I'm back everyone, i've renewed this domain!
Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Sunday, 16 October 2016
Yes, you can beat 'good' and 'bad' food thoughts.
There are a few points that we all need to remember about beating good and bad food thoughts!
You need to tell yourself the truth. Food is FUEL. It is ENERGY. That's why calories are known as the energy information. It is energy to live. Food contains nutrients and vitamins that keep your body alive.
Bread is a fear food for many who are recovering or dealing with an eating disorder, but guess what? Bread actually has important and crucial carbs and B-vitamins to feed your brain, bones and muscles! Another fact, ice cream has essential fatty acids for healthy hormones and healthy hair, skin, and nails, as well as calcium for your bones! How amazing is that??
Food is meant to be enjoyed! Eating comfort foods are fine. Like some foods contain more nutritional value than others, and other foods contain emotional comfort, pleasure, and social experiences. These experiences are wonderful for your mental, emotional, and social health.
Your body is structured to enjoy and feel pleasure from food! If humans didn’t enjoy food, we wouldn’t be alive! When we’re hungry, our brain is designed to go out and seek food and feel pleasure when we eat to keep us alive.
You need to tell yourself the truth. Food is FUEL. It is ENERGY. That's why calories are known as the energy information. It is energy to live. Food contains nutrients and vitamins that keep your body alive.
Bread is a fear food for many who are recovering or dealing with an eating disorder, but guess what? Bread actually has important and crucial carbs and B-vitamins to feed your brain, bones and muscles! Another fact, ice cream has essential fatty acids for healthy hormones and healthy hair, skin, and nails, as well as calcium for your bones! How amazing is that??
Food is meant to be enjoyed! Eating comfort foods are fine. Like some foods contain more nutritional value than others, and other foods contain emotional comfort, pleasure, and social experiences. These experiences are wonderful for your mental, emotional, and social health.
Your body is structured to enjoy and feel pleasure from food! If humans didn’t enjoy food, we wouldn’t be alive! When we’re hungry, our brain is designed to go out and seek food and feel pleasure when we eat to keep us alive.
Sunday, 9 October 2016
World Mental Health Day (October 10)
Today is World Mental Health Day, make a promise to yourself - a promise is yours, and yours alone, and can be anything you think will help to look after your own mental health and wellbeing.
Shocking news but, according to the World Health Organization, by 2030, depression will be the leading illness in the world.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a very important day for us all. There is no better time than now to educate people on mental health issues and raise awareness. YOU could save a life.
Here is a great link: https://1010.org.au/need-help
Shocking news but, according to the World Health Organization, by 2030, depression will be the leading illness in the world.
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a very important day for us all. There is no better time than now to educate people on mental health issues and raise awareness. YOU could save a life.
Here is a great link: https://1010.org.au/need-help
Quote of the Day!
Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud.
- Maya Angelou
Remember this.
You are not what happened to you.
You are what you choose to become.
You are a survivor.
You are strong.
You are loved.
You are what you choose to become.
You are a survivor.
You are strong.
You are loved.
How to have a wonderful day!
- Smile at strangers
- Slow down
- Look at some flowers
- Enjoy the sunshine
- Say please and thank you
- Laugh
- Wish others a lovely day
- Pet a cute animal or look at cute animals on youtube
- Eat some nice, filling food
- Listen to your favourite songs
- Slow down
- Look at some flowers
- Enjoy the sunshine
- Say please and thank you
- Laugh
- Wish others a lovely day
- Pet a cute animal or look at cute animals on youtube
- Eat some nice, filling food
- Listen to your favourite songs
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
Thursday, 29 September 2016
DIY: Distraction Box
A distraction box, or self harm survival kit, is just that - a box full of things to distract you from self injuring. You can put anything in there that you like, and can decorate the box however much you want to. Some things that we think could help include:
- Stress balls
Pen and paper
Chamomile tea bag (renowned for relieving stress apparently)
Bubble wrap
Positive quotes
Funny cartoons (laughter is best medicine)
Crossword
Plasticine
Phone numbers, useful websites
Photos or pictures that mean something to you
Sudoku or little puzzle games
Positive stories from others
Questions to ask yourself before you self harm
Some riddles
Essential oil scents like lavender, clary sage and rosemary, all good for anxiety, depression type symptoms
Crosswords
A rubix cube
Jokes - silly simple jokes that make people laugh because they're so cheesy!
Bubble wrap
A cuddly toy
Small colouring book and pencils
Photos of relaxing scenes - mountains, rivers, etc.
Question/therapy/avoidance cards that say things like 'Do I really want to do this?' or something supportive
Your favourite film - something you always enjoy watching
A good (but non triggery) book
A CD of uplifting music
Monday, 26 September 2016
Thursday, 22 September 2016
Seeking help with self harm.
The major step is to talk to someone about it. It can be scary to bring up a topic that you've tried so hard to hide, but it can also be a significant release to finally let go of your secret and share what you’re struggling with.
