5 Tips for College Students in Eating Disorder Recovery

Posted on August 24, 2022August 5, 2022 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Starting a new semester (or starting college for the first time) is associated with many positive feelings and excitement. However, along with these positive feelings, college students may experience feelings of isolation, worry, and sadness that often come along with major life transitions.

Unfortunately, these feelings may worsen eating disorder symptoms for college students who are struggling. When you’re already under stress from school and new social situations, it can be tricky to get a handle on your eating disorder symptoms or to move forward in your eating disorder recovery.

Why is it hard for college students to maintain eating disorder recovery?

Increased demands + independence

Returning to college, or going for the first time is exciting! It’s often a breath of fresh air to see friends you haven’t seen all summer, move into your new home for the year, and get into the swing of a new semester of classes. The taste of freedom and independence that college offers is hard to beat!

If you have already experienced some time at college, though, you know that gaining independence also means more responsibility–which at times can be overwhelming. If you’re attending college for the first time, it’s normal to feel both excited at the opportunity for independence and totally overwhelmed by what that independence means.

It can be challenging to set boundaries for yourself while managing-the demands of being a student, your social life, caring for yourself, and recovery. Increased demands often mean increased stress, which often is associated with an uptick in eating disorder symptoms.

Changes in Routine

When in recovery for an eating disorder, changes in routine can be tough to deal with. Routines allow for some comfort and dependability. When we have a routine, we know what to expect and when to expect it. It cuts down on the level of uncertainty or stress we feel about the unknown. College students often find that it takes a few weeks or longer to figure out their new routine.

Routines also have very practical uses in recovery. They affect meal planning, treatment appointments, sleeping habits, and more, all of which play a role in recovery! Navigating a new routine can be challenging, and can feel overwhelming. Giving care and consideration to what your new routine will be and how it works for you is important.

Diet culture on Campus

On a college campus, you’ll be surrounded by other young people, who are also surrounded by the constant messaging on social media about diet and beauty standards.

Gyms on campus may be full of college level athletes training in ways that other folks who don’t need intense conditioning for a sport shouldn’t be pushing themselves to compete with.

You might be surrounded by fear of the “freshman fifteen”, or feel pressure to skip meals to study for exams with other students. The culture around food and exercise on a college campus may not be the healthiest one. It’s important to prepare for that with a counselor beforehand so you have coping mechanisms you can use when the need arises.

Are you wondering what you can do to support eating disorder recovery at the start of a new semester? Here are 5 things college students can do to stay on track with eating disorder recovery.

1. Continue care with your eating disorder treatment team

It’s important to continue the work you’re already doing with your eating disorder treatment team as you transition back to school. The start of a new semester means a changing schedule, routine, and living situation in many cases. Making sure you have the support of your treatment team can help you weather these changes so you can have the best experience possible at schoo.

If you don’t have a treatment team a good place to start is your college health center. Most colleges don’t provide long-term counseling for eating disorders, but they can put you in touch with providers in the community that can support you throughout the school year so you can get the help you need.

2. Establish a routine

Remember, routines help us all, but they especially help folks with eating disorders. Routines give us peace of mind, comfort, and help us stay on track with eating, which is a crucial part of recovery.

Just as I am sure it took some time to establish a summer routine, it will take a bit for you to establish a school routine as you find what works for you and your needs. Be patient with yourself!

3. Get to know other college students

Support is crucial in recovery, not just from your treatment team but from the people you care about. It’s easy to get so into your school routine that you forget about reaching out to your friends regularly. Make sure to check in with yourself often to see if you are getting enough socializing in (or if you are getting too much – alone time is also important for self-care).

If you are new to campus or find yourself feeling isolated consider joining a club. Most campuses have tons of clubs and organizations that cater to a variety of interests and skills for college students. Consider joining a club for fun and a club that has to do with your major to start with so you meet a good mix of people from inside and outside of your academic department.

4. Go to class

This may sound like a no-brainer. But, it feels like since the pandemic more universities still have a fair amount of classes online. If you have a choice, consider taking all of your classes in person. We’ve done enough online for the last two years. It’s also hard enough to concentrate at times, especially in the middle of a lecture, and it can be even trickier to focus when you have all the distractions of home around you.

