Jenni Schaefer doesn’t consider the holidays a stressful time of year anymore, but it wasn’t always that way.
“It’s like night and day compared to back when I had an eating disorder,” says the Texas-based author of Living Without ED and senior fellow at The Meadows, a treatment centre for people grappling with eating disorders and other conditions.
“It’s really hard when a time of the year that’s supposed to be so joyful can be so triggering and so hard for people.”
Schaefer remembers struggling with her body image since she was four years old, staring at herself in the mirror in dance class and thinking she wasn’t good enough, she said. By the time she reached college, those insecurities had morphed into “full blown” anorexia.
When Jenni Schaefer was coping with an eating disorder, the holidays were ‘like walking into a nightmare,’ she says. (Valerie Fremin Photography)
When it came time for the holidays, “it was like walking into a nightmare because you never knew what people were going to say,” she told Cross Country Checkup.
Schaefer recalls family get-togethers being centred around food, with relatives cooking, constantly talking about what they were eating, and commenting on the appearance of family members, especially if they hadn’t seen each other in a while.
Meanwhile, she was stressing about whether she’d eaten too much, how she looked, and when she could “sneak in the next cookie.”
“The eating disorder really just strips away the joy and the meaning [of the holidays] and it strips away the family, and it’s devastating and it feels like it’s never going to end,” she said.
But it can get better — with support, says Schaefer. She has been fully recovered from her eating disorder for over a decade now.
How to cope during the holidays
Schaefer says it’s important for people to avoid asking loved ones about food or their weight if that person is struggling with an eating disorder. Instead, ask what you can do to support them, she suggests.
“It always helped me when my family planned things that did not surround food,” she said. “For instance, we would go bowling on Christmas Day, or go outside for a walk, or play a basketball game or go to a movie.”
Schaeffer recommends being truthful with loved ones about an eating disorder, so they can give you support. (Zivica Kerkez/Shutterstock)
If you don’t know what’s going to be served at your holiday dinner, you can call ahead to find out and make a plan for how to approach the meal, Schaefer says. If you have a dietitian, she recommends getting their guidance.
Maureen Plante, co-director at the Eating Disorder Support Network of Alberta, also suggests finding a friend to text or call if you start to feel anxious about going to a holiday event.
As someone who has also struggled with anorexia, bulimia and over-exercising, Plante says too much focus on food can cause people with eating disorders to isolate themselves by limiting social interactions.
Plante says it’s important for family and friends to really listen to a person who is struggling with an eating disorder, and to find out how they can support them. (Submitted by Maureen Plante)
“So I think it’s so important [for people with eating disorders] to be able to talk about it,” she said.
Although it may take courage, Schaefer suggests telling people the truth about what you’re struggling with.
“There’s so much secrecy and shame around an eating disorder and the holidays a great time to be able to be honest,” she said. “That’s what the holidays are really about: connection and meaning and purpose.”
Plante says it’s important to really listen to what a person with an eating disorder has to say.
“Family is so important. And just taking the time to be present with that person, to talk to them, to check in with them, not being judgmental, and even coming up with a safety plan if need be,” she said.
Where to get help
National Eating Disorder Information Centre
Toll-free helpline: 1-866-633-4220
www.nedic.ca
Canada Suicide Prevention Service
Toll-free 1-833-456-4566
Text: 45645
Chat: crisisservicescanada.ca
In French: Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553)
Kids Help Phone:
Phone: 1-800-668-6868
Text: TALK to 686868 (English) or TEXTO to 686868 (French)
Live Chat counselling at www.kidshelpphone.ca
Post-Secondary Student Helpline:
Phone: 1-866-925-5454
Good2talk.ca
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre
If you’re worried someone you know may be at risk of suicide, you should talk to them, says the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Here are some warning signs:
CALGARY – Alberta’s health minister says a new agency responsible for primary health care should be up and running by next month.
Adriana LaGrange says Primary Care Alberta will work to improve Albertans’ access to primary care providers like family doctors or nurse practitioners, create new models of primary care and increase access to after-hours care through virtual means.
Her announcement comes as the provincial government continues to divide Alberta Health Services into four new agencies.
LaGrange says Alberta Health Services hasn’t been able to focus on primary health care, and has been missing system oversight.
The Alberta government’s dismantling of the health agency is expected to include two more organizations responsible for hospital care and continuing care.
Another new agency, Recovery Alberta, recently took over the mental health and addictions portfolio of Alberta Health Services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.
New Brunswick‘s Liberal and Green parties are set to make announcements about health care on the campaign trail today as the provincial election race enters its second half.
Liberal leader Susan Holt is scheduled to hold her announcement this morning in Saint John, N.B., followed by lunch at the city’s market.
A spokesperson with the Progressive Conservative party shared few details about the event scheduled for leader Blaine Higgs in Fredericton this morning.
Green Party Leader David Coon will hold a news conference this morning about “local health-care decision-making” alongside deputy leader Megan Mitton in her Sackville, N.B. riding.
On Saturday, Coon said he was proud to put forward a gender-balanced slate among the party’s 46 candidates.
While the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives are running with full slates, the Greens are three candidates short and will not have full representation when the province’s residents go to the polls on Oct. 21.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2024.
EDMONTON – The Health Quality Council of Alberta is investigating how some medical referrals weren’t properly processed, potentially affecting 14,000 patients over the last five years across the province.
The referrals were made to specialists outside of Alberta Health Services, such as physiotherapists and dietitians.
The health authority’s CEO, Athana Mentzelopoulos, says it does an average 100,000 referrals per year, but in some cases it can’t confirm if patients received referral services.
She says the problem was flagged in late September, and a preliminary estimate suggests 31 patients may have experienced a potential negative outcome due to the delays.
The provincial government requested the investigation, and the quality council is to find out how the snag occurred and how it can be prevented in the future.
The health authority says it has begun notifying patients who may have been affected by the disruption, and the cases could date back to 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.
