ETSU hosted Coffee & Conversation: Navigating Food-Centered Holidays to help students who may be struggling with food and body issues.
The event took place on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, in the Culp Student Center room 219. Students could come and enjoy refreshments while having a conversation about the upcoming holidays and some of the struggles they might face.
Heidi Marsh, Director of the Women and Gender Resource Center, said, “Sometimes going home or spending time with family around the holidays can bring a lot of emotional tension to the surface, and with several holiday breaks on the horizon, many of which revolve around food, the folks in the Women and Gender Resource Center and the Counseling Center thought it would be a timely conversation to make space for.”
The event was hosted before Thanksgiving break in order to help students prepare how to get through the holiday which may put them in difficult positions or conversations. Students came by from 2-3 pm to talk and receive resources.
“Sometimes people around us have positive intentions, but often their commentary on our bodies or our food choices can be harmful (and are unnecessary). Having some tools to handle these sometimes uncomfortable situations helps us determine for ourselves what is okay and what is not,” Marsh said.
It is important for everyone to have boundaries for themselves and their bodies. This event and the department want to help students create and understand these boundaries. Conversations about food and bodies are sensitive and should be talked about with this in mind.
“If students are struggling with body image or eating concerns, they should reach out to the ETSU Counseling Center at (423)439-3333 to take advantage of their services, which might mean setting up personal therapy, a one-time session, or using something like BucsPress2,” Marsh said.
