12 Back to School Tips for College Students in Eating Disorder Recovery
College can be a messy, exciting, scary, and busy transition, one that can be even more trying for those in eating disorder recovery. Yet, college can also be a time for amazing opportunities and growth. These tips can help you manage any back-to-school struggles. Let this transition be one to push you forward in recovery and in life!
Tip 1: Plan ahead and find support for meals at the dining hall
Dining halls can certainly pose a challenge for college students in eating disorder recovery. Everything is new from the people to the food choices. If possible, try checking out the menu beforehand, go before or after the rush, and/or make a consistent routine to eat at least one or two meals a day with friends. Most importantly though, talk with your treatment team about any worries you have; they can be a great resource in planning ahead before you get to campus. Dr. Casey Tallent (she/her), director of telehealth development at Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center recommends,
“Many campuses have dietitians who are familiar with eating disorders. Check in with the counseling or wellness center to see if there is a campus dietitian who can tour the dining hall with you ahead of time. This can prepare you for anything you may experience and allow you to get a head start on working with your therapist and dietitian on any issues that arise.”
Tip 2: Make movement a social event
College recreation centers can be intimidating for some. With the added stress of starting school, movement can be a slippery slope for some individuals dealing with challenging for those in recovery. If you've got movement in your treatment plan, try making movement a social event, going with friends to play basketball, doing intramural sports, or just planning walks around campus. Go dancing with friends or just have fun in the open gym space a few nights a week. This can help to take the focus off comparison and compulsion. If movement is restricted for you, work with your treatment team to see what appropriate options may be available.
Tip 3: Schedule self-care
Odds are, if you're in school, you're not just doing school things — life is busy! Then you're left with no time to relax, reflect on your recovery journey, or even meet with your support team. Here’s what Dr. Tallent recommends:
“Plan your schedule around your self-care. Make sure to view self-care as fuel for your mental and physical health and put it in your schedule first. Schedule classes and other activities around it. If you’re not a morning person, then don’t schedule a 7:50 a.m. course. Don’t forget to include sleep, meals, and time with family/friends as self-care! If you prioritize self-care, you’ll find yourself with plenty of time and energy for the other important things in your life.”
Tip 4: Build your team
If you're moving to a new town for school, build your treatment team beforehand. Even if you're only needing to meet a few times, having a therapist, dietitian, medical provider, etc. already in place makes it that much easier to ask for help when you need it. According to Dr. Tallent, nearly every campus has a campus counseling center and health center. Reach out to them early to set up appointments before you actually need them! If you have questions about finding an eating disorder treatment professional, reach out to you campus counseling or health center.
Tip 5: Engage in activism
Many college campuses have student groups that are committed to raising awareness about eating disorders and changing the conversation around food and bodies. They would love your help in hanging posters, organizing events, and leading discussions. Engaging in this type of activism can help you grow and help to hold you accountable; if you’re promoting awareness and recovery, you should probably be on that path too! Try searching your school’s student groups for mental health or eating disorder related clubs.
Tip 6: Identify possible treatment options.
Conduct some research on eating disorder treatment options that will be available to you. Nearly every college now offers university health and counseling centers and many offer treatment for eating disorders. Call the college counseling center to see if they have an eating disorder treatment team or someone who works with eating disorders; go ahead and make an appointment early! This will allow you to develop a relationship with a provider early on — or to make alternative arrangements early if they don’t offer services. If you anticipate needing more than just outpatient treatment at college, you can find a virtual intensive outpatient program or a local intensive outpatient program that you can attend for additional support.
View our online treatment program for eating disorders.
Tip 7: Look into Disability Services.
Did you know that those struggling with mental health issues or physical health issues qualify for Disability Services? Consider registering with the Disability Services center on campus. Many students fail to register here for fear of stigma; however, Disability Services can provide many services to students — and you can choose when and how you use them. This service is confidential and is not attached to your academic record. You might register and never need to use the services, but you may benefit from receiving services at some point in time. Register early, because you may want to use accommodations at some point — and if you register late in the semester there may not be time to use accommodations.
Tip 8: Seek out supportive peers.
Look for an eating disorders education and prevention group, a healthy outlook peer educators group, or something similar on campus. These groups can help you focus on eating disorder recovery in college, find a supportive, knowledgeable peer network and engage in prevention work. If you feel you are ready, we invite you to join one of our free, weekly virtual eating disorder support groups.
Join a free ongoing eating disorder support group here.
Tip 9: Don’t over commit.
You may be tempted to get involved with everything, but don’t! Choose one or two things that you feel passionate about and get involved with those. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed with multiple commitments when your academic work becomes challenging.
Tip 10: Remember your most important values.
Know what you value most and incorporate these values into your schedule. If family connection is important to you, put family time in your schedule (e.g., Skype or Face Time calls, going home once a month, etc.). If community service is important to you, get involved with a service organization on campus. If work is important, look at finding a campus job where the importance of academic deadlines will be understood. Bottom line, consider your values and plan your schedule with them in mind! Students can put themselves in overload simply because values other than academics aren’t being incorporated into their schedules.
Tip 11: Relax.
Include time each day to practice mindfulness and relaxation and make sure you are getting quality sleep and eating regular meals. These important wellness practices are often left off of schedules and therefore abandoned by many students. Remember that to function fully academically and socially, you must be well rested, nourished, and emotionally prepared!
Tip 12: Ask for help.
You are not alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Expect and accept that old methods of coping may resurface and make plans to respond with support. Find the people and resources you need to make it through without falling into old, ineffective patterns. Recovery is meant to be done together, not alone!
Change is hard and old methods of coping can resurface if you don’t plan for additional ways to cope with stress. But, if you practice these tips above, you’ll be able to start your new academic year with all of the tools that you need to be successful.
More Resources
At Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center, we’re dedicated to making your experience - and your clients’ - with us as streamlined, helpful and accessible as possible by connecting and sharing resources for eating, mood, anxiety and trauma-related conditions.
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