Here is the handout I gave part of the all day NAMI The National Alliance on Mental Illness conference in Los Angeles where I presented a workshop to women with eating disorders and to people who want to help a person with an eating disorder recover.  In attendance were women with partial eating disorder recovery, no recovery, unsure if they had an eating disorder, worried that they might have an eating disorder.  Also present were mothers of teen-agers and adults, grandmothers of teen-agers and adults, sober-living directors, mental health clinicians and interns. It was an emotionally moving yet inspiring experience for all of us. (Outline included at end of this post)*. The workshop title was was: 

"One Person Has An Eating Disorder,

Another Wants To Help Her Get Well."

 

 Handout

Eating Disorder Recovery Tips for Everyone Concerned

By Joanna Poppink, MFT

 

Self care IS other care. True self care promotes healing and happiness.

What you give to yourself you also make possible to give to another.

 

What self care do you need?  Is it in your life?  How can you put it in your life?

 

1. Kindness
2. Compassion
3. Relaxation
4. Peace
5. Beauty
6. Love
7. Support
8. Education
9. Encouragement
10. Presence
11. Time
12. Joy
13. Play
14. Listening to your heart
15. Honoring your authentic values
16. Saying “No” when you mean it
17. Freeing yourself to say “Yes” when you mean it
18. Eat when hungry
19. Drink when thirsty
20. Sleep when tired

 

In Feng Shui, health is in the center with no tasks for you to create it.  Health happens when everything around the center is in balance.

 

Happiness is like that.  You do nothing specific for direct happiness.  When self care is in balance, happiness happens.

 

Exercise:

 

In times of stress, change and disruption stop. Sit. Feet flat on floor.  Do Mindful Breathing. Move one foot to the side.  Keep breathing mindfully. Remain still and quiet.  Bring yourself in balance. Move your other foot. Bring yourself to balance.

 

What’s happening? Your body teaches your psyche that you are present during shifts and changes. Your emotions settle and your mind clears.  You are free to make wise decisions and take wise action.

 

Joanna Poppink, MFT is a Los Angeles psychotherapist specializing in eating disorder recovery for adults and counseling for their loved ones. http://www.eatingdisorderrecvery.com

Contact information, sign up for mailing list, make appt. Initial telephone consultation is free.

(310) 474-4165  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

*  Workshop Outline:

1. Basic challenges in recovering from your own eating disorder and how to meet them.
2. Basic challenges in helping your loved one recover from their eating disorder and how to meet them.
3. Personal private work, communication styles and boundary recognition issues are described.
4. Where love helps, where it gets in the way, knowing the difference and shifting to recovery mode is explored.