5 Steps to Protect Your Eating Disorder Recovery in the New Year
by Emily Costa
As the excitement of a New Year approaches, with it comes an intense wave of diet culture. This may come in the form of bombarding social content and advertisements promising fresh starts and transformational changes, or family and friends talking non-stop about their new diet.
For those in eating disorder recovery, this time can be extremely overwhelming bringing on the temptation to return to old behaviors to control their intake and weight. Remaining recovery-focused can become challenging amid the diet-focused frenzy. In this blog, we will focus on ways to prepare to cope with these pressures both external and internal to resist diet culture pressures and stick to your recovery goals.
First Things First: What is Diet Culture?
Whether or not you've heard the term diet culture before, you have very likely experienced it in your lifetime at one time or another. Diet culture at its core is a societal system that values weight, size, and shape over well-being. This belief system equates thinness with health and moral virtue, promoting weight loss as a means of attaining higher status.
For example, consider the proliferation of advertisements for weight loss products, from diet pills to exercise programs, often featuring people who fit a narrowly defined standard of attractiveness. These ads perpetuate the notion that you must fit this mold to be happy or successful. Diet culture enforces the dangerous idea of a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to health, often disregarding individual bodies' needs and circumstances. It's important to understand that diet culture is pervasive and can infiltrate our minds subconsciously, making it crucial to be vigilant about how it might influence our attitudes towards food, exercise, and body image.
Why Does Diet Culture Get 'Loud' At The Start Of The New Year?
The onset of the New Year is typically characterized by the setting of resolutions for personal improvement, with dieting often at the forefront of these ambitions. This stems from the popular notion of a 'fresh start,' offering a perceived opportunity to achieve one's 'ideal' physique. Consequently, diet culture becomes increasingly pervasive during this period, leading to an escalation in diet-related pressures. An astounding statistic from a U.S. News report indicates that approximately 40% of Americans embark on a diet every New Year, signifying the profound influence of diet culture during this period.
Diet Culture and Eating Disorders
Diet culture presents enormous triggers for those in eating disorder recovery, attempting to mend their relationship with food and their bodies. Seeing others constantly strive for a so-called ideal body image, the pressure to alter one's appearance can be immense. This can often result in a destructive cycle where rigid rules surrounding food and exercise are re-established, hampering the recovery process. Additionally, diet culture can lead to a harmful sense of isolation for those in recovery. When everyone around you seems to be embarking on a new diet or fitness regime, it can feel isolating to be the only one not participating. It is critically important to remember that choosing to forego diet culture is not a sign of weakness or failure; instead, it is a brave assertion of one's self-love and commitment to restore and maintain one's health from the inside out.
How to Prepare and Stay Strong in Recovery This January
Preparing for the heightened influence of diet culture and safeguarding your recovery is crucial to staying on course with your journey to freedom from your eating disorder. Recognizing and understanding the pervasive nature of diet culture is the initial step in establishing a protective barrier against potential triggers. This mental fortitude embodies an act of self-care and resilience, setting the stage for continued progress in recovery. With adequate preparation, you can navigate through the New Year, retaining focus on your well-being while deflecting diet culture pressures.
In the next section, we will outline five practical strategies to prepare for these challenges, reinforcing your recovery journey.
5 Steps to Protect Your Recovery in the New Year
Understanding Your Own Triggers
The first step in buffering yourself against diet culture is to gain a thorough understanding of your personal triggers. Engaging in open discussions with your treatment team, whether it be in therapy or with your dietitian, can offer valuable insights into past experiences that may have influenced your relationship with dieting or body image struggles. They can provide personalized strategies to help you navigate potential triggering situations and regularly check-in during your sessions in the New Year to help manage your reactions to diet culture's pervasive messages. If you currently lack a treatment team, you can still engage in self-reflective practices such as journaling. Reflecting on your past experiences with dieting, your history with New Year's resolutions, and your commitment to recovery can be an important self-guided approach. This process can help reaffirm your dedication to recovery and maintain motivation throughout the year, even in the face of diet culture pressures.
