Coming Home, Carrying Recovery: How to Navigate Eating Disorder Recovery Over Summer Break

You’ve made progress this year. You’ve challenged old beliefs, rebuilt trust with your body, and maybe even started to enjoy food again. But now it’s summer—and instead of relief, you feel a sense of dread.

Returning home during eating disorder recovery can feel like stepping into a pressure cooker of old patterns, unspoken expectations, and triggers that are hard to explain. Whether it’s comments about your body, pressure to eat a certain way, or just the lack of privacy, summer break can feel like it threatens everything you’ve worked so hard to heal.

Here’s how to protect your recovery—and yourself—while navigating the emotional rollercoaster of going home.

Why Going Home Can Disrupt Eating Disorder Recovery

Food and Body Talk Is Everywhere

“Well, you look healthy now.”

“Are you really going to eat that?”

“We’re doing keto—do you want to join?”

Even well-meaning family members can unintentionally say things that derail your progress. Home might be full of diet culture, food moralizing, or subtle (and not-so-subtle) body comments that spike anxiety or shame.

Lack of Control Feels Unsafe

At school, maybe you had routines that supported your recovery: a flexible meal plan, a body-neutral friend group, a therapist or nutritionist nearby. At home, meals might be unpredictable, food may be monitored, or your eating may be questioned—especially if your family hasn’t fully understood your experience.

Old Triggers Resurface

Maybe home is where the eating disorder started. Maybe it’s where your anxiety lives, where you first learned to hide your needs, or where body image issues took root. When you return to that environment, your nervous system remembers. And suddenly, behaviors you thought you were done with start whispering again.

Recovery Is Still Possible—Even at Home

Have a Plan, Not a Perfect Strategy

Before heading home, take time to identify what you need to feel emotionally safe. This could include:

Keeping a structure that feels grounding (even if it’s different from school)
Identifying safe people to text, call, or check in with
Writing out coping tools you can use when urges or anxiety show up

Perfection isn’t the goal. Compassionate structure is.

Name Your Boundaries (Even Just to Yourself)

You might not be ready to say, “Please don’t comment on my body.” That’s okay. You can still create boundaries for yourself:

Stepping out of the room when food talk gets overwhelming
Choosing what social media content you consume
Deciding who gets access to conversations about your recovery

Boundaries don’t need to be loud. They just need to be clear—to you.

Remember: Slip-Ups Don’t Mean Failure

If you struggle this summer, you haven’t failed. The eating disorder may try to tell you that a setback means you’re “starting over.” That’s a lie. Every time you respond to yourself with kindness—even after a hard day—you’re still healing.

Get Support that Gets You

Summer is the perfect time to continue (or re-start) therapy, especially with a therapist who understands eating disorder recovery in the context of trauma, body image, and relational stress.

You don’t have to navigate this transition alone.

Let’s Keep You Grounded in What You’ve Built

If this summer is bringing up more stress than sunshine, it’s not a reflection of your progress—it’s a reflection of how complex healing is. You’ve already done so much brave work. Coming home doesn’t erase that.

At Peaceful Living, we specialize in trauma-informed therapy for eating disorders, with deep understanding of what college students face during breaks and transitions. Whether you’re in Westchester or attending virtually from anywhere in NY or NJ, we’re here to support you through it.

Let’s talk about what recovery looks like this summer. Book a free consultation today.

About Stephanie Polizzi, EMDR Therapist Specializing in Eating Disorders

Stephanie Polizzi, LMHC, is an eating disorder EMDR therapist at Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling in Westchester, NY. She specializes in EMDR therapy for eating disorders, body image issues, and trauma recovery.

Stephanie helps clients of all ages heal their relationship with food by addressing the root causes of eating disorders with Peaceful Living's trauma-informed methods. This approach helps clients achieve real, lasting relief for good.