The Importance of meals

​Hi everyone! If you’re on winter break, I hope you’re having a great one! I am about to head home from a vacation that I’ve had with my entire family on my dad’s side! You may be wondering how that relates to ARFID. Well, before this trip, I never really appreciated meals in a way that I do now. I always knew that meals were a great time to talk, but I realized that it’s a great time to get to know people and form or strengthen bonds. In a way, being forced to be with everyone forces you to push yourself to be more social, and I really enjoyed the meals on this trip. Sure, the food was mostly good, but the thing I loved about the meals is that I spent over half an hour just laughing, smiling, listening and sharing stories. Before this trip, I didn’t have a super close bond with my grandpa, but these meals pulled us together, and I really feel like our relationship improved drastically. I have always been super close to my grandma, and spending time on the balcony, eating ice cream together and talking about her favorite presidents (she loves history) was one of the highlights of my vacation. It was really special. I know it can be hard to enjoy meals if you’re not enjoying what is on your plate, but if you’re okay with what you are eating, I invite you to be more social, if you aren’t as social as you normally are. It can even distract you from a meal you don’t love!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy whatever holidays you do or don’t celebrate! Happy holidays!