For Parents and Caregivers
If you are worried that your teen or young adult may be struggling in their eating disorder (ED) or is at risk of relapsing during their transition from home to post-secondary, the first step is to communicate this with them. Be prepared to listen to your child without judgment and help them feel heard. Conversations about recovery can be intense and emotional, especially while your child is away at post-secondary.
During these conversations, it may be helpful to decide what support systems should be in place both on and off campus for your child. Who can your child contact if they are feeling overwhelmed? Are there on-campus and off-campus resources available to you and your child?
Your child may find it helpful to look forward to visits from you. Setting up a schedule for visits, whether it be them coming home or you coming to them, can serve as a positive experience for your child to look forward to. Having you as a consistent and supportive point of contact could be key to your child’s success during this transition.
Looking for more support for your child?
We discuss more tips like those above in our upcoming Recovery on Campus Group.
Our Recovery on Campus Group is designed to help high school or post-secondary students living with an eating disorder transition from home to campus. In this group, people will learn applicable skills they can use to make the transition as smooth as possible. If you are interested in learning more about how to prepare yourself for the transition to college or university, click below to learn more or register for our Recovery on Campus Group.
For Students in Recovery
Starting or returning to a post-secondary environment after taking a break can be both exciting and intimidating. Whether we are moving far away to university or college, or staying closer to home, new challenges may arise as we continue to work through ED recovery.
If we’re feeling uneasy about the upcoming transition, it may be helpful to remind ourselves of the positives. If we are moving away from home for the first time, we’ve likely thought about the exciting things that await us such as more independence, meeting new people, and exploring a new place.
Here are some other exciting parts of transitioning to university or college:
- Building your own community away from home
- Discovering new interests, hobbies, and cultures
- Making new memories
- Learning more about a topic that interests you
- Exploring a new city
We can also expect challenges when moving away from home and living in our own space. The post-secondary stage is a great way to learn about ourselves; however, it is important to give ourselves time to settle into our new environment. Change is important, and change can also be uncomfortable. We can remind ourselves that it’s okay not to feel completely comfortable right away when transitioning to a new environment; however, we should also remind ourselves that this discomfort is not a reason to revert to disordered behaviours for ‘comfort’.
Here are some challenges we can expect when transitioning to the post secondary environment:
- Increased academic demands
- Making new social connections
- Adapting to a new eating environment
- Managing a new schedule
- Exposure to alcohol, drugs, and partying
- More personal autonomy and responsibility for self
Everyone we meet will have their own eating habits. Their food preferences, schedule, and nutrition requirements may be different from ours. As challenges and exposures like this arise, we may consider using disordered coping mechanisms. Just because we consider this, does not mean we should take action. It is important to focus on our own goals, recovery, and needs.
When we feel overwhelmed by our eating disorder, we can acknowledge this and take steps to lessen the burden. A first step could be talking to someone we trust and can speak to openly. We may also consider booking a follow-up with our care team or seeking our campus-based supports such as groups or counseling.
Here are some tips for when the eating disorder feels overwhelming:
Journal on some reflective questions:
- Why do I want to continue my recovery?
- What helped me most when I first started recovery?
- What are five things I can do to feel better?
Use some effective coping skills such as:
Remind ourselves: “I can lean on my supports – I should connect with my care team, support groups, family or friends. I do not have to do recovery alone.”
The Bottom Line
Transitioning to the post-secondary environment may be distressing at first – this is completely normal. It may feel enticing to use disordered coping mechanisms in these moments of stress and discomfort. It is important to remind ourselves that everybody deals with these feelings from time to time, and that we can use positive coping skills to work through them.
Interested in discussing this transition more? Join the waitlist for our Recovery on Campus Group.
