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Maintaining Eating Disorder Recovery in the Foodservice Industry
From daily meals to social commentary on food, there are many aspects of daily life that can be triggering to someone in eating disorder recovery. For those that work in the food industry, this interaction with the object of their disorder is unavoidable and can feel conflicting.
On one side, there is exposure to what used to cause anxiety and distress, and this exposure can help the individual cope with these feelings when they arise and work toward a more positive relationship with food. On the other side, if the individual is still learning to use their coping skills and reframe their cognitions to focus on their eating disorder recovery, being faced with daily triggers can be overwhelming. This, in addition to the fast-paced environment and pressure of the foodservice industry, can put someone at high risk for relapse.
Cope Ahead for Your Eating Disorder Recovery
Coping ahead, used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, refers to practicing one’s skills both in moments of distress and moments of calm. The idea is that practicing skills outside of the moments they are needed helps to strengthen the individual’s ability to use them effectively at the moment.
For someone in eating disorder recovery working in the food industry, this can look like practicing any number of grounding, mindfulness, communication, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance skills outside of their time at work. Practicing these skills in other appropriate situations, or when things are calm, increases the likelihood that they are helpful when they are needed.
Make a Plan
Maintaining recovery is all about preparing and planning for how you will deal with challenging scenarios. Work with your treatment team to make a plan for whether or not returning to this line of work is appropriate for you, how you will return to work if it is, and how you will cope with difficult moments that will undoubtedly arise.
This eating disorder recovery plan should focus not only on coping but also on nourishment. With the fast-pace of the food industry, employees often have short breaks or no breaks at all, which might not be conducive to recovery-focused behaviors [1]. Work with your Dietitian on how you can properly nourish your body with the time you are given.
Advocate for Your Eating Disorder Recovery
With all of the suggestions above, recognize that you have the choice of whether you loop your work in on what you are going through and how they can best support you. Everyone’s work environment and community are different, so whether you do this and how you do this will be different for everyone.
You do not need to provide intimate details of your struggle in order to advocate for yourself. Don’t be afraid to communicate to your employer should you need to take time for a break to listen to your body and nourish yourself, to take a moment to ground and cope, or to attend an appointment necessary for your eating disorder recovery.
Having a work environment that is understanding of and flexible to these things is, unfortunately, not a privilege that everyone has. Should it come down to choosing between your job and your recovery, recognize the value of choosing yourself.
Choosing your disorder will likely result in future job loss as it is. Seek out services and work with your team to learn how you can find employment in an environment or industry that doesn’t cause you to sacrifice your eating disorder recovery over their bottom line.
Resources
[1] Unknown (2019). Surviving in the food industry with an eating disorder. Centers for Discovery. Retrieved from https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/surviving-food-industry-eating-disorder/.About the Author:
Margot Rittenhouse, MS, PLPC, NCC is a therapist who is passionate about providing mental health support to all in need and has worked with clients with substance abuse issues, eating disorders, domestic violence victims, and offenders, and severely mentally ill youth.
As a freelance writer for Eating Disorder Hope and Addiction Hope and a mentor with MentorConnect, Margot is a passionate eating disorder advocate, committed to de-stigmatizing these illnesses while showing support for those struggling through mentoring, writing, and volunteering. Margot has a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective on eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Published February 26, 2021, on EatingDisorderHope.com
Reviewed & Approved on February 26, 2021, by Jacquelyn Ekern MS, LPC
The EatingDisorderHope.com editorial team comprises experienced writers, editors, and medical reviewers specializing in eating disorders, treatment, and mental and behavioral health.
