- listen to music really intently
- tumblr/blogger
- keep hands busy
crafts
paint nails
draw - stick to a regular eating schedule
- keep healthy snacks on hand
- progress, not perfection
- don't focus on weight loss, but rather a healthy relationship with food and your body
- remove trigger foods if possible, or ask your caregiver not to buy certain foods
- quit unnecessary diets
- keep a food journal without numbers in it, such as weight, calories, how many servings, etc. BED and bulimia are just like anorexia in the fact that you're still obsessed with food and numbers
- handle stress as it comes instead of waiting until you explode in a binge
- HALT
- exercise as much as you can, as much as you want, for health instead of weight loss
- sleep well
- go easy on yourself after a slip-up
- don't wait until tomorrow to start over
- eat what your body needs but stay away from trigger foods if possible
Showing posts with label ED. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ED. Show all posts
Sunday, April 3, 2016
17 Anti-Binge Strategies
Friday, October 2, 2015
My Opinion on "Jokes" About EDs
what the fuck. why would somebody ever think that #anorexia is a "funny hashtag"?
anorexia kills people. so did hitler, but nobody ever says he was right. i've been told to skip meals though and nobody seems to care i'm so fucking angry right now.
anorexia kills people. so did hitler, but nobody ever says he was right. i've been told to skip meals though and nobody seems to care i'm so fucking angry right now.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
more ED questions (TW again)
from the same book as last post.
- how did you learn to dislike your body?
i first started hating my body when bullies would make fun of me for it, around age 10-13 - what might have been some reasons for your over or under eating?
over eating is to feel better about situations, and under eating is to compensate for over eating. - how has your eating disorder helped you to cope with difficult situations in your life?
it helps me to cope because whenever i feel overwhelmed or upset i can just binge and it will be all right, until i feel bad for binging, and either purge, take laxatives, or starve. - how has dieting made you feel better or worse about yourself?
- dieting makes me feel better and worse. it makes me feel better by compensating for my over eating habits. it makes me feel worse by making me disappointed when i don't stick to the diet or strict meal plan.
- do you judge your struggle with food and weight as good or bad?
it's simultaneously good and bad, because when i stick to my meal plans, it's good, when i binge, it's bad. - how do you think your eating disorder has tried to help you?
by allowing me to not deal with my problems and situations.
eating disorder questions (telling my ED story) TW ED, description, numbers
so i checked out this book from the local library, and i found a page in it that has questions to answer about your ED, how it began, and how it affects your life. here they are, along with my answers to them.
- start by trying to remember the first time you felt bad about your body or about food. how old were you? was it a specific event or just a general time period?
i remember i was very young, about seven, when the doctor first told me i had to lose weight. i was in the 90th percentile for weight among girls my age. that means only 10% of girls my age were heavier than me. the doctor told me i was obese. - how did this change over the years? was there anything specific you remember that made it better or worse?
over the years i learned to hate myself. i have a love/hate relationship with food, hating how eating makes me feel, but using it for comfort. - how did your family, friends, teachers, and other people in your life influence how you felt about your body or food?
my family encouraged emotional eating. they encouraged binge eating, and only stopped when i was about 14, when it got to be really bad, but by then it was too late. my friends were always thinner than me, and i remember in 5th grade, i saw a boy coming down the hall at school while i was drinking from the water fountain, and he called me fat, so i sucked in my stomach. teachers would always chastise me for eating too much at snack time, and lunch, and i would always get bullied for my weight. - what is your first memory of either over eating or under eating when you were feeling emotional (eating or controlling your food when lonely, afraid, or angry)? How old were you? who was with you? what were you eating?
i would always go to get mcdonalds after school with my grandfather. i was 4-5 years old, and every day he would pick me up from school and get me a happy meal. then i'd have dinner with my family when we got home. the first time i remember looking up how to starve myself was when i was 13 years old, i was looking for "how to"s on youtube, and how to be anorexic popped up in the suggested videos. so i clicked it and found out about thinspo and weight loss by any means necessary. so i tried to go on pro ana diets and restrict my calories to 500 a day and read everything about eating disorders i could find, and looked everywhere for tips. - how do you think having the struggle with food and weight has affected you in the past, and how does it affect you now?
it has affected me in the past by really messing with my head and making me hate myself. - how have you tried to deal with this struggle?"
by losing weight, by starving myself, by purging. - what do you really want to happen with your food and body?
i want to lose weight, to be at a healthy weight and to be happy - what do you really want to happen with your life?
i want to be functional. and able to do things other people do. - what do you think you need right now?
i need a smoke.
Friday, May 8, 2015
just some coping strategies
these are just some of the coping strategies i came up with off the top of my head in two minutes 
watch bbc sherlock or doctor who or supernatural or better yet, have a superwholock day (don't be ashamed to be in the superwholock fandom, they're good shows!!) coloring drink tension tamer tea out of one of your decorated mugs drink flavored water light a candle or incense read a book make crafts (ie. loom bands, friendship bracelets, crochet, knitting, diy) journal write poetry cuddle a fuzzy stuffie lie down for a bit listen to comedy videos on youtube listen to demi lovato on youtube
Thursday, May 7, 2015
beating your ED - a tips post of a different kind (bulimia-centric)
this isn't your usual tips post. you know, the kind that tell you how to restrict your calories to unhealthy amounts, how to shrink to a size zero - by any means necessary? throw those out and jump on the recovery bandwagon... here are some tips for recovering from your ED
BINGING
tips i've found helpful
1. take it one step at a time
2. forgive yourself for any slip ups. minor setbacks are a natural part of recovery, just make sure they don't happen too often or for extended periods of time.