Actually stepping foot in the classroom can help you get more in the school mindset, and it can also be a great way to meet other college students.

Additionally, I know it is very enticing to skip classes at times (after all, most professors don’t take an attendance grade). It’s always tempting to get a few more hours of sleep or to use your time for something else, but skipping class has some drawbacks. Missing classes often makes us feel more depressed, isolated, and guilty instead of relieving stress.

5. Practice good self-care

What’s your self-care routine? It’s important to remember that you’re worthy of being taken care of. Self-care can include getting your nails done, taking a hot bath, or using a face mask. It can also include things like getting enough sleep, taking your medication, setting boundaries, and having hard conversations.

We often have an idea of self-care as fun little treats or splurges, but self-care isn’t only about spending money. It’s about taking care of your emotional and physical needs.

Self-care can mean different things at different times. Sometimes it might mean decompressing by yourself in front of the TV. Other times it might mean making time for friends and social events with other college students. Try to check in with yourself regularly and ask what your self-care needs are at the moment. Remember, it’s not selfish to take care of yourself- it’s necessary.

Navigating school while in eating disorder recovery can be challenging for college students, but it can be done especially with some planning and the support of a treatment team. If you’re interested in learning more about how I can support you as part of your eating disorder treatment team, contact me here.

Maintaining Eating Disorder Recovery as a College Freshman

Posted on September 8, 2021September 7, 2021 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

College can be a difficult transition for anyone, but if you’re in recovery for an eating disorder, it can be a particularly stressful transition!

Some of the challenges of maintaining your recovery while returning to school include:

Change in Routine

When in recovery, changes in routine can be tough. Routines allow for some comfort and dependability, because when we have them, we know what to expect. Routines also have very practical uses in recovery–they affect meal planning, treatment appointments, sleeping habits, etc. All of which play a role in recovery! Navigating a new routine can be challenging, and can feel overwhelming, so giving care and consideration to what your new routine will be is important.

Increased Demands + Independence

Going to college is an exciting time because it is the first taste of independence so many of us have! However, gaining independence is also a lot of responsibility–especially if we’re not used to it. It can be easy to not set any boundaries for yourself, but that’s not a sustainable way to take care of yourself. At the same time, you’ll also need to use some of that newfound independence to balance the demands of your school work, which might be more intense than you’re used to. It can be extremely stressful navigating that responsibility for the first time, and increased stress can lead to an increase in eating disorder symptoms.

Exercise + Diet Culture

On a college campus you’ll be surrounded by other young people, who are also surrounded by the constant messaging on social media about diet and beauty standards. Additionally, gyms on campus may be full of college level athletes training in ways that other folks who don’t need intense conditioning for a sport shouldn’t be pushing themselves to compete with. You might be surrounded by fear of the “freshman fifteen” or feel pressure to skip meals to study for exams with other students. The culture around food and exercise on a college campus may not be the healthiest one–and it’s important to prepare for that with a counselor beforehand so you have coping mechanisms you can use when need be.

What can you do to maintain your recovery?

Consider your schedule

Be gentle with yourself as you adjust! College is a big change and you don’t need to try to do it all at once. This means, don’t push yourself to take too many classes your first semester while you’re still getting used to the new expectations. Really think about what your limit is before you feel yourself burning out.

Consider also taking classes that you wouldn’t consider as the most challenging. It’s a whole new style of learning in college, there’s nothing wrong with taking it slow to figure out what you can handle. That way you’re not overworking yourself and you are reducing the amount of stress you might experience.

When thinking about your schedule, consider any habits you have that are helpful to your recovery (social meals, treatment appointments, etc.) and what will be needed for those in your regular routines.

Make a recovery plan before you go

Are you working with a therapist right now? Will you continue to work with them? Or will there be someone on campus to connect with? Have group supports been part of your recovery plan? What is available in terms of group support at your school? Does your current therapist have plans or ideas on what will be important to your recovery at school?

