The back-to-school season can feel like a fresh start. New routines, new activities, new classrooms, and new friendships can give you plenty to look forward to. At the same time, changes in routine can be stressful, particularly for those who are navigating an eating disorder or struggling with disordered eating or lunch anxiety.
For many students, lunchtime can bring its own set of challenges. A crowded cafeteria, a short lunch period, eating around others, or comparing your food to your classmates’ meals can increase anxiety and make eating feel more difficult. This can sometimes lead to restriction, guilt, binge eating, purging, or other eating disorder behaviors.
If lunchtime feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. There are ways to prepare for these challenges and make mealtimes feel a little more manageable, which we’ll explore throughout this blog.
Plan ahead when you can
Talking with your healthcare team before the school year starts can help you feel a little more prepared for lunchtime. Your dietitian and therapist can help you think through different situations, whether you’re bringing lunch from home or eating in the cafeteria.
They can also help you come up with coping strategies for days when eating feels more stressful or overwhelming. Your dietitian can work with you on lunch and snack ideas that provide the nourishment you need while fitting your preferences and school schedule. Planning can reduce some of the stress that comes with making a decision when you’re already hungry or overwhelmed.
Bring a familiar food when trying something new feels overwhelming
Lunch doesn’t have to look a certain way. There’s no single combination of foods that everyone needs, and your lunch may look different from your classmates’ lunches, and that’s completely okay!
Focus on choosing foods you enjoy and foods that provide the nourishment and satisfaction you need to make it through the rest of your school day. If you’re working with a dietitian, they can also help you come up with lunch ideas that support your recovery and fit your preferences, schedule, and needs.
Find a comfortable place to eat
If the cafeteria feels overwhelming, it may be helpful to talk with a trusted adult at school about other options for where you can eat. A busy cafeteria can be noisy, crowded, and full of distractions, which can make mealtime feel more stressful during eating disorder recovery. Depending on your school, there may be another appropriate space where you can eat while still having access to the support you need. This could be especially helpful if you’re feeling anxious about eating around others or finding it difficult to focus on your meal.
You don’t have to figure this out on your own; consider talking with a parent, school counselor, nurse, teacher, or another trusted adult before the school year begins to come up with a plan that feels supportive.
Challenge food rules
Back-to-school routines can sometimes make food rules feel especially tempting. You might notice thoughts like, “I can’t eat that,” “I need to eat less at lunch,” or “I shouldn’t have eaten this much.” Rather than automatically following these rules, try to pause and notice what’s coming up for you. Remember that a thought or urge doesn’t have to become an action.
If you’re working with a dietitian or therapist, you can also bring these thoughts to your care team and work together on ways to respond to them.
Surround yourself with people you trust
Having supportive people around you can make lunchtime feel a little less stressful. If eating around others brings up anxiety, consider sitting with a friend who makes you feel comfortable, accepted, and supported. You might also let a trusted friend know that lunchtime can be challenging for you so they can offer encouragement or simply keep you company.
Having someone to talk to about school, hobbies, weekend plans, or other everyday things can also help take some of the focus away from food and make lunch feel more like a normal part of your day.
Expect some discomfort
Feeling anxious at lunchtime doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing something wrong. Eating in a busy cafeteria, eating around other people, or challenging an eating disorder thought can naturally bring up uncomfortable feelings. Instead of waiting for the anxiety to completely disappear before eating, you can practice noticing the feeling and reminding yourself that you can feel anxious and still choose to nourish your body. You might take a few slow breaths, focus on your conversation with a friend, or remind yourself that the discomfort will pass.
Recovery isn’t about never feeling anxious around food; it’s about learning that you can experience those feelings without letting them make your choices for you.