It can be difficult to decide who you should open up to. It's best to select someone who isn’t going to gossip or try to take control of your recovery. Choose from whoever in your life makes you feel accepted and supported. That person could be a friend, teacher, therapist or relative. Remember, you don’t always have to choose someone you are close to.
It's important to focus on your emotions when you approach the topic of self harm with someone you trust. To best approach the situation, focus on the feelings or situations that lead to the self injury. This can allow the person you’re telling, to understand where you’re coming from. It also helps to let the person know why you’re telling them.
If talking in person is too daunting, perhaps a phone call or an email, or perhaps even a letter will be easier. However, don't pressure yourself into sharing things that you are certainly not comfortable disclosing. Remember, you're not obliged to show someone your self injury unless you feel the need to, ie. if there is an infection or the injury needs immediate medical treatment.
As confronting as it is to mention, it may also be difficult for the person you tell—especially if it’s a close friend or family member. They may react in a way that you do not like, such as reactions out of shock or fear or even anger. This is usually due to the fear and lack of understanding many have about self injury.
The better they understand self-harm, the better able they’ll be to support you.
Talking about self-harm can be very distressing and bring up a lot of emotions. It’s uncomfortable to confront and change behaviours that have stuck with a person for a while. But once you get past these first obstacles, you’ll start to feel better.
When's the right time to recover?
There is never more of a right time than NOW.
Believe that you can do this, no matter what.
That you can HEAL and RECOVER FULLY, no matter what anyone THINKS.
No matter what anyone has told you in the past.
No matter what you believed yesterday.
It can all be changed, instantly, right now.
But you HAVE to make a decision.
..because if you wait until you FEEL like doing recovery, well… you will be waiting FOREVER.
A lovely quote for the day.
"I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.”
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
The scales.
I think it is so hard to destroy the scale because even in recovery, it is one last little piece of control. So that if things “get out of hand" with our weight, we will at least know. Because the only thing scarier than gaining (more) weight is not knowing when we gain weight.
The number on the scale has the ability to determine my mood for the entire day or even week and had became what I used to measure my worth..
No matter what the number was - high, low, or even if it remained the same - it was never, ever good enough. Logically it would make sense for a person who finds it so difficult to see the number on the scale to simply throw it out. Never weigh themselves again. That's not how it works.
For some of us the scale becomes the last piece of control we can grasp onto.
Letting go of the scale can be one of the more difficult parts of recovery for some, but please believe me when I say it is worth it. Although there might be a period of "withdrawal" and temptation to seek out a scale, it does not mean those eating disordered thoughts need to win. The best advice I received was to get angry and smash my scale with a sledgehammer, run it over with my car, or at least have a friend hide it. With a little time, it is possible to be completely free from compulsive weighing behaviors.
I've said it before, but I will say it again - life is too short to allow a bathroom scale to control my life. If you haven't already, go throw out your scale... now.
Consider this.
"...It's funny, when people think of triggers for people with eating disorders they often think of glossy magazines or models on catwalks. But, like you, loneliness is one of my biggest triggers.
Because ultimately, eating disorders are a coping mechanism for dealing with life.
Because ultimately, eating disorders are a coping mechanism for dealing with life.
People with eating disorders aren't "crazy" or shallow.
They are just people who are struggling."
Eating Disorder recovery phases
1. I Don’t Think I Have a Problem.
- It’s my body so leave me alone.
- There are people who are a lot thinner (worse) than I am
2. I Might Have a Problem But It’s Not That Bad.
- I only throw up once in a while.
- My physical didn’t show anything wrong so I am OK.
3. I Have a Problem But I Don’t Care.
- I know throwing up isn’t good for me, but it’s working for me so I don’t care.
- I could change if I wanted to, but I don’t.
4. I Want To Change But I Don’t Know How and I’m Scared.
- I want to eat normally, but I am afraid I will get fat (gain weight).
- I want to stop bingeing, but I can’t figure out where to start.
5. I Tried To Change But I Couldn’t.
- I told myself that I would not (fill in the blank) but I found myself doing it again.
- I don’t feel like I can really ever (change) get well, so why keep trying?
6. I Can Stop Some of the Behaviors But Not All of Them.
- I could stop purging, but I will not be able to eat more.
- My eating has gotten better, but my exercise is out of control.
7. I Can Stop the Behaviors, But Not My Thoughts.
- I can’t stop thinking about food and bingeing all the time.
- I keep counting calories over and over in my head and still want to lose weight.
8. I Am Often Free From Behaviors and Thoughts, But Not All the Time.
- I feel fine all day, but under stress I revert back to my unhealthy behaviors.
- I was fine, but wearing a bathing suit triggered my eating disorder thoughts, and with it some related behaviors.
9. I Am Free From Behaviors and Thoughts.
- I feel mostly OK in my body and am able to eat things I want and not feel guilty or anxious afterwards.
- Once I had stopped the behaviors for a period of time, at some point I realized that I was no longer having the thoughts or urges.
10. I Am Recovered.
- For a long time now, I no longer have thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to my eating disorder.
- I accept my body’s natural size. My eating disorder is a thing of the past.