Why Eating Disorders Can Start During Times of Transition

By: Danielle Goury
Reviewed by Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C

Eating disorders rarely come out of nowhere. Sometimes they show up during moments when life starts to feel unfamiliar or shaky – times when routines are changing and things that once felt steady suddenly don’t anymore. These transitions don’t have to be traumatic. Even changes that are expected or exciting can still feel overwhelming. 

When life feels uncertain, it makes sense to focus on something that feels controllable. For some people, food and exercise may start filling that role. It’s important to note that eating disorders are not choices, however for some they may serve as unconscious coping strategies.


What We Mean by “Transitions”

Transitions can look different for everyone – starting college, moving away from home, ending a relationship, beginning a new job, or losing a routine that once gave you daily structure. Even changes in your identity, independence, or responsibility can feel like a big shift. 

Bodies can change during these times too, especially in late adolescence and early adulthood. Those changes alone can bring up comparisons and self-criticism. When multiple changes are happening at once, it’s easy to feel unsteady without fully understanding why. 


Why Food and Exercise Can Start to Feel Like Control

During transitions, eating and movement can stop being about nourishment or enjoyment and start being about a false sense of control. Restricting food, following strict rules, or sticking to rigid workout routines can create a (false!) sense of order when everything else feels unpredictable. 

At first, your brain might trick you into feeling that these behaviors are “helpful.” Eating less or exercising more may temporarily reduce anxiety or make things feel more structured. But over time, that relief often fades and individuals start to feel totally consumed by an eating disorder. What started as a subconscious coping strategy can turn into something that ends up feeling stressful, miserable, and impossible to step away from.


When Life Starts to Shift

Transitions aren’t always about school or work. Sometimes they’re much more personal. The end of a relationship, for example, can completely change someone’s sense of stability. Even when a breakup is mutual or expected, it can bring up feelings of loss, uncertainty, and a sudden lack of control.

When a relationship ends, routines often change. Meals that were once shared may become lonely and plans for the future may disappear. Identities can shift quickly, especially if someone was used to being part of a “we” instead of an “I.” In the middle of that emotional disruption, it’s common to look for something that feels grounding or predictable.

For some people, food or exercise quietly becomes that focus. Restricting intake, sticking to rigid routines, or exercising excessively may create a sense of structure when everything else feels unsettled. However, over time people report that they start to feel totally controlled and miserable by their food rules and other eating disorder behaviors.

Other life changes can have a similar effect, like moving to a new city, losing a job, changes in family dynamics, or even experiences with illnesses. What matters isn’t the event itself, but how destabilizing it feels for the person going through it.


Why Eating Disorders Can Be Easy to Miss During Transitions

During transitional periods, a lot of concerning behaviors can blend in. Skipping meals might look like stress, over-exercising might look like new motivation or “goals,” and weight changes may be brushed off as “just part of the transition.”

Because so much change is already expected, the emotional impact often gets overlooked. The biggest red flags aren’t always physical. They’re things like distress, rigidity, constant mental focus on food or exercise, and feeling panicked when routines change.


A More Compassionate Way to Look at It

Disordered eating isn’t about vanity or attention; it’s about trying to cope. It develops quietly, often without the person realizing how much it’s taking over. Looking at it this way helps shift the conversation away from blame and toward understanding what someone might be struggling with underneath. 


What’s Worth Paying Attention To

If food or exercise starts to feel controlling instead of supportive, that matters. If flexibility feels impossible, anxiety spikes when rules are broken, or thoughts about eating and movement take up most of the day, those are signs worth noticing.

You don’t need a diagnosis or a crisis for seeking support to be valid. Catching these patterns earlier can make a big difference. 


Final Thoughts

Life transitions are unavoidable. They are part of growing and changing, and can be meaningful experiences. But they can also be moments when people are more vulnerable than they may realize. 

If an eating disorder begins during a time of transition, it’s not a personal failure. It’s a sign that something feels overwhelming and needs care. Support is allowed at any stage, and help can make these periods of change feel a lot less isolating.

Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom.
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Danielle Goury (she/her) is a guest blog writer at The Eating Disorder Center, a specialized therapy practice for eating disorders, body image concerns, as well as co-occurring OCD and trauma. The Eating Disorder Center provides eating disorder therapy for children, teens, and adults in Rockville, Maryland, and nearby areas including Bethesda, Potomac, Gaithersburg, and Olney, as well as virtual therapy across Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Florida, and California.

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The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, 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 Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com