January And Eating Disorders
January is possibly the most challenging month for anyone suffering from an eating disorder. It can not only reinforce behaviours that you’ve been working so hard to change but can drive a depriving and punishing mentality with regard to food and exercise.
In December, we had permission to celebrate food and the joy it brings; it felt acceptable to rest and listen intuitively to the body. Come January, the diet industry takes over with its clever messaging, inflicting whatever new trend it wants to share with us this year. Just last year we had the rise of ‘Noom’. A diet that said it wasn’t a diet, yet on further investigation, was indeed a diet.
New Year, New Me
It has become customary to enter January with the ‘New Year, New Me’ mentality. Many decide to change their diet, engage in the latest fitness trend, or begin a ‘detox’. The media keeps us focusing on weight loss and dieting, which can be hard to get away from.
When you have an eating disorder, it can feel like that’s precisely what you should be doing too. And it can be easy to find yourself slipping back into a restrictive mentality around food and exercise, because it’s being reinforced by so many around you.
Although it may feel tempting to join in, a restrictive and deprived mentality will never serve your recovery. If you are suffering from an eating disorder, this path will only lead to a more challenging healing journey.
With this in mind, we invite you to join us in boycotting the diet mentality this January. And instead, focus on making it a normal month. A month that continues your recovery and supports your long term goals.
Remember that many people cling to January traditions because they think they need ‘a quick fix’ for a body that they do not feel comfortable with. This is primarily the work of diet culture and societal pressures.
Protecting Yourself From Diet Culture
Re-direct your goals
See if you can re-direct your January goals to protect yourself from diet culture, rather than join it. Perhaps that could include picking up a new hobby/skill that doesn’t centre around diet or body image. Read here how a recovery warrior has been using her passion for painting to fuel her recovery.
Re-connect with your recovery motivations
Reminding yourself of your longer-term goals for recovery is crucial in this challenging month. Staying focussed on why you’re working so hard to heal your relationship with food and body image will be a powerful way to keep yourself on this path.
Limit sources of diet culture
Take time to think about where you are likely to be exposed to diet culture. This may include limiting social media and keeping a distance from those partaking in diets. Additionally, finding non-diet and eating disorder-specific social media influencers, books, and podcasts can be highly beneficial.
Set healthy boundaries
You may want to set boundaries around diet talk and weight comments. This may include speaking to someone close to you who has established a diet goal this January. Approach them with compassion, remembering that they are on their own journey. You may want to say something like, “I understand you have this goal. However, I would appreciate it if you could keep any talk of diets or weight away from me if possible. This is something that really affects my recovery.”
Stay focused on you
Finally, if you have an eating disorder, social comparison is often prevalent, and this can worsen in January. Staying focused on yourself and your recovery is an integral part of the healing process. We encourage you to take the following affirmations into the new year as a gentle reminder of your individuality.
7 Affirmations For Comparison
1. I am grateful for who I am and who I’m becoming
2. I shape my reality
3. Comparison is the thief of joy
4. I commit to trusting the recovery process
5. I am thankful for my unique qualities
6. Nobody is me, and that is my superpower
7. I am on my own unique journey
If you are suffering from an eating disorder this January, remember you don’t have to do this alone. Reach out to speak to a team member about how we can support you.
