BY: EMBODY CAROLINA TEAM


We at Embody know how difficult this time of year can be for so many people, so we worked together to crowdsource our best tips for y'all this holiday season. We also took the time to reflect on why we're so thankful for recovery and why it's worth every difficult moment. If you need additional Thanksgiving resources, please visit this page. The Embody team wishes you lots of joy, peace, and love this Thanksgiving!

Tips:
1) Eat as much as (or whatever!) you want without feeling guilty or pressure to explain yourself
    ^and know we all support you in that!
2) Know that no one else has the power to make you feel inferior
3) Take time during the break to practice self-compassion
4) Don’t let food-related thoughts take away from enjoying being with family and being thankful
5) Try to change the conversation if you hear any form of fat talk/muscle talk/etc
6) take care of yoself / listen to your body!
7) If you’re having ED thoughts, try to distract yourself by talking to friends/fam/etc and being mindful / enjoying the moment
8) If a family member makes a comment about food or body image, know that you do not have to validate them by agreeing or laughing along
9) It’s so much more fun to look back on the holidays and know you enjoyed time your family/friends rather than worrying about food/exercise, so keep telling yourself that!
10) Share all your new cool college knowledge on body positivity with your friends from home!
11) Have a plan for who to call if you get overwhelmed with anything
12) Treat Thanksgiving like it’s any other meal
13) Create a mantra that you can use, such as “I can get through this” or “I am stronger than a meal”
14) Read up on body neutrality (See this past Embody blog for an awesome reflection on body neutrality by Gillian Fortier!) 

Why we're thankful for recovery:

• I can eat what I want when I want
• I can enjoy going out to eat with friends / not let food get in the way of fun stuff
• I get to be at college and have the skills to maintain my health.
• I can enjoy spending time with my friends and not worry if I’m too busy to work out one day
• It makes Southern Smash more fun
• I can use my knowledge to help others to ensure that they do not have to go through what I did
• Because food is real freakin good
• I can think about stuff other than food
• I am starting to be able to trust myself to eat intuitively and it’s nice to know I can eat out ANYWHERE and I will be OK
• I’m thankful for recovery because Thanksgiving and the holidays can be about my family and friends, not just worries about food
• I️ have time to think about the things I’m passionate about
• I think critically about what societal influences impact me and feel I am becoming a better person because of it.
• I can be completely honest with everyone
• My body feels gucci
• Radical acceptance is rad
• I can help others now that I have helped myself
• I no longer have to “plan” my way through my days and through the holidays

Most of all, this Thanksgiving, we're thankful for this beautiful life and the opportunity to share it with all of you.