You can recover from your eating disorder, and it takes continual, dedicated effort on a regular basis. Paying attention to your recovery efforts when you are in the mood doesn't work. In fact, when you are not in the mood to do recovery work is often the most valuable time to make genuine progress in your healing. So first you need to committ to giving yourself the time and attention you need.
Step One:
Make a regular appointment with yourself to travel on your Triumphant Journey. Give yourself a day, at least once a week, and a time. Give yourself a minimum of half an hour. Keep your appointment.
Over time, you can increase your appointments with yourself. In the beginning stages, give yourself a schedule you can maintain. Keep it small and simple. You can increase your efforts as you gain strength and confidence.
Step Two:
Obtain a 3-ring loose-leaf notebook for 8 ?" by 11" sheets. Print out the seven preparations of Secret Discovering Exercises. Use a three-hole punch to fit those pages at the beginning of your book. Print out the Action Steps listed below and insert the pages in your notebook.
Write or print out each of the 20 secret discovering questions on a separate page. Insert each page with a question on it in your book. Place at least two blank sheets of paper after each question page. (Some questions may relate to you more than others. For now, keep them all in your book.) Print out the Exercises to Stop Overeating and put them in your notebook, or see step two to download a copy of Triumphant Journey.
Step Three
Any time you find yourself in an overeating situation, move as quickly as you can to these exercises and find what is helpful for you. When you begin to discover additional situations and helpful exercises on your own, write them down in this section. It's amazing how brilliant we can be in the moment and how quickly we can forget our own discoveries.
Write down your newfound strengths and understandings so you can recover them when you need them. Use a divider to separate the sections in your notebook so you can easily find specific areas.
Eating Disorder Recovery Action Steps in Online Self Help Workbook 1-3
Eating Disorder Recovery Action Steps in Online Self Help Workbook 4-6
Eating Disorder Recovery Action Steps in Online Self Help Workbook 7-9
Eating Disorder Recovery Action Steps in Online Self Help Workbook 10-12
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Written by Joanna Poppink, MFT. Joanna is a psychotherapist in private practice specializing in eating disorder recovery, stress, PTSD, and adult development.
She is licensed in CA, AZ, OR, FL, and UT. Author of the Book: Healing Your Hungry Heart: Recovering from Your Eating Disorder
Appointments are virtual.
For a free telephone consultation, e-mail her at
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