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Eating Disorder Self Care in the New Year: Start at any time

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Category: Psychotherapy and Recovery Work

Self care wards off an eating disorder crash

The beginning of a new year is often a time of hope for the end of eating disorder symptoms. You want to start the new year fresh. Without considering needed self care you promise yourself that you won’t binge or purge or restrict in this bright new year. This will be your new beginning. Without regular self care to back up your promises to yourself you are in danger of a crash.

Stress can trigger anxiety. Anxiety can trigger a binge or period of restricting. An eating disorder gives you an immediate action  with an immediate consequence. When you step into recovery, patience and enduring commitment are necessary. Living with an active eating disorder is different from living within recovery mode. You learn to tolerate your discomfort. This is new. This requires a self care practice you can rely on.

The Blush of the NewYear Fades

In the first few weeks of the new year you discover promises don't insure instant Fast changes for the better

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Eating Disorders and Coping with Feelings after New Years

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Category: Psychotherapy and Recovery Work

Coping with feelings as holidays end

If you have or had an eating disorder, January can be difficult emotional territory. The promises of the new year and  the activities of the holidays fade. Coping with feelings can be difficult when days are the usual Monday through Friday with a week-end attached, just like before.

The hope for sudden and lasting change fragments. If you were happy during the holidays you hoped it would set a new trend for your everyday life. If you were sad and lonely during the holidays you hoped that you would start a new way of living that would bring in more friendship and community.

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Support Your Eating Disorder Recovery after Hospitalization

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Category: Psychotherapy and Recovery Work

Rescued from eating disorder emergency

After her emergency six week hospitalization for eating disorder recovery Bethany asked me if bringing her home living space into order will help her stabilize.  To me, it sounds as if her emergency escort to the hospital was a rescue mission, and that she is lucky she the medical team saved her life.

Now it's time for her to take over and rescue her own life.  That's true for everyone with an eating disorder. The big questions are when to start? what to do? how to start? 

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Eating Disorder In-Patient Experience

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Category: Psychotherapy and Recovery Work

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Reality of eating disorder in-patient treatment

A wonderful, honest, detailed and accurate description of what it's like to go through an eating disorder in-patient experience is a gift to anyone with an eating disorder.
 
Molly Freedenberg shared her eating disorder recovery viewpoint.Her post dispels myths and fantasies about early recovery. I'm especially glad that her vivid examples make clear that in-patient or residential treatment is the beginning, not the end of recovery work.