Sorry I haven't updated this blog in a while. Im off to Amsterdam in a few hours so thought I would put this post on before I go to try give some tips on dealing with your eating disorder during the festive period.
Christmas is probably one of my favourite times of the year however when you have an eating disorder/are recovering from an eating disorder it can also be a time full of anxiety as you are more than likely going to be surrounded by food and not only food but having meals in a social situation. Here are a few tips that will hopefully help you relax and enjoy the time you're spending with your family…
1. Be honest with somebody- If you know this is going to be a difficult time for you to deal with, please tell somebody you trust so they can support you through it. If you suffer in silence its more likely to make things worse as you'll just be keeping everything inside your own head. If you don't feel comfortable telling somebody you actually know then reach out to somebody online. I never realised how much support you could get just from strangers on instagram who are dealing with the same things as you are. If you reach out to somebody this way it could be helpful to both of you as you help each other through it and this could last not only for the christmas period but right through your recovery.
2. Think of a distraction for after your meal- I personally have my christmas dinner surrounded by family including grandparents, cousins, auntys and uncles so there is always a conversation flowing at the table through out the meal which is helpful as it helps to dull down the thoughts in my head. As somebody who has bulimia it is usually the thoughts after the meal that affect me the most and because of this I have learnt to distract myself. An example of this would be that once the table has been cleared I will gather my family together so that we can play a game that one of us may have got as a present. This stops me from running off to the toilet to purge and also keeps my mind off the toxic thoughts that may have been there before.
3. Don't think that everyone is watching you- Again this is something that I worry about as my family are aware of my eating disorder so when ever we all eat together I get paranoid that they're watching how much I eat but this is a pointless thought. Yes some of them may be watching out for me but most of the time they're probably thinking about when they can get their second servings haha. I have found that the paranoia about people watching you eat gets easier the more you do it in your recovery process.
4. Don't beat yourself up- If you had chocolate after your meal when you told yourself you wouldn't, or if you're in the recovery process and told yourself you'd finish your meal but don't manage to do it, don't keep worrying about it. Just enjoy the time you're spending with your loved ones.
5. Plan out the day- If you are a super anxious person and you know that having a plan in place will ease your anxiety then go ahead and do it. If you decide on an eating plan before the day itself then you will have time to process what your going to be eating and be able to put actions into place to help you through it.
6. ENJOY YOUR DAY!! - I know its a lot easier said than done but for me (and many of you I'm sure) I have let my eating disorder take way too much from me already and this is the first year my recovery has been a priority for me and I'm going to make sure I enjoy the day surrounded by my loved ones.
I should be uploading another post to this blog before christmas which will be my monthly update for november but just in case i don't manage to do it I hope you all have a lovely Christmas where ever you are and whatever you're doing!
Lorna
xxx
Christmas is probably one of my favourite times of the year however when you have an eating disorder/are recovering from an eating disorder it can also be a time full of anxiety as you are more than likely going to be surrounded by food and not only food but having meals in a social situation. Here are a few tips that will hopefully help you relax and enjoy the time you're spending with your family…
1. Be honest with somebody- If you know this is going to be a difficult time for you to deal with, please tell somebody you trust so they can support you through it. If you suffer in silence its more likely to make things worse as you'll just be keeping everything inside your own head. If you don't feel comfortable telling somebody you actually know then reach out to somebody online. I never realised how much support you could get just from strangers on instagram who are dealing with the same things as you are. If you reach out to somebody this way it could be helpful to both of you as you help each other through it and this could last not only for the christmas period but right through your recovery.
2. Think of a distraction for after your meal- I personally have my christmas dinner surrounded by family including grandparents, cousins, auntys and uncles so there is always a conversation flowing at the table through out the meal which is helpful as it helps to dull down the thoughts in my head. As somebody who has bulimia it is usually the thoughts after the meal that affect me the most and because of this I have learnt to distract myself. An example of this would be that once the table has been cleared I will gather my family together so that we can play a game that one of us may have got as a present. This stops me from running off to the toilet to purge and also keeps my mind off the toxic thoughts that may have been there before.
3. Don't think that everyone is watching you- Again this is something that I worry about as my family are aware of my eating disorder so when ever we all eat together I get paranoid that they're watching how much I eat but this is a pointless thought. Yes some of them may be watching out for me but most of the time they're probably thinking about when they can get their second servings haha. I have found that the paranoia about people watching you eat gets easier the more you do it in your recovery process.
4. Don't beat yourself up- If you had chocolate after your meal when you told yourself you wouldn't, or if you're in the recovery process and told yourself you'd finish your meal but don't manage to do it, don't keep worrying about it. Just enjoy the time you're spending with your loved ones.
5. Plan out the day- If you are a super anxious person and you know that having a plan in place will ease your anxiety then go ahead and do it. If you decide on an eating plan before the day itself then you will have time to process what your going to be eating and be able to put actions into place to help you through it.
6. ENJOY YOUR DAY!! - I know its a lot easier said than done but for me (and many of you I'm sure) I have let my eating disorder take way too much from me already and this is the first year my recovery has been a priority for me and I'm going to make sure I enjoy the day surrounded by my loved ones.
I should be uploading another post to this blog before christmas which will be my monthly update for november but just in case i don't manage to do it I hope you all have a lovely Christmas where ever you are and whatever you're doing!
Lorna
xxx
