Tips For Coping with ‘Fear of Adulting’ while in Eating Disorder Recovery

By: Olivia Kline, EDC Administrative Assistant
​Reviewed by & in Collaboration with Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C

Entering adulthood is a tricky phase in life. Many may also experience stress and anxiety in anticipation of entering adulthood. You may start to gain new responsibilities as an adult but still depend on parents or guardians for some things. Society tells us that once we become adults we must be fully independent and have our lives figured out, but that is rarely the reality for most of us. There is so much uncertainty to live with as a young adult and can be a tricky stage to manage. We start to gain some freedoms, but also may still live with parents/guardians or live with them on breaks from school. It can feel weird and may be difficult to balance. 

The following are some tips from The Eating Disorder Center, which provides eating disorder therapy in Rockville, Maryland, and virtually throughout Maryland, Virginia, DC, and Florida, around navigating the transition to “adulting” while in eating disorder recovery. 

1. Try to take off some of the pressure, take things one step at a time, and put your first job into perspective.

In addition to figuring out this new, uncertain stage of life, society puts immense pressure on young adults to find a job and be fully independent. This can feel scary since it seems expected for young adults to have it all figured out. It is okay if you don’t have it all figured out. Adulting is hard. Try to take things one step at a time. Do job searching and see what interests you; the job you choose now does not have to be your job forever. You can look at your first “real world” job as a learning experience! Take the opportunity to learn what you like and don’t like about this job and have that help guide you in your next employment opportunity. 

2. Think about who can be part of your support system (yes, adults have support systems too)!

With “adulting” there can also be the fear of being alone. It can be hard to think about being alone as you enter adulthood. Try to think about who is part of your support system now, and how to integrate them in this new stage in life. While society encourages independence, especially in adulthood, it is okay to lean on loved ones. It is also okay to live with a roommate or at home with family! You can still be independent while living with others. It is okay to take things one step at a time. 

It’s important to note that the transition to adulthood doesn’t have to mean that you never ask for support from loved ones or family. While of course things may change as you gain more independence, many adults still lean on their families or other members of their support system at times.

3. Prioritize working your recovery from an eating disorder.

On top of all the overwhelming feelings of being an adult, it can be stressful to manage eating disorder triggers and recovery during this stage. You may feel like with the pressure of finding a job and being independent, there is less time for self-care, eating meals, and staying on top of your recovery from an eating disorder. It can feel hard to fit things into your schedule however, you deserve to prioritize yourself and your recovery.

It’s important if you are struggling to seek help from an eating disorder therapist as it relates to both “adulting” or anxiety around anticipation of “adulting,” as well as eating disorder recovery. As sometimes, this can be one of a variety of issues that is underlying the development or maintenance of an eating disorder.

4. If you are not yet in the ‘adulting’ stage but anticipating it with anxiety, it’s important to spend less time ruminating on this topic.

Worrying vs. planning are two very separate things. Planning is preparing for the future in an action oriented way that usually occurs one time until you come up with a new plan. Whereas, ruminating or worrying is replaying over and over your fears in a way that increases anxiety and isn’t productive. 

If you find that you are spending a lot of time worrying about the transition to adulthood, it’s important to discuss this anxiety with a therapist and spend time out of session interrupting your mind if you notice that you start ruminating on this. One affirmation that I like to interrupt rumination is, “I will trust my future self to handle any future problems” or “I will deal with that if and when it happens.”

Ruminating about the future is like riding a stationary bike, it doesn’t get you anywhere. It also can serve to increase anxiety about the future.

Speak To A Therapist If You Are Balancing Entering Adulthood With Eating Disorder Recovery

At the Eating Disorder Center, we understand how anxiety provoking it can feel to think about entering adulthood.

We are here to help you through your eating disorder recovery journey and juggling with this new stage of life. Reach out to us via our contact form or call us at 301-246-6856 to get started with a free 15-minute consultation with an eating disorder therapist on our team.

Schedule a free 15 min consult for eating disorder therapy in MD, VA, DC, NY, FL, or recovery coaching worldwide.
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The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com