Preparing for Holiday Vacation While in Eating Disorder Recovery

Aim to start your day with a healthy breakfast that includes lean protein, whole grains, and fresh fruit or vegetables. Have a light lunch, then plan a dinner that includes a special treat. If you’re going out to eat, consider sharing entrees with a friend so you can enjoy a wider range of dishes while keeping your portion sizes reasonable. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a few treats on vacation, but overindulging in sweets or high-fat foods can leave you feeling irritable and sluggish. This can make it harder to manage your cravings and leave you vulnerable to relapse.

• Restriction will seem like an easy solution to the problem of every menu item being a challenge food.
• Vacations are supposed to be a time to relax – BUT, when you struggle with an eating disorder, traveling can be extremely overwhelming.
• Flight delays or cancellations, extra paperwork, and managing unsettled children can all contribute to unnecessary anxiety.
• Not only does this make it easier for you to pick up the phone when in need, doing so gives them the opportunity to check in on you and offer their encouragement.
• Here are some tips to help you prepare for the holiday season.

Then talk with any program officials (depending on what you’re traveling for). If they need some sort of medical excuse for you to leave, have your team contract them. Coordinate with your team, any program directors, and your loved ones to find your way back home.

How to Travel When in Recovery

Vacation is often a time to recharge our batteries and take a step out of our routine so that we can better think about what’s working and what’s not. Maybe you realize you want to start sleeping more, making more time for staying active, or making more time for people you care about. Take advantage of the renewed energy that vacation leaves you with, Caillet says.

Give yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going and map out any unfamiliar routes beforehand. If you’re flying and have the resources to do so, book a non-stop flight so you won’t need to worry about missing a connecting flight and being stranded in an unfamiliar city. Sharing the importance of your sobriety with fellow travelers while you’re traveling can open the door for discussions on ways in which they can work to support you. Setting and communicating these boundaries before you leave can help manage potential triggers.

Tips for Sober Travel While in Addiction Recovery

A toolbox is a pack of “tools” that help you get through challenging times. In order to ensure you have the best possible time, plan your vacation after https://ecosoberhouse.com/ you feel comfortable maintaining your recovery success. Once you’ve reached this level of comfort you will be better able to relax & have fun.

You just have to prepare for these new experiences to preserve all your hard work in recovery. As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and summer is approaching, you or your family may be planning to travel again. Traveling in eating disorder recovery can be a challenge, though, considering all the uncertainties around eating while traveling. When planning your activities, be sure to double-check whether alcohol will be a part of the trip.

Check in with yourself and others.

These activities can help with stress and keep your mind at ease. It may feel like having a daily routine takes away from the fun of a vacation, but a routine can provide the balance you need when social and environmental settings change. Our community offers unique perspectives on lifelong recovery and substance use prevention, empowering others through stories of strength and courage. If you can, schedule a day or even a weekend to transition after a trip, especially a long one, Caillet suggests. Give yourself time to unpack, relax, enjoy the feeling of coming back from a satisfying trip, and reflect on your experiences. But most of the time, whatever routine we come back to hasn’t changed.

“Get your next vacation on the books right then,” Ballard says. And there’s a basis in neuroscience as to why this mode of life makes us feel so good. You spent a lot of time plotting your time away, but have you made a plan to come back? If you are flying and find yourself in an airport waiting for your flight or connection to your next flight, don’t vacationing in recovery wait in the bar or some other place that probably isn’t recovery friendly. Instead, find a restaurant that has seating not at the bar and relax with a meal while you wait. You may feel like you have failed at recovery if you need to come home, but admitting you need help and taking the steps to change is a huge step forward on the path of recovery.