Be sure to set up any regular appointments and checkups with your treatment team ahead of time, to help provide you the professional support you may need to stay “on track.”

Are you working with a dietitian right now? Work with them to help you maintain recovery.

You might want research on what mealtimes are like at school. Consider questions like: What food is available when? Where are the places to eat? What are their hours? Do you know what food do they provide? What are the meal plans like? Is there one that is more conducive to your recovery? Together with your dietitian it might be helpful to gather some information about what the different meal plans are, and make some pros and cons for each of them.

If you don’t have a treatment team, go to the student health center on campus and they will be able to assist you.

Remember: it’s normal for eating disorder symptoms to recur in times of high stress and periods of transition. But by taking time to consider how your recovery will be impacted in this period of transition, you can create a plan to cope with stress and continue with your recovery. Remember, you only have to take it one day at a time!

If you need help in your eating disorder recovery or not sure if you have an eating disorder or not, please click here to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with me.

Coping With COVID-19 and Eating Disorder Recovery: Tips for College Students

Posted on September 23, 2020September 22, 2020 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Let’s face it – starting a new year in college during the COVID-19 pandemic is rough. College life looks much different than it used to, with virtual classes and less socializing, to name a few things. If you add an eating disorder into the mix, it can make starting the semester feel downright daunting.

If your eating disorder symptoms have increased since the pandemic started you are not alone. Eating disorder behaviors are a way to manage and cope with stress, so more stress can equal the exacerbation of eating disorder symptoms.

Furthermore, the nature of physical distancing can lead to feelings of worry, sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness which also can trigger eating disorder behaviors, including dietary restriction, purging, binge eating, and overexercising.

Starting a new semester (or starting college for the first time) is associated with many “positive feelings” and excitement. However, along with these positive feelings, students may experience feelings of isolation, worry, and sadness, again exacerbating eating disorder symptoms.

Remember it is normal to be experiencing more stress, worry, and sadness during the pandemic. However, there are tools that you can use to manage your feelings.

Below are some tips to help you cope with stress, the pandemic, and your eating disorder:

Keep connected with your treatment team.
- Whether you are doing treatment in person or virtually, keeping regularly scheduled appointments is key to keeping your eating disorder recovery on top of the priority list. If you feel like you need more support during this time, ask your team about more frequent visits and/or attending virtual groups. To learn more about eating disorder treatment teams or how to get treatment, click here.

Stay social.
- College with a side of COVID can be very isolating especially if you participating in virtual learning. It is not uncommon to experience an increase in loneliness. Social connection with family and friends can help reduce feelings of loneliness, sadness, and worry. Keep socializing in whatever way feels safe to you a top priority.

Make time for hobbies and other coping skills.
- Coping skills and hobbies can help manage stress and uncomfortable feelings such as worry, sadness, and anger. Healthy coping skills are activities that you can help you positively manage stress. These can include talking with a friend, spending time outside, playing with a pet, reading, cleaning, doing a puzzle, praying or meditating, or volunteering, to name a few. Hobbies such as crafting, art, photography, and the like can also help reduce feelings of stress.

Keep a routine.
- Having a routine can help reduce stress levels by adding structure and organization to your day, even during the pandemic. Having a general—but not rigid—routine around eating, sleeping, socializing, and studying can be helpful in your recovery from your eating disorders and generally improve mental health.

Remember that it is normal for eating disorder symptoms to increase during times of stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic is a very stressful time. By practicing the tools above, you can learn ways to reduce your stress and continue with recovery.

If you would like to learn how I help clients manage stress or you need help in your eating disorder recovery, please click here to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.

Tips to Support Eating Disorder Recovery this Semester

Posted on September 4, 2018August 30, 2018 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

It’s that time of year again—back-to-school! If you are in eating disorder recovery, sometimes transitioning back to school can be challenging. But with a little planning, patience, and resolve, you can continue to make progress in recovery.

I know my kids are excited about going back to school, sort of. They are looking forward to seeing all of their friends and being involved in sports, but not necessarily looking forward to the school work.

