4 Tips for Navigating an Eating Disorder in College from a Recovered New Jersey Eating Disorder Therapist
- Gabrielle Morreale
- Aug 5
- 5 min read
By: Gabrielle Morreale M.A. LPC.
Getting ready for college is super stressful! And it makes sense if you feel nervous about where your recovery journey is headed in the process. This time is a period filled with growth and new beginnings. However, it can also be a difficult setting to navigate recovery. Recovery in college is possible!!!! It takes connection, consistency, space, and preparation. Here are four tips to help you move through university while continuing your healing journey:
1. Stay connected to your support system
A major part of college is moving away from home and navigating a new city, state, or even country. And for some, that means shifting away from friends or family that may have helped support you in recovery. It’s scary leaving home and being on your own!!! As an eating disorder therapist, I try to remind my clients to stay connected to their support system and to build new ones. One of my favorite sayings is that there is healing in community and I truly believe this to be true. Staying connected with your family and connecting with new people is so important. One way I often encourage clients to get connected and find support are, attend events at your campus, you might meet a lifetime friend! Recovery is only part of your journey, so make sure to take care of other aspects of your life that are equally as important.
See if you can continue treatment through virtual sessions with your current team. Here at Recovered and Restored we offer completely virtual sessions with our nutritionist and clinicians! You can also check if your campus counseling center can help you get connected locally.
2. Try to stick to a regular eating schedule
College is a new and different experience. Our entire lives change when we go to college. I cannot stress the importance of finding a routine, especially with eating! Structure will be your best friend in this time of change. It can be easy to forget to eat, I know I did sometimes.
Don’t beat yourself up when you forget, and listen for your body to tell you it’s hungry!! Take snacks with you too! The meal plan and routine you’ve built with your nutritionist won’t go to waste. Make sure you’re getting the energy you need to get through the day, it can be tiring!!
It’s not about eating perfect. Giving your body regular care, even on hard days is what matters. You deserve to be nourished!!!
3. Make space for joy and downtime
College is hectic! Midterms, Finals, quizzes, papers all generate a lot of stress, especially when you don’t have any downtime for yourself. Living on campus completely immerses you in academics, so it’s important to find a way out of that mindset where you are. As a former college student and now eating disorder therapist, I can relate to the pressure to always have fun, be social, or to feel like you need to go above and beyond to please the people around you.
I always tell my clients that you need to do what brings you joy, not what you think others will like. This is a great practice to start in college and bring into your later years, it’s the beginning of your adult life as you know it! Make this a joyful time for yourself, and give yourself the rest and space that you need.
4. Expect tough moments—and plan for them
With new responsibilities comes new challenges, and sometimes we can be blindsided by them. It’s important to have a plan for when things get tough! I like to provide my clients with coping mechanisms for high stress and panic moments like anxiety attacks. You can use them whenever you feel like you need them, not just in the heat of the moment:
Breathing Technique: Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7, and exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds. This is a great way to slow down your breathing, mind, and body when you are moving too fast.
5 Senses Technique: Identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. It may feel silly to do in the moment, but it can come in clutch when you find yourself needing to take your mind off of something that can cause you to spiral.
Remember these coping techniques you’ve learned for those high anxiety moments. Write a list of what makes you feel safe and allow yourself time to recover. College is a time for you to learn and grow and there will be setbacks! It’s going to be okay and reading this blog is a great first step!!
What you can do if you’re struggling
Reach out for help – Contact a licensed therapist, physician, or registered dietitian. We are currently accepting clients. Feel free to reach out today! https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/contact
Educate yourself – Read from reputable sources like our blogs https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/blog and free learning tools https://www.recoveredandrestoredtherapy.com/free-resources or Eating Disorder Hope
Final Thoughts
You are allowed to take up space in recovery, even if life gets busy. You can both heal and succeed at the same time. You are not your disorder, and you are worthy of recovery. College can be a fun and healing experience. If you are ready to start your recovery journey check out some of the resources below and reach out today!
Other Mental Health Services Offered in PA, NJ, DE, SC, MD, CT, VT, and FL
We offer a wide variety of services related to eating disorder recovery including trauma therapy! We offer Weekly Support Groups, Nutrition Services, and Family and Parent Therapy as well as Coaching, all tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual. We offer our services for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, and Orthorexia as well as Maternal Mental Health, and eating disorder therapy for athletes online in New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Vermont, and Connecticut! We are here to offer our support and understanding in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
We have immediate openings right now for eating disorder therapy in:
Delaware, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland South Carolina, Connecticut, Vermont, and Pennsylvania.
And recovery coaching worldwide.
Recovered and Restored is an eating disorder therapy center founded by Gabrielle Morreale, LPC. We specialize in helping teens and young women heal from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, and binge eating disorder and treat disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. We provide eating disorder therapy in the towns of Horsham, Upper Gwynedd, Lower Gwynedd, North Wales, Lansdale, Hatfield, Blue Bell, Doylestown, and nearby towns with eating disorder therapy. Also providing virtual eating disorder therapy in New Jersey, Delaware, and Florida. Some towns served virtually but are not limited to Pittsburg, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Center City, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Mount Laurel, Cape May, Avalon, Brick, Dover, New Castle, Bethany Beach, Marydel, and Oceanview
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