College and Eating Disorder Recovery: Building Your Support System on Campus
Even though it’s still summer, back to school for college is right around the corner. Whether you’re going away to college for the first time, returning from summer break, or you’re a parent sending your kid to college, for students with an eating disorder, it can feel especially overwhelming. The good news is that having a plan and knowing how to be supported can make a big difference in the college experience, and in eating disorder recovery. Read on for 5 ways to keep up with your eating disorder recovery while in college.
Your Current Care Team
Whoever is on your current care team (therapist, dietitian, psychiatrist, primary care provider) already knows you, knows your eating disorder history, and knows how to support you. Checking in with these providers before you leave for college and creating a plan for while you're there can help you stay on track with your recovery and begin your college experience with confidence. Whether you’re going far away to school or staying close, ask about virtual appointments, seeing them in person when you’re home on breaks, or if they have local resources that they can refer you to.
You know yourself best. If you do better with in person care, work with your current team to find what works best for you. If you like virtual, keep up with your appointments as best you can with your new schedule. Discuss this now with your team, and know that you might need to be flexible once you know your schedule and routine at college.
Resources at College
All college campuses have a counseling center, and most college websites have information about their counseling services, providers, and offerings. You can find out quite a bit of information on the counseling center’s website page, and you should also call the office to ask specific questions. Ask about providers or resources for eating disorder treatment, collaboration with your current care team, how many free appointments you will be able to get, and how they recommend you approach keeping up with your eating disorder recovery work while on campus.
Creating New Routines
Eating disorders thrive on rules, and eating disorder recovery often focuses on flexibility. Establishing a new routine is difficult, when everything is changing- where you’re living, who you’re living with, what you’re eating, where you’re eating, and your schedule. It can be hard to prioritize eating, and your eating disorder voice will try to get you to avoid eating, or create new, rigid rules. Instead, let’s focus on finding a new routine with your eating. Go back to basics, and prioritize eating something over nothing. If you have a meal plan, discuss with your care team how to follow your meal plan at college. If you don’t have a meal plan, setting phone timers to remind you to eat, stocking up your dorm room with snacks, or asking a roommate or friend in your dorm to be an accountability partner can be a huge help. Especially in the early days at college, find easy foods while you navigate all the new things in your life. Relying on prepared foods or simple meals and snacks can help keep your brain and body focused on finding your way in a new situation.
Preparing for Campus Dining
Preparing ahead can help reduce uncertainty and make it easier to stay consistent with your recovery. Before arriving on campus, discuss with your dietitian what dining hall options are, as well as dining hours so you know what to expect.
Talk with your dietitian about what eating will realistically look like at college. Whether you'll have a meal plan, live in a dorm with limited food access, or need snacks between classes, creating a flexible plan ahead of time can support this new transition.
Keeping your dorm room or backpack stocked with easy snacks can also help ensure you're able to nourish yourself throughout the day, even when your schedule changes day to day. Your dietitian can support you with all of these discussions to help you cope ahead.
Social Support
Being away from home means being away from the regular people and friends you see. You might feel isolated at times, and eating disorders thrive in isolation. Make it a priority to find social support at college. If you don’t know anyone at your college, ask your roommate to stick with you. Meet people on your floor, ask about groups you can get involved in, and ask in the counseling center if there are social groups or meal support groups that you can join. Getting involved in activities is a great way to meet people with similar interests. Your RA is also a great resource- he or she can arrange a floor dinner, help you buddy up with someone else looking for social support, or you can even hang with your RA while you find your way. It’s important to have people you can be with on campus, for meals, but also so that you feel connected to your new living environment.
Going to college and maintaining your recovery work is just one more challenge that we know you can handle. With planning and a team to support you at home and away, you can be prepared and advocate for yourself. You might even find that you love this new freedom, and can allow yourself to experience eating and living in a way you couldn’t previously. We know how hard it can be to do something new, especially if you have an eating disorder, and we also know you can do it. Here’s to an amazing year ahead!
References
Seefeld, A. From Home to Campus: Managing Eating Disorder Recovery at College. ANAD. https://anad.org/eating-disorder-recovery-at-college/
The Emily Program. (2023, July 24). Eating Disorders in College Students. The Emily Program Blog. https://emilyprogram.com/blog/eating-disorders-in-college-students/
Woolston, C. (2025, May 6). Eating disorders: The hidden health crisis on college campuses. WashU Arts & Sciences. https://artsci.washu.edu/ampersand/eating-disorders-hidden-health-crisis-college-campuses
Young, CL. (2025, August 28). How To Maintain Eating Disorder Recovery While in College. Alsana. https://www.alsana.com/blog/how-to-maintain-eating-disorder-recovery-while-in-college/