Hopefully this summer you have had a much-needed rest from writing papers, taking exams, and late-night study sessions. Maybe you did some traveling, worked, or just spent time with family and friends.

No matter what you did this summer, you can prepare yourself for a smooth transition back to school without interrupting your eating disorder recovery.

Pitfalls of eating disorder recovery when returning back to school:

1. Change in routine.

Returning to school, of course, can be exciting with seeing all of your friends. You may be even excited to start new coursework. However, change in routine when in recovery can be tough. Routines make us feel comfortable because we know what to expect. Routines can help you stay on track with your meal plan, treatment appointments, and sleeping habits. Disruption in routine can mean a disruption of established patterns of recovery.

2. More demands.

Returning to school is associated with an increase in demands and deadlines due to coursework plus navigating relationships, social life, extracurricular activities, and for some, a part-time job. It is not unusual to see an increase in eating disorder thoughts and even symptoms when stress increases.

3. Increase in independence.

You probably love the independence of living on your own or with roommates and making your own choices when at school. If you spent a good portion of your summer with loved ones, you may have their support in your treatment and recovery. Of course, as an emerging adult, having your parents’ input may feel somewhat annoying after a while. But in any case, as you ease your way back into school, you may have increased stress because your support system isn’t readily available.

4. Comparison Trap.

It is in our DNA to compare ourselves with others. Evolutionarily, comparison helped us decipher threats from safety. As our brain has evolved, comparison has been used to help with our social-neural network. It helps us learn more about ourselves—for example, what we are good at and what we are not.

I knew early on in life I was not going to be a mathematician, and I am sure comparing myself to others helped me understand that. But I did understand that I was good in the sciences. This is an example of how comparisons can be helpful, not harmful.

Conversely, comparing ourselves with others all of the time can be detrimental. During adolescence and young adulthood, it is easy to fall into the comparison trap, constantly comparing yourself to others as you are trying to figure out who you are away from your family. The comparison trap can be especially challenging for those in recovery because it can make you second guess what you are eating, how you are exercising, and other health behaviors.

5. Diet culture.

In the world of eating disorder treatment, the constant barrage of messages about dieting and how we should look is termed “diet culture.” Diet culture is alive and well in our country. It feels like on college campuses, diet culture is “on steroids,” so to speak. It reinforces the habit of comparing ourselves to others to see how we are supposed to look and feed ourselves. Instead of teaching us to listen to what our own body needs, it makes us question how we feed ourselves. It makes us feel disconnected from our bodies and food. Conversely, a key component of eating disorder recovery is to tune into our bodies and tune out societal messages. Diet culture can easily make you feel like a fish swimming upstream.

Although there are some potential obstacles to eating disorder recovery when returning to school, there are several ways to keep the momentum of recovery going over the fall semester.

5 tips to stay on track with eating disorder recovery during the fall semester:

1. Get support from your treatment team.

Seek support early on in the semester, even if you think you don’t need it. You may have made strides over the summer in your recovery. Extra support during schedule changes can help you move light years ahead in your recovery. Whatever your fall schedule looks like, strategize ahead of time. How are you going to keep on top of your meal plan, self-care, and treatment appointments? Collaborate with your treatment team in advance about your schedule.

2. Say no to perfectionism.

There is a quote that goes, “Strive for progress, not perfection.” I love this quote and often say it to myself. Most folks with eating disorders do struggle with perfectionism. As perfectionists, we can want to do a good job and put in lots of effort in our work. However, striving to be perfect when we live in an imperfect world can be paralyzing, exhausting, and it can erode our self-esteem. Perfectionism can flare up eating disorder symptoms as well.

School and peer groups can also trigger some of those thoughts of having to be perfect or the best. So as you are setting academic, social, and personal goals this semester, focus on progress and doing a “good enough” job rather than a perfect one.

3. Self-care.

Often, folks think that taking care of themselves is an act of selfishness. Self-care is not being selfish. Self-care is about paying attention to your physical and emotional needs in order for you to avoid burnout, whether it be from school, in recovery, or in life.

