Identify your common self judgments. Turn that self judgment into a nonjudgmental descriptive statement. When X happens describe the situation. I feel X use a feeling word e. Bringing your focus to your breathing helps you calm, relax and slow down your thinking.

It enables us to get in touch with the present moment and let go of all the thoughts and judgments about the past and future. Bring your attention to your thoughts and judgments when you are doing simple activities, like eating. Notice the thoughts you have about the food, as you eat it.

Judgments tend to activate extreme emotions. If you want to live a less judgmental life, you must first become aware of your own automatic thoughts and judgments. Learning to think non-judgmentally takes practice. You have to be aware of when judgmental thinking occurs and practice bringing your attention to just the facts.

Should I pursue more formal treatment? Should I engage in this behaviour? Do I want to hold on to my eating disorder or do I want change? There are often conflicting emotions around these kinds of decisions even if they feel like they "should" be straightforward.

Ambivalence is a normal and well-documented aspect of eating disorders. We have to remember that our eating disorders give us something, they serve a purpose in our lives.

Writing a pros and cons list around decisions can help you put your thoughts onto paper and create a visual to refer back to. It's helpful to avoid looking at things in black-and-white terms such as "good" or "bad.

One really helpful example of different way to look at pros and cons is the format used in DBT shown here and here. The body positive movement has been growing in recent years.

This is encouraging, but for some of us it can feel so impossibly far away. We live in a culture that teaches us from an early age to pick apart our flaws, to hate our bodies, and to change them to suit what society deems as "ideal.

If you can reach a place of loving your body, that is wonderful, but sometimes it's a long process and the place to start is simply learning to tolerate your body and potentially moving on from there.

If you only learn tolerance, that's okay too. It's just about putting down our weapons and refusing to fight with our bodies any longer. Sometimes focusing on what our bodies allow us to do can be helpful. If you love gardening you practice appreciating the feel of the sun on your skin and your hands working in the soil, the strength in your arms to pull and to plant.

Your body allows you those experiences. Finally, surround yourself with body positive role models like Sonja Renee Taylor , Megan Jayne Crabbe , and Jen Bretty. Opposite action is another helpful DBT strategy.

It involves recognizing an urge and going against it. This skill is relevant to eating disorders, impulsive behaviours, anxiety, and depression. The following is taken from an article on Psychology Today written by Jennifer Rollin :.

Then, based on these answers, a person decides whether to act on their urge or to do an action that is opposite to the urge. Emotions are important in that they provide us with information and signals about things to pay attention to in our lives.

For instance, feeling anxiety about an important exam could serve as a motivator to study. Or feeling anxious while walking home alone at night could help someone to maintain a better awareness of their surroundings.

Over time, this avoidance behavior only serves to make the anxiety worse. For instance, pushing yourself to have meals out at a restaurant despite feeling afraid , would be taking an opposite action. It's a skill that takes practice as it involves distancing oneself from sometimes very intense emotions in the moment.

Triggers are everywhere in the world around us. Some are avoidable and some are not. Some are specific to your individual experience and some are broader.

There are certain steps you can take to avoid some triggers which can be a helpful way to support your own recovery and well-being.

You can do your best to avoid situations where you might be triggered e. large crowds and close proximity to others. You can avoid looking at harmful online images and content in certain "pro" communities. You can steer yourself to some degree away from harmful media content e.

shows that depict sexual violence - there's actually a great website called Unconsenting Media that works with a list of media that has suggestions of or actual depictions of sexual violence. Love Our Bodies Love Ourselves has featured a few articles on taking care around social media and managing triggers.

Nutritionists Social Media Strategies for Preventing Food Obsessions. How Social Media Can Harm Body Image. Eating Disorder Accountability: The Media Indirectly Says Lose Weight. The other side of trigger management is that the world is full of them and sometimes challenging yourself to work through those triggers can be an important part of your recovery especially in regards to weight, body shape, and imagery.

Determining whether that's where you're at is an individual process. Relapse happens; it's a normal part of recovery. That said, there are steps we can take to avoid relapses and to get back up from them when they do occur. The following is an excerpt from Kelty Mental Health :. Relapse is when a person who is in recovery goes back to disordered eating behaviours or negative thoughts about food, weight, and body size.

