☀️ Bathing Suits, BBQs & Body Talk: Staying Grounded in Eating Disorder Recovery This Summer

Summer can be a beautiful season—sunshine, vacations, beach days, and time with friends. But if you're struggling with an eating disorder, summer can also be filled with anxiety, triggers, and internal battles that feel even louder than usual.

From body image stress to food-related social events, the season often brings added pressure that many people don’t see—but you feel it in a very real way.

If that’s you, take a deep breath. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to just “get through” summer—you can move through it with more support, strength, and self-compassion.

Here’s how:

1. 🌡 Acknowledge That Summer Is Hard—And That’s Okay

You don’t need to minimize your struggle just because it’s “supposed to be fun.” Summer can be especially challenging due to:

• More skin-revealing clothing

• Frequent gatherings centered around food

• Disrupted routines and structure

• Pressure to “look a certain way” for vacations or social media

Naming this struggle is the first step to lessening its grip. You’re not broken—your brain is doing what it’s learned to do to try to protect you. The good news is that you can teach it new ways.

2. 🧠 Stick to a Supportive Routine (Even When Life Gets Busier)

Structure matters in recovery. During the school year or work season, routines help anchor us. Summer can feel loose and unpredictable—but that doesn’t mean your recovery has to be.

✅ Try this:

• Keep regular meal/snack times

• Build in gentle movement or rest—not punishment

• Plan moments of self-check-in (journaling, therapy, mindfulness)

If your routine is disrupted (travel, camps, visitors), try to anchor yourself with small, predictable touchpoints: same breakfast, same morning check-in, same bedtime wind-down.

3. 👙 Navigating Body Image Triggers

Warm weather means shorts, swimsuits, and tank tops—which can feel incredibly vulnerable in recovery.

💡 What helps:

• Wear what feels good, not what you think you’re supposed to wear

• Practice affirmations rooted in function, not appearance (“My body allows me to experience life”)

• Take social media breaks if you’re bombarded by diet culture content

You don’t owe anyone a “summer body.” Your worth was never supposed to be measured in ounces or inches.

4. 🥗 Food-Focused Events: Plan Ahead, Not Around

From BBQs to vacations to spontaneous ice cream runs, summer often revolves around food—and that can be triggering when you’re trying to maintain recovery.

Instead of avoiding events or overcompensating afterward, try:

• Eating consistently before and after events (no “saving up” or restricting)

• Having a support person or recovery buddy with you

• Reminding yourself that food is not the enemy—the disorder is

Social events are about connection and memories—not calories and control.

5. 🧍‍♀️ Check in with Your “Why”

Recovery can feel shakier when your environment changes. Use summer as a chance to revisit why you’re doing this work.

Ask yourself:

• What kind of life do I want to live this summer?

• What would freedom from food/body obsession open up for me?

• How will I feel at the end of August if I keep moving forward?

Your “why” may be simple (peace, connection, confidence) or deeply personal—but reconnecting with it often reawakens motivation.

6. 🤝 Stay Connected to Support

Don’t isolate. Eating disorders thrive in secrecy, shame, and silence. Even when things are going well, staying connected to your therapist, support group, or recovery team is essential.

💬 Send the text. Book the session. Talk to the trusted friend.

Let people in, even if just a little. You don’t have to carry it alone.

🌻 Final Thought:

Summer doesn't have to be a setback. It can actually be a season of growth. Healing isn't linear, and it doesn't take a vacation—but neither does your strength, your resilience, or your capacity for change.

Let this be a summer of showing up for yourself in small, consistent, brave ways.

And if you need support, I’m here.