3. get support. i can't stress this enough. just knowing that people are there to help you in your time of need, even if you try to push them away in the heat of the moment (don't deny it, i do it too) can be comforting
4) get a workbook. i suggest this one.
5) or this one for anorexia (for teens specifically, also works for bulimia and other EDs, pdf here)
7) challenge destructive thoughts. get a journal just for this purpose, and use the CBT ABCD model to challenge damaging thoughts.
8) make good use of cheerleading statements during this time. recovery can be hard, so i suggest setting a timer for once every hour or two and telling yourself something positive in your life, such as "i'm good at math" or "my SO believes i'm beautiful/handsome/good looking, and i trust their judgement, therefore, i am beautiful/handsome/good looking"
9) make countless relapse prevention plans. one for every situation, every day of the fucking week if necessary.
10) get information on your behaviors and how destructive they are, but also acknowledge how they used to "work" for you without glorifying them
11) be kind to yourself. don't beat yourself up over every morsel of food that passes your lips. forgive yourself. this doesn't mean go hog wild either though, just don't torture yourself
12) rewire your brain, avoid eating disordered thoughts
13) and above all,
dbt coping (IMPROVE the moment oriented)
with this skill it's more mental than physical. you just have to experiment and find what works for you
IMAGERY
guided imagery videos
guided imagery videos
light a candle and meditate on the flame
MEANING
find a reason to be happy
find a reason to be happy
find a reason to live (could be a family member, pet, goal, etc.)
What do you think the meaning or purpose of suffering is?
Do you think there is a meaning?
How can you create a meaning?
PRAYER
pray to a higher power
serenity prayer
serenity prayer
RELAXATION
meditate (there can never be too much meditation)
listen to relaxing music
listen to relaxing music
ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME
(this doesn't mean focus only on the problem at hand, it means don't take on any added problems)
use mindfulness techniques
(this doesn't mean focus only on the problem at hand, it means don't take on any added problems)
use mindfulness techniques
VACATION
take a mental break. this could also tie in with relaxation.
take a physical break. literally push away the stress. go somewhere fun, go to wal mart (that can be pretty frakking fun i tell you what)
take a physical break. literally push away the stress. go somewhere fun, go to wal mart (that can be pretty frakking fun i tell you what)
ENCOURAGE
tell yourself any of the following
"i can do this"
"this is temporary"
"it's just a feeling, i'm stronger than it"
"i am strong"
tell yourself any of the following
"i can do this"
"this is temporary"
"it's just a feeling, i'm stronger than it"
"i am strong"
dbt coping (distract oriented)
ACTIVITIES
play a game online or on your phone
play a game online or on your phone
go for a walk
play a sport/bike ride/exercise
CONTRIBUTING
COMPARISONS
compare to a worse time you've survived
compare to others who are doing worse than you, consider how they're coping and try to cope the same way, if it's healthy
compare to a time when you weren't coping so well and think how much better off you are now
i don't exactly find this helpful, but that's why there are more letters in the acronym, in case one doesn't work
EMOTIONS
make sure you're creating an emotion opposite or different to the one you're feeling. if you're sad, you wouldn't read the fault in our stars, would you? (maybe you would, to have something different to be sad about, but all i'm saying is use common sense with this one)
make sure you're creating an emotion opposite or different to the one you're feeling. if you're sad, you wouldn't read the fault in our stars, would you? (maybe you would, to have something different to be sad about, but all i'm saying is use common sense with this one)
read emotional books (make sure they're not triggering)
listen to comedy cds or watch stand up routines on youtube (some comedy routines may be triggering if foul language or sexual humor triggers you, please use discretion)
listen to religious music, if you're into that
listen to emotional music (again, some emotional music can be triggering)
PUSHING AWAY
Build an imaginary wall between yourself and the situation. Imagine yourself pushing it away with all your strength.
Block the situation in your mind. Each time it comes up, tell it to go away, or put some other thoughts in its place, perhaps some more pleasant thoughts. Refuse to think about it. Try putting the pain on a shelf, or in a box, to contain it and get it out of the way. I use the technique of putting my distress in a locked box on a shelf in a closet. I can get it later, but right now I can let it go.
THOUGHTS
think about something funny, inspiring, or calming
count to fifty, then count backwards from fifty
do math crosswords or regular crosswords or word searches or sudoku
or if the sudoku frustrates you, here are some sudoku for kids
or if the sudoku frustrates you, here are some sudoku for kids
do a puzzle
read
write poetry
watch movies (links above)
SENSATIONS
put a cool wet wash cloth on the back of your neck or on your forehead
hold ice in your hand
snap a rubber band
take a hot/cold shower
taste something with a very strong taste, such as strong tea or coffee
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