following a meal plan try to stick to it over the holidays. Try to anticipate some of the situations that will make following it harder, such as time in transit, time changes, and not having access to your usual foods. If you are traveling, plan how or where you will get the food you need.
• If you are traveling, it is wise to pack some snack foods both for the time in transit and to have upon arrival at the destination until you can go shopping.
• Make a list of things you can do to help relax and distract yourself from the feelings of fullness after a big meal. e.g. go for a walk, take a bath, read, visit a friend, go for a drive, etc. If you are traveling be sure to bring some of your distraction activities.
• Have the phone numbers of your treatment team and friends available to you.
• If you need to be at a function with certain people who make you uncomfortable, plan some ways to excuse yourself from their immediate presence. Put your own health above anything else at all times.
• Try not to count calories and try to avoid the scale.
• If you feel yourself starting to panic because you are feeling too full or if you allowed yourself to eat foods that you consider to be forbidden, remind yourself it is okay to eat what you did, that food will not make you fat, and it is normal to eat more during the holidays. Most people do and it really is okay.
• If you end up bingeing or purging, do not beat yourself up over it. Just put it behind you and move forward. Try to get back on track at the next meal.
• Prepare responses to people who may say something to you that would make you uncomfortable.
• If you feel you need to, set some boundaries for yourself by telling people ahead of time that you do not want anyone to comment on your appearance or your eating.
• Be sure to plan some time for yourself to do something that you enjoy. It is very important to take special care of yourself during the holidays.
Holidays are a very stressful time for people with eating disorders and it is important that you do whatever you need to do in order to make them easier on yourself.
As you progress in recovery there will come a time when food will no longer prevent you from enjoying the holidays. You will be able to think of them as a time to gather with loved ones. You can make your own special memories, and you may even be able to start looking forward to them.