Summertime Struggles: Eating Disorders, Body Image, Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder

Written by CCTC Staff Writer

For a lot of the world, summertime means shedding layers that may protect both the body and the mind. It can negatively impact body image and cause eating disorder urges to skyrocket. Some individuals even suffer from summer seasonal affective disorder. This disorder is more associated with winter, but can definitely happen as the days grow longer, rather than shorter.

If you anticipate struggle this summer, read on for:

How to handle the body image challenges that come with exposing more skin
Strategies for managing eating disorder urges and behaviors throughout the season
What summertime seasonal affective disorder is and how it relates to eating disorders

For some people, summer is the best time of the year, but for individuals with eating and body image disorders, summer might be a time when you just have to survive, and that's completely okay.

How Summer Impacts Body Image

People wear less/lighter clothing.

In the fall, winter, and early spring, a lot of people with body image issues can "hide" in large, baggy clothing. However, to go out in the summer, you have to wear more revealing clothing — or risk heat stroke.

And if you do decide to wear concealing clothing, those around you may comment on it. This makes most people hyper aware of their bodies, which is very uncomfortable.

There are more opportunities for body checking.

Body checking involves obsessive thoughts and behaviors about their appearance. Individuals may stand in front of mirrors or get distracted by their reflections in shop windows, analyzing the parts of their bodies they don't like. You may spend more time "checking" things like the size of thighs, arms, or acne spots now that you are less covered up.

Related: Read this if you want to know more about body checking and how to stop.

There are more opportunities for comparison.

Since other people are less covered up, there are more chances for you to compare your body to others.

You may be around more people this season, while you're on walks or on vacations. There's a larger pool of people to compare yourself to — and more opportunities to feel inadequate.

Related: College students also struggle with a larger pool of people to compare themselves to. It's one of the many reasons college students develop eating disorders.

Summer is a time of vacations and swimming.

Many friends and families — now that COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted — are going to pools and on vacations. This often involves dressing up and, unfortunately for people who suffer from body image issues, swimsuits.

Related: This is how to travel while in eating disorder recovery.

There are more photo-ops.

With more photos comes more instances of body dysmorphia, body checking, and/or the desire to skip events that involve photography. Photos of others and yourself may be posted on social media. This just leads to more rumination and body comparison.

Body commenting and shaming from others and on social media.

Your loved ones, strangers, and people on social media are all focused on looks.

You might encounter:

"Weight loss transformations"
Fatphobic messages about what a "summer body" is and how to achieve that (largely unattainable) look
Others body shaming themselves
Hearing people body shame others
People commenting on your body
Weight biased and fatphobic ads for swimsuits and summer clothing

This can heighten your awareness of your body and the urge to "get a summer body," even if it means resorting to disordered eating disorder behaviors.

How to Handle Body Image Challenges in the Warmer Weather:

Be conscious of who you follow online.

First and foremost, unfollow or mute anyone triggering, such as people who:

Engage in body shaming
Try to sell you weight loss products, diets, or "fitness regimes"
Posts their "body transformations"
Spreads fatphobic messages

Follow body positive, and body neutral, influencers online.

Wear what is comfortable, for both your body and your mind.

You can do body image exposures to get comfortable wearing more revealing, light, and/or colorful clothing.

But unless you have support from an eating disorder professional, or you are very confident that you will not engage in disordered behaviors, wear what works. Wear things that keep your body cool and your mind calm. You might wear flowing skirts or dresses, loose shirts and shorts, or anything else that makes you feel calm and confident.

Related: This is what exposure therapy is and how it can help you overcome body image issues.

Try to avoid triggering situations.

If you know that dressing rooms and shop windows will negatively impact your body image, try to avoid them.

Or, take someone from your support system shopping. Ask them to distract you from reflections and bring you back to the moment if they catch you body checking.

Be gentle with yourself.

You may not be ready to get into the pool or plant yourself front and center in all your vacation photos. Dressing up might do you more harm than good right now.

And that's okay.

Do what you can, and try not to judge yourself for the things you're not prepared to do or wear (yet.)

Related: Use these six mindful forms of self-care to practice self-compassion in times of distress.

Why Eating Disorder Urges and Behaviors Heighten During the Summer

There's more free time and less structure.

Routines are the glue that holds eating disorder recovery together. Routine eating, sleeping, and activites keep people in recovery from skipping meals, overeating, overexercising, etc. Routines also help everyone regulate their emotions.

Whether you're on summer break, going on vacations, or simply staying up later because the days are longer, summer has a way of throwing off established routines.

There are more opportunities to overexercise.

