Mother's Day is a great opportunity to work toward closeness with your mom. Adrian / stock.xchng

Those with eating disorders know that holidays of any kind are a challenge, since it often means dealing with people -- and in particular, family. How do you honor Mom on Mother's Day in an authentic way?

Chances are that there's a whole flurry of emotions that you have toward your mother, and possibly a number of them stemming from history of food issues. Often, you can tame the chaos by writing down what you're thinking and making it concrete.

So I recommend writing Mom a letter -- a truthful one. That means acknowledging the good and the bad (and perhaps the very bad). But don't worry; there's no need to send the letter or give it your mom unless you want to. By understanding your relationship with Mom, you're already giving her a gift.

• Three examples of letters to address your relationship with Mom
• How anorexia erodes relationship with loved ones