Practicing self-care helps you to have the physical and emotional energy to thrive. Self-care could include: taking a bath, getting a pedicure, getting adequate sleep, connecting with a friend, setting boundaries (saying “no”), doing something creative, spending time alone, and giving yourself permission to simply be.

4. Ask for help.

Talk with your family, loved ones, or support person about how you plan to stay on track with your eating disorder recovery. Discuss potential areas of concern, learn how to ask for help, and communicate areas of success to loved ones. Interact regularly with your treatment team, particularly if you feel like you are struggling.

5. Learn to say no.

Taking on too much, particularly early on in eating disorder recovery, is an easy way to get derailed. This may mean saying “no” to fun social engagements, taking less coursework, or working fewer hours at a job. Do you want to learn how to say no confidently?

Sign up here to get my free guide “25 Ways to Say No Politely For Those in Eating Disorder Recovery“!

While there are ways to hinder eating disorder recovery over the semester, with planning and persistence, you can keep recovery front and center!

How to Stay on Track with Eating Disorder Recovery during the Summer: Tips for College Students

Posted on May 8, 2018April 17, 2018 by Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

Keeping on top of your eating disorder recovery can be tough during the summer months if you are a college student.

Summers in Texas are hot. I mean sweaty hot. Despite the heat, I love summer because it usually means more free time to spend with family & friends, fewer demands and most importantly – vacation. Everything just feels a little more relaxed during the summer. Summers in my college days were the best, whether I was taking a few summer courses, traveling abroad or hanging out home.

Keeping recovery a top priority during summer can be tough if you are a college student. Whether you are heading home or staying close to campus, eating disorders can become exacerbated in the summer.

Pitfalls of eating disorder recovery in the summer:

Change in routine. During the summer schedules change. Most students are relieved because schedules become much less demanding during the summer. However, change in routine can be tough. Routines make us feel comfortable because we know what to expect. Routines can help you stay on track with your meal plan, treatment appointments, sleeping habits, etc. Disruption in routine can mean a disruption of established patterns of recovery.
Less structured time. One common struggle in eating disorder recovery is being able to tolerate unstructured time. It isn’t uncommon for eating disorder sufferers to have an increase in eating disorder thoughts and behaviors when feeling bored, lonely, etc. During the summer there tends to be a lot more unstructured time.
Reduction or increase in independence. Depending on your living situation, you may experience a decrease in independence if you are returning home for summer to live with your family. Returning to the family home may cause some stress because you are used to living away at college and making your own decisions. Or, if you are traveling or working away from family and friends, you may have a significant decrease in social support.
Exacerbation of body image disturbance. Because of summer temperatures, we spend more time in bathing suits, short sleeves, and shorts which can often increase body checking and preoccupation of body weight and shape/size which can lead to an increase in eating disorder behaviors.

Although there are some potential obstacles during summer, there are several ways to keep the momentum of recovery going over the summer months.

4 tips to stay on track with eating disorder recovery during summer:

Keep eating disorder recovery a priority. It is summer break from school, but not from recovery. Keep recovery front and center if you don’t want to backslide on the progress you have made! There are several ways to keep recovery a priority such as having regular check-ins with your treatment team, journaling about your progress and areas to improve on, reading books & articles about recovery, attending support groups, etc.
Make a plan. Whatever your summer plans are, strategize ahead of time. How are you going to keep on top of your meal plan, self-care and treatment appointments? Talk to your treatment team in advance about your summer schedule. Collaborate with them on your care over during the summer months.
Ask for help. Talk with your family, loved ones or support person about how you plan to stay on track with your eating disorder recovery. Discuss potential areas of concern, learn how to ask for help and communicate areas of success to loved ones. Interact regularly with your treatment team, particularly if you feel like you are struggling.
Learn to say no. Taking on too much, particularly early on in eating disorder recovery, is an easy way to get derailed. This may mean saying “no” to fun social engagements, a job, an internship or a vacation in order to spend time on your recovery.

While there are ways to hinder eating disorder recovery over the summer, with planning and persistence you can keep recovery front and center!

Are you interested in learning more tips about eating disorder recovery? If so, sign-up for free tips here!