Creating Non-Diet-Related Resolutions
Another crucial step towards preparing for the New Year involves generating your own resolutions, entirely unrelated to dieting or weight. Focus on setting goals that are realistic, tangible, and aligned with your core values. This approach serves to eliminate diet-induced anxiety and guilt while promoting self-esteem and self-care. For instance, you may decide to explore a creative outlet such as watercolor painting or knitting, allowing you to express your emotions in a safe and therapeutic manner. Learning something new can feel extremely rewarding. Other ideas might include joining a book club or engaging in volunteer work, fostering a sense of connection and giving back to the community. These goals serve dual functions. They not only occupy your time and energy, thus limiting exposure to diet culture, but also provide an opportunity to discover new passions and hobbies.
Monitoring Social Media Use and Limiting Exposure to Diet Culture
A pivotal step in shielding yourself from diet culture in the New Year is through careful monitoring of your social media use. Digital platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are often rife with diet culture content, making them potential sources of triggers. However, tools are available to control your exposure to such content. For example, you can adjust your ad preferences on these platforms to block weight loss related advertisements and content. In addition, simple steps like fast-forwarding through diet ads during your favorite podcast can quite literally help you block out diet culture. Be mindful of the accounts you follow as well. If you notice an influencer sharing unhealthy tips or promoting a lifestyle steeped in diet culture, unfollowing them can be a powerful act of self-care. If friends or family members frequently post about dieting and weight loss and you don't want to unfollow them, remember that it's okay to mute their posts. These measures will help create a healthier, more supportive online environment that aligns with your recovery efforts. Finding recovery influencers and accounts that promote tips to navigate life in recovery can also be empowering.
Preparing Yourself to Interact with Family, Friends, and Co-workers
It's inevitable that you'll encounter discussions about dieting and weight loss goals, particularly at the start of the New Year. However, there are various strategies you can employ to stay out of these conversations or to shut them down if they become triggering. One tactic is to politely change the subject; this can be as simple as redirecting the conversation towards a different New Year’s resolution, such as travel plans or new hobbies. If the person you're conversing with is a close friend or family member, you may feel comfortable explaining that these topics can be triggering for you. In these instances, it’s important to express how you feel using 'I' statements to avoid sounding confrontational. For example, you could say, "I'm focusing on mental and emotional health this year, and talking about diets can sometimes make that more difficult for me." Another way to maintain your recovery is by setting boundaries. If a co-worker constantly discusses their new diet, kindly explain that you prefer not to engage in conversations about dieting, since you're embracing a more holistic approach to health. Remember, it's okay to prioritize your well-being and step away from discussions that make you uncomfortable.
Reaching Out for Help
Let's face it, living in our diet-culture-ridden world is far from easy in recovery. It's crucial to remember that asking for additional help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a testament to your strength and commitment to recovery. If you find yourself overwhelmed by diet culture pressures, obsessing about wanting to change your body or contemplating a diet, it's critical to reach out to a trusted support system. This could be your treatment team, a close friend, a family member, or a support group. These individuals can provide reassurance, perspective, and practical strategies to navigate these challenges. Even if these thoughts don't lead to behaviors immediately, their very presence can be distressing and potentially jeopardize your recovery.
Remember, it's okay not to have all the answers and to need support. By reaching out, you are regarding your well-being as a priority and taking a proactive step toward preserving your recovery. It's a courageous act demonstrating your strength and resilience.
If you are struggling, 'Ai Pono Treatment Center provides holistic eating disorder treatment options to support all individuals on their path to recovery. We understand the multi-faceted nature of these disorders and offer a comprehensive approach that addresses not just the physical, but also the emotional and psychological aspects. Whether you're seeking help for yourself or a loved one, our dedicated team is always here to provide unwavering support throughout your recovery journey.
Reach out to us today and learn more about the admissions process.
Emily Costa
Having struggled with an eating disorder herself, Emily is passionate about spreading awareness, education and the possibility of recovery with others. Emily previously volunteered as a Crisis Text Line counselor and with the eating disorder non-profit Project HEAL where she served as their blog manager, their NYC Chapter Leader & a recovery mentor in their Communities of HEALing pilot program completing training by the Carolyn Costin Institute. Emily now enjoys working with various treatment centers, clinicians and non-profits in the eating disorder community providing marketing and design services. In her free time she enjoys spending time with friends, hanging with her dogs, and reading a book at the beach.