11 Ways to Face Eating Disorder Fears This Halloween
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Halloween brings unique — and sometimes scary — challenges for people living with eating disorders.
People with eating disorders characterized by restriction, such as anorexia nervosa or avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder, may be afraid to eat certain foods. For people with a disorder characterized by binge eating behaviors, such as binge eating disorder or bulimia nervosa, Halloween may spark worries of losing control around candy and other festive foods, says Lara Effland, a licensed independent clinical social worker and clinical lead at the Eating Recovery Center, who is based in Washington state.
Even though the challenges can differ for each person, there are tried-and-true strategies that can keep your eating disorder fears in check before, during, and after this holiday.
RELATED: 5 Ways to Manage Eating Disorder Triggers Outside the Treatment Center
1. Remind Yourself of What’s Most Important to You
Pause to consider what really matters to you today and tomorrow — the present and immediate future — rather than worrying about the past or distant future, Effland says. This can help you manage any urges to binge eat, to purge or rid the body of food, or to unnecessarily restrict or avoid certain food groups or ingredients. To start, Effland suggests asking yourself:
- Why do you want to maintain your recovery today?
- Why do you want to avoid turning to eating disordered behaviors today?
Practicing this focus on your personal values ahead of Halloween can help you when the holiday arrives, she adds.
2. Plan to Enjoy Other Treats That’ll Make the Day Special
If you’re worried about acting on eating disordered behaviors on Halloween, Kristen Farrell Turner, PhD, a psychologist at Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami, recommends having a plan to combat boredom and other negative feelings that could surface on Halloween.
Halloween can often focus heavily on candy and eating, but there are many festive activities, such as pumpkin carving, hay rides, and corn mazes, that you can include in your Halloween plans to enjoy the holiday with fewer triggers, per the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
“Boredom is a stressful condition,” Farrell Turner says. She suggests writing down a list of activities you can turn to instead of eating disordered behaviors. Keep the list somewhere you can see it. Limit your list to three to five self-soothing activities to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Activities that she recommends include:
- Breathing or meditation exercises
- Visualizing yourself in a happy, safe space
- Reading a book or magazine
- Taking a short walk
3. Less Can Be More, So Set Some Limits
“Set some limitations that are, most importantly, in the best interest of your [physical] health, your mental health, and having a good holiday,” Effland says. Listening to your intuition, which often results in boundary-setting, is a great place to start.
Consider limiting how long you think you can participate in an activity — whether it’s trick-or-treating, going to a party, or staying home and handing out candy. Also think about how much candy and other festive treats you’re comfortable having in your house, if at all.
Effland also suggests setting a time limit on activities. “Know when the Halloween activities are over and stay within a window of time that you feel you are capable of managing rather than pushing it to a place where you can no longer cope,” she advises.
4. Don’t Try to Go It Alone
Let friends and loved ones know if you’re struggling, says Effland. Keeping your eating disorder a secret can give the disorder power over you. “When we try to go it alone or suppress it, that’s when it backfires,” says Effland.
She suggests you let at least one loved one know that you’re struggling and ask them for support. Make plans to go Halloween costume shopping together, share a meal before any Halloween events begin, or simply ask them to sit and listen to you without judgment.
5. Keep Yourself Busy
Keeping yourself occupied is another way to avoid unwanted behaviors at Halloween-themed events.
Try engaging in conversation with others or joining games and activities to keep your mind and body busy. If you often feel shy or anxious in social situations, you could try enlisting the help of a trusted friend or family member to introduce you to others and make sure you’re included in the festivities.
Staying focused on something in your hands may also help you stay grounded in the present moment, Farrell Turner says.
It’s important to note, though, that your goal with this approach is to manage the overall stresses of holiday events like Halloween, not simply to think about ways to distract yourself from eating. The aim here is not keeping your mouth busy — which may be a specific tactic for some eating disorders — but just generally keeping your mind open, active, and focused.
6. Consider Working With a Mental Health Professional
If you’re not working with a mental health professional, consider therapy. If you need help with this type of exposure — facing potential triggers head-on — consider professional therapy to help guide the process.
“A therapist can give you the space to talk about the thoughts going through your mind,” Farrell Turner explains. “Then they’ll offer other techniques to help you deal with those kinds of thoughts.”
For example, this supportive person can give you reminders to breathe when you’re experiencing difficult emotions like anxiety.
NEDA provides an online tool to help find a therapist or treatment center offering in-person or virtual services.
RELATED: Best Online Therapy Programs of 2023
7. Remember How Far You’ve Already Come
Sometimes triggers still happen, even when we do our best to prepare, Effland says.
When you’re feeling triggered or challenged, she suggests thinking about how you want to feel tomorrow — in recovery communities, this is often referred to as “playing it forward.” Then ask yourself what actions or decisions you can make right now to make sure you achieve that goal and avoid eating disordered behaviors, says Effland.
“Recall other times you successfully got through a difficult situation and did not use your behaviors,” and trust that you can do that again now, suggests Effland.
8. Use Visualization to Your Advantage
Although learning to stay focused on the present is an important skill in recovery, spending some energy thinking about the future can be constructive, too.
Ahead of Halloween, Farrell Turner suggests imagining going trick-or-treating, walking into a party, or handing out candy. “It’s Halloween, so there’s likely to be a bowl of candy somewhere, and somebody is probably going to offer you something like a drink or snack food,” Farrell Turner says.
She recommends picturing what may happen and what coping strategies you could use in those scenarios, such as “playing it forward.”
9. Switch Up Where (or How) You Grocery Shop
People with eating disorders may find grocery shopping amid Halloween candy displays difficult. For some, this can be particularly challenging after Halloween, when candy goes on sale.
Farrell Turner advises temporarily buying groceries elsewhere or opting for online grocery shopping. Although online shopping won’t alleviate every trigger you might face, it may offer you more space to make mindful choices.
If you have to buy groceries in person, consider temporarily shopping at smaller chains or grocery stores geared toward organic, whole foods. Turner says these stores may also have Halloween treats on sale, but those displays are typically less prominently located.
10. Go for a Body-Neutral Costume
Choosing a Halloween costume and anticipating wearing it on Halloween can be stressful if you struggle with body image issues.
Stresses associated with Halloween costumes may include wanting to dress as a particular character whose body type looks different from yours or feeling pressured to wear a revealing costume. And for some people, thinking about how their body will look in a costume may contribute to eating disordered behaviors or interfere with other daily activities.
Choosing a body-neutral costume by dressing up as a funny object, such as a jack-o’-lantern, is one way to skirt these pressures, says Effland. She also suggests dressing up as someone you know, such as a neighbor or friend.
And if the costume planning process is getting in the way of enjoying the holiday, feel free to skip it and just wear what makes you comfortable, NEDA suggests. You can always dress up next year!
11. Practice Self-Compassion and Kindness
If things don’t go exactly as planned on Halloween, remind yourself of your previous successes in recovery and keep moving forward. You are likely to experience triggers that bring up negative thoughts and feelings, but those are also a part of the recovery process, according to NEDA. Practice self-compassion even if you slip.
And remember: Recovery from eating disordered behaviors doesn’t happen overnight. What happens on one holiday is less important than the fact that you’re actively aiming to recover in the long term, Effland says.
“The beauty of recovery,” she adds, “is that every day’s a new day.”
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