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EDs Ruin Vacations

  • Writer: Inclusive Healing Center
    Inclusive Healing Center
  • 2 days ago
  • 3 min read

Vacations are supposed to be a time to unwind, explore, and make memories with the people we love (or at least like enough to travel with). But if you've ever experienced the grip of an eating disorder while trying to enjoy a trip, you know how quickly that freedom can vanish.


Instead of laughing over late-night gelato in Rome, you’re calculating calories in your head. Instead of saying yes to a spontaneous beach picnic, you’re obsessing over what you ate for breakfast. And instead of soaking in the sunsets, cultures, and conversations, you’re stuck in your own mental prison. That’s not a vacation... that’s survival mode.


When an Eating Disorder Comes on Vacation


It’s the voice that tells you you’re "being bad" for enjoying local food. It's the anxiety before every meal, the guilt after, the mental tallying, and the dread of losing control. Whether it shows up as restriction, bingeing, over-exercising, fear of novel foods, or obsessive thoughts about your body, an eating disorder turns joy into judgment. It creates invisible walls between you and the people you love, and between you and the moments that are meant to be lived. Vacations become exhausting... not because of the travel, but because of the constant battle in your mind.


What You Miss When You're in the Grip of ED

  • Spontaneity: The joy of saying yes to the unknown, trying new foods, sleeping in, ordering dessert first.

  • Connection: Shared meals, impromptu laughter, vulnerability, presence with others.

  • Peace: The kind that comes from not thinking about food 24/7. From knowing your worth doesn’t depend on how your body looks in a photo.

  • Memory-making: Some of the best travel memories are rooted in taste, smell, and experience. Food is often a part of culture, family, and celebration. Missing that means missing so much more than a meal.


Choosing Freedom: Living in the Present

Here’s the beautiful part: healing is possible. And with healing comes the chance to really be there. To live in the moment. To remember what actually matters.

It means choosing:

  • Presence over perfection: Letting go of the food rules and leaning into what feels nourishing in the moment--body and soul.

  • Values over vanity: Living in alignment with who you really are, not what your ED tells you you need to be.

  • Connection over control: Sharing a meal, a laugh, a messy, wonderful moment with the people who matter.


Letting the Memories In

When you step out of the prison of disordered eating, vacations transform. You find joy in simple things--a croissant on a quiet balcony, a midnight snack run with friends, dancing without worrying how your body looks, jumping into the ocean without second-guessing yourself.


You remember the trip for what it was: an adventure, a pause, a celebration, not for what you ate or how your body looked.


Final Thoughts

If you're in the thick of it, be gentle with yourself. Healing doesn’t mean never having a

tough thought again--it means not letting that thought make the rules.


You deserve a life (and a vacation) rooted in freedom, joy, and real presence.


And when you choose to live in the moment, guided by your values and open to making memories, that’s when the real adventure begins.



Need help starting that journey? Talk to someone you trust. Find a therapist. Journal about your values. Begin, even if it’s messy. Because life is too short, and the world is too beautiful, to miss it chasing rules that only shrink your joy.


Reach out today to start your healing process! We have 3 incredible therapists and a registered dietitian all of which specialize in the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image struggles. When you're ready, we're here to help.


You were made for so much more.

 
 
 

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