Eating Disorders on Campus
For many young adults, on-campus college enrollment is a time of tremendous transition and change, offering new freedoms, responsibility, and valuable education in and outside of the classroom. These abrupt lifestyle and environmental changes can be associated with the onset or exacerbation of mental health issues, including eating disorders (EDs) such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and orthorexia.
Recovery in Real Life: The Halloween Trap
If you’ve ever struggled with an eating disorder (or your relationship to food/treats and body image), it’s NO surprise that Halloween can present a huge challenge and potential pitfall on the road to food freedom and recovery. At it’s best, Halloween represents a holiday that prioritizes time with friends and chosen family, opportunities to gather and make memories together, to try on a new persona with a costume, and flex your creativity, all while having access to drinks and candy that offer a sensual experience of enjoyment and pleasure. At it’s worst, Halloween can make our bodies feel like they are on display for other people’s appraisal and comes with an impossible paradox of expectations, especially for someone struggling with an eating disorder.