Bulimia Basics

Think of all the ways an eating disorder upsets your life – you feel sad, guilty, shameful, depressed.  It may finally be time to turn over that new leaf for good.

So what can you do to overcome bulimia for good?

• Acknowledge that there is a problem. Admitting the problem and its negative impacty on your life is the first step toward recovery. This issue is making you unhappy, worrying others, and hurting your health. Facing a problem is always the first step towards tackling it.
• Get help. Start just by picking up the phone and speaking to someone who cares. A professional counselor, therapist, or treatment center may come later in the process of healing. First make that all important start.
• Break the cycle. An unhealthy obsession with food means that you think about it all the time, starve yourself, lose control, overeat and then punish yourself for it. It is a terrible, vicious cycle that you need to stop for good.
• Develop coping mechanisms. Stress is part of everyone’s life. How you react to that stress and cope with it is the critical difference. Online or offline support, journaling, learning stress management techniques are all ways to deal with stress in a healthy way. These positive practices give you tools that can help prevent harmful and obsessive behavior.
• Educate yourself. Some of your self-destructive behavior stems from a distorted sense of your body and self. A better understanding of nutrition and self image can make a huge difference. Knowledge is power! Clearing up misconceptions about food, nutrition and the working of the body can also help put you on the road to recovery.
• Believe in yourself. I have done it and you can, too. It is absolutely possible to achieve full recovery from an eating disorder. Look for ways to start loving yourself again, and take care of YOU again. This will help you regain your lost belief in yourself.  Self love is one of the most important gifts of recovery.
• Arm yourself with tools for recovery. Read about how others have successfully battled eating disorders and won! Start to really live life again and give yourself the best chance to do this by taking all the steps needed for a full and lasting recovery.

Remember: complete recovery is possible and you can do it!

You can have a normal, non-obsessive relationship with food. It is possible to aside that unhealthy preoccupation and embrace a healthy life, free from eating disorders. Forever!

Please visit my bulimia blog often and share your bulimia story, post comments and email me your feedback.  I would love to hear from you.