Summer is also a time for physical activity. It's nice out, for the most part, so many people like to take long walks, go hiking, swim, or engage in other forms of movement — with others, or by themselves.

For individuals who do not struggle with disordered eating or exercise, these kinds of activities are a great way to get fresh air, practice mindfulness, and come together with others.

But those who do have disordered eating or exercise habits use the nice weather as an excuse to overexercise. For example, they suggest to friends that they should do something physical like a long walk, instead of going out to a restaurant, for example. It's much less likely that others will notice an exercise problem when getting a "summer body" or "getting healthy this season" is so normalized.

There are more planned events, ones that include meals.

Over the summer, there are picnics, family reunions, weddings, parties, and late night hangouts with loved ones.

To most people, these events all sound lovely.

But for someone who struggles with an eating disorder, these events all have one thing in common. It's not joy or fun — it's food.

Events like these are often buffet style, or snacks are laid out to graze on. Someone with an eating disorder may feel uncomfortable or out of control when they're around food like this. There are so many potential obstacles to eating at big summer events.

It may be that it's easy to binge, or that there are no safe foods available, eating in front of others, or a number of other challenges. In any case, people with eating disorders struggle to maintain their recovery in these scenarios, and may be tempted to skip them altogether.

Strategies to minimize eating disorder thoughts and behaviors throughout the summer:

Develop a routine.

You don't need a strict schedule to maintain your recovery. Choose some hobbies to work on with someone else, volunteer, join a summer camp or organization — plan something to do every day, just to create some structure in your life. You have to factor in meals, snacks, and sleep as well.

Ideally, your routine should have:

Activities planned for the times you know you will struggle (for example, if you're tempted to go for a long run in the morning, meet up with another person for breakfast or join a program that starts in the morning)
Time blocked off for meals and snacks, with a plan in place in case you have difficulty completing them (for example, if you know you tend to skip your evening snack, have it with a family member or call someone to talk with as you eat)
Somewhat consistent wake and sleep times (your schedule probably won't be perfect, but the less erratic it is, the better you will feel)
Time set aside to just relax and reflect on your recovery and your personal goals
Outside time (this might just mean sitting on your porch, if it's not healthy for you to move around right now)

Identify and cope with your triggers when possible.

When it comes to trigger situations, you have to options that will not set you back in your recovery:

Avoid the trigger
When you can't avoid the trigger, use coping skills to ward off strong impulses to engage in behaviors

If you know what triggers you, and you can easily avoid it, then consider doing just that. For example, if you know that wearing tight clothing is really hard for you, consider wearing flowy, loose fitting clothing whenever possible.

But when you can't easily avoid a trigger situation, or you want to be able to do whatever it is that scares you, then you have to learn how to cope with strong reactions to your triggers. For example, if you want to go to your best friend's wedding, but have trouble eating in front of others, you have to build up a tolerance to eating with others.

This will take practice, of course — and an eating disorder professional can help you overcome any barriers you run into.

Keep in contact with your treatment team.

Maybe you're going on vacation, you got a summer side gig, or your schedule is just up in the air. Even if your schedule is erratic, you have to consistently keep in touch with your team.

Work with them to get treatment in a way that fulfills your needs and meets their scheduling requirements. Online therapy and virtual treatment programs can help tremendously.

Related: Does virtual eating disorder treatment work? The verdict is in.

Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder: What is it?

Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder that results from changes in seasons. Most people with this disorder experience signs of depression and/or anxiety during the winter months. Researchers believe this is partly due to the lack of sunlight in the winter. Reduced sunlight disrupts melatonin production and hormonal balances, which both help regulate sleep and mood.

However, you can experience the same symptoms of seasonal affective disorder in the summer. Research suggests that overexposure to sunlight, as well as changes in temperature and pressure, could contribute to summertime seasonal affective disorder.

Mood disturbances, combined with the other pressures of summer, have the potential to throw you off the path of recovery — if you're not vigilant, that is. So remember to check in with your team about any mood disturbances. Speak to them about any concerns regarding sleep, especially.

You don't have to hide away this summer. But you don't have to have the time of your life, either.

You may want to stay away from summer events, or the outdoors in general.

As you develop the coping skills you need to manage any summertime struggles, it will get easier to come out into the light. It's also important to note, though, that while others seem to be having an amazing summer filled with adventure and growth, you don't need to.

Summer does not need to be a time of great adventure, transformations, self-development, or drastic change. You don't have to change your body or your mind over the course of a few (really difficult) months.

Summer might just be a time you have to survive. In fact, maybe sweater weather months are your time to thrive.

And that's fine.

If you or a loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery or simply learn more about the holistic eating disorder recovery programs we offer.

Ai PonoJuly 5, 2021