What are the effects of an eating disorder during holidays?

Eating disorders are not just about your food habits; rather, they are about your relationship with food in general. These are psychological conditions of great complexity, impacting millions of us.

These usually manifest as severe alterations in eating routines and self-image issues. Anorexia nervosa, among the most lethal eating disorders, doesn't limit its effects to teenagers but greatly impacts adults as well. Eating dysfunctions push so many people to the edge and it remains an invisible struggle that we continue to battle with.

This battle becomes worse during the holiday season. While everyone else is enjoying themselves, individuals with an eating disorder will give much thought to what they consume and what they don't. The thoughts become daunting and spiral into not being able to enjoy the holiday season.

Not all people have fun during the holidays. (Image via Vecteezy/ Macrovector studio)

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What are the effects of eating disorders?

Social comparison can fuel the beliefs about your relationship with food. (Image via Vecteezy/ nuttawan jayawan)

As opposed to the usual understanding, the effects of eating disorders aren't confined to adolescents. This condition equally affects grown adults. Anorexia is a common eating dysfunction that is characterized by a constant need to remain thin, intense food intake limitations and an intense fear of weight gain. For the affected adults, this condition turns into a big hurdle in their lives to overcome.

The complex nature of this disorder typically interweaves with multiple factors, including societal pressures, past traumatic events as well as genetic and psychological susceptibility. Eating disorder in the holiday season is constantly influenced by these.

Being open to professional assistance is very important for effectively dealing with anorexia in adolescents because it demands a multifaceted approach that involves therapy, nutritional care and immediate medical intervention.

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Holiday glares: Anxiety of eating in front of others

Eating dysfunctions are complex and multi-layered. (Image via Freepik/ drobotdean)

Yet another dimension of eating disorders commonly faced by many across age groups is the anxiety related to eating in the company of people, especially during the holiday season. This particular fear can result from various sources, such as earlier negative experiences, body image insecurities, social anxiety or simply the fear of judgments.

For many individuals, just the thought of eating food in front of people greatly boosts feelings of stress. This anxiety can cause social withdrawal whenever meals are concerned. To fight the anxiety of food consumption in social gatherings, cognitive-behavioral strategies along with gradual exposure techniques can be of great benefit.

Learning healthier ways to cope, practicing self-awareness and asking for professional support from trained therapists or support groups can be of great help in dealing with these fears. Not everyone is ready to seek therapy, but it can be essential to seek support during the holidays.

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Overcoming eating dysfunctions needs self-discovery and acceptance with professional support. Breaking the stigma linked to eating disorders and encouraging a space of empathy and compassion are absolutely important steps for supporting the impacted in their healing period.

If you know someone who is experiencing this condition this holiday season, try to be kinder and more empathetic towards their relationship with food. We can't force-feed them or ask them to eat less; it is about building self-compassion, which typically takes time.

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Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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