Relapse Prevention
May 21st, 2007 by edsupport
Nourish yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually. Accept that everyone has needs, legitimate needs, and you don’t need to be ashamed of yours. Learn how to meet your needs in healthy, responsible ways. If you make yourself feel needy, you will be tempted to look for comfort in diet books or the refrigerator. Especially make sure that every day you spend time with friends. In person is best, but phone calls and e-mail are better than nothing.
Also every day spend time doing things you are good at, things you can take pride in, things that demonstrate your competency and abilities. Allow yourself to enjoy your accomplishments and refuse to listen to the nagging inner voice that insists you could do better if only you tried harder.
Schedule something to look forward to every day, something that’s fun and pleasurable. Watch comedy videos and laugh out loud at outrageous jokes. Play something — a board game, a computer game, a musical instrument, tapes or CDs. Go outside and enjoy the birds, trees, flowers, and fresh air. If you live in the middle of a big city, go to a park. Make something with your own hands. Figure out how to give yourself a fun break from the daily routine, and then do it.
Keep tabs on your feelings. Several times during the day, especially in the first stages of recovery, take time out and ask yourself how you feel. If you notice rising stress, anger, anxiety, fear, sadness — and even strong joy — be alert to the possibility that you may try to dull these strong emotions by turning to, or away from, food. Find a better way of dealing with your feelings such as talking them over with a trusted friend.
Do someting meaningful every day, something that gives you a sense of having made the world a better place, if only in some small way. If you do this consistently, you will build a sense of your dignity, value and ability to make a difference in your world.
The 12-step folks have a useful formula. When they feel on the verge of falling into old behaviors, they say HALT! Then they ask, “Am I too Hungry, too Angry, too Lonely, or too Tired?” All of those states are strong ***** triggers. Additional triggers for people with eating disorders seem to be Boredom and Unstructured time. If you find yourself stressed by any of these feelings, figure out a healthier and more effective way of dealing with them than ***** eating or starving.
If you feel yourself slipping back into unhealthy habits, call your therapist and schedule an appointment. Returning to counseling in no way means you have failed. It means only that it’s time to reevaluate and fine tune your recovery plan.
ANRED Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc.