The way to prevent a relapse is to recognize and deal with some of the things that could get in the way of recovery. Likewise, the more I knew what strengthened me and the support and resources I possessed, the easier it was to adapt.

Develop a support system — and use it! These people can be members of your family, your friends, or your care providers. They will be there to help you when you are struggling with a difficult situation or experience. Some people find it useful to make a list of names and phone numbers to call if they start to slip back into old thought patterns or unhealthy eating behaviours.

Reduce negative influences - try to identify the negative influences in your life, and find ways to reduce or avoid these unhelpful situations.

These negative influences might include people who make unhelpful comments about their own weight and appearance, or trigger you to make unhelpful comparisons about your weight or shape. Your own thoughts can also be unhelpful!

Learn to challenge any destructive thoughts you have about yourself. Make a list of all of your good qualities and use it when you feel critical or negative.

Each person has their own triggers. They often include feeling stressed, anxious, depressed or lonely. Sometimes an upsetting or traumatic experience can be a trigger. Some people are more likely to relapse at certain times of the year, for example during holidays or exams.

To identify your triggers, think of times when you were tempted to act on eating disorder urges. Try to figure out what contributed to these urges. Make a personal coping plan - make a list of different triggers that could cause you to act on eating disorder urges. Then, come up with a plan for dealing with each of these triggers in a healthier way.

Your coping plan might include calling a friend, taking a walk, or writing in a journal. Eat snacks and meals regularly - a meal and snack schedule can prevent you from going back to disordered eating or unhelpful eating behaviours. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time, and stick to your plan!

Eat three meals a day, plus snacks, at regular times about every 3 hours. A consistent schedule will be good for both your emotional and physical health. Your family may be able to help by eating meals together with you as often as possible.

Keep busy and stay involved - get involved in a hobby or activity that you enjoy. If you make time to do the things you enjoy, or to do nice things for others, your focus will shift away from your eating disorder. It can also help to keep you motivated to recover and to stay connected to your surroundings and the people in your community.

Make time for yourself - it is important to take time to do something good for yourself every day. Some people find it helpful to use this time to relax or reflect. Some do yoga or meditation. Others draw, paint, write, or listen to music. No matter what you choose, remind yourself that you are important.

You deserve to take this time to do something that is just for you! Signs of Relapse It is important to remember that recovery is possible, even for those who have struggled with eating disorder symptoms for a long time.

If we know some of the signs of relapse, we may recognize when someone is returning to eating disorder patterns. Then, there is a chance to prevent a slip from turning into a relapse. If you notice some of these signs in yourself or a loved one, and are worried that a relapse may happen, it is important to get help right away.

The support of a mental health professional can be very important in preventing relapse. About Supports We Offer Projects Events Home Our Community Learn About Eating Disorders Resources Resources for Clinicians Resources for Self Empowerment Get Involved Blog.

Coping skills. at the root of it, an eating disorder is a coping mechanism Eating disorders serve as a means of coping that an individual has learned through experience.

The Function of Emotions Oftentimes, people with eating disorders experience emotions as unpleasant and one effective way of numbing those unpleasant emotions is by engaging in eating disordered behaviours.

Radical Acceptance Radical Acceptance is the skill of accepting non-judgmentally the things you can't change. Three Myths about Acceptance: IF YOU REFUSE TO ACCEPT SOMETHING, IT WILL MAGICALLY CHANGE.

IF YOU ACCEPT A PAINFUL SITUATION, YOU WILL BE WEAK IF YOU ACCEPT YOUR PAINFUL SITUATION, YOU ARE ACCEPTING A LIFE OF PAIN. Refusing to tolerate a situation. Refusing to do what is needed. Sitting on the sidelines of life and refusing to play.

Responding effectively or appropriately to the current situation. Doing what works. Doing just what is needed in the current moment. EVEN IF IT SUCKS. Steps to take when willfulness holds you back.

Notice it. Radically accept it. Turn your mind towards acceptance and willingness. Self-Compassion Self-compassion is a really important skill to learn and practice consistently in your life, not just when you are struggling with your eating disorder. Kristin Neff, a leading researcher in the area identifies three components of self-compassion: Self-kindness vs self-judgment Common Humanity vs isolation, and Mindfulness vs over-identification.

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