Gift giving is a tradition for many during the holiday season. But, when someone is in the middle of trying to manage an eating disorder, some common holiday gifts can be triggering for them. For example, clothing, gourmet foods and treats, gift cards for restaurants, and even alcohol. Here’s a list of gifts, categorized by symptoms, which can be great for someone who is working on recovery from an eating disorder.
The Symptom: Restriction of Food
When someone has difficulty with restriction of food, distraction after meals is important. Gifts that can help someone stay busy and keep their mind off of what they just ate or how much they just ate can be really helpful. Some great gifts for distraction include: crafting kits, adult coloring books and fun pens or markers, puzzles, and games.
The Symptom: Negative Body Image
When someone has difficulty with negative body image, they are unable to stop worrying about how awful they think they look. Great gifts will be things which can help someone practice body acceptance and pride in personal style over a hyper-focus on size and shape. Examples include: jewelry, scarves, hats, nail polish, hair-care products, and possibly make-up.
The Symptom: Overactivity
When someone has difficulty with overactivity, they are really aware of how much discomfort they experience within their body. Exercise is used as a way to cope with body discomfort, so finding other ways to cope with the discomfort is imperative to recovery. Some great gifts for coping include: fuzzy slippers, cozy socks, weighted blankets, a body pillow, and a gift card for a mani-pedi.
The Symptom: ED Voice
Often someone with an eating disorder will feel overpowered by their “ED voice”, the voice of the eating disorder which makes irrational demands. Gifts which can help increase self-awareness and inspire hope can be helpful for battling this voice. Some examples are: a nice journal and pen, daily calendars with uplifting quotes, books of poetry, and word art posters.
The Symptom: High Anxiety
Anxiety can be problematic at any time when someone is struggling with an eating disorder. Self-soothe skills are great to use when someone is experiencing high anxiety. Some great self-soothe gifts include: bath bombs, scented lotions or candles, an essential oil diffuser, watercolor supplies, quality slime or putty, tea press and loose-leaf tea, and headphones for music.
Everyone with an eating disorder will struggle with many different symptoms, so not all of these symptoms above may be problematic. However, many of these gift ideas can be used for multiple different symptoms. In summary, the questions to ask when choosing gifts are:
- What activities help them with distraction?
- What helps them feel calm?
- What inspires them?
- What is their fashion style beyond clothing?
The answers to these questions will help you find the perfect gift this holiday season. Happy shopping!
If you are a support person, or if you have an eating disorder and have support people who would benefit from learning more about eating disorders, check out my online course Eating Disorders 101 where you can enroll and access the material immediately . Get more information by clicking here.
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