Today Intern Anna is sharing insights on judgments. ~ Becky
Judgments & Eating Disorder Recovery – by Intern Anna
How often do you make judgments about yourself and those around you?
If you are being honest, probably quite often. And you aren’t alone. I find myself placing judgments throughout the day so frequently that sometimes I wonder how I ever have a positive self image.
That got me thinking, if we talk to ourselves negatively, that means we are increasing the negative thoughts we have each day. Hence, the way we talk about ourselves matters.
Most of the negative thoughts we have in a day are automatic negative thoughts. They pop up so quickly that it is hard to resist giving them the time of day. These automatic negative thoughts may come from our own insecurities, the environment we live in, etc.
With eating disorders, these automatic negative thoughts are constantly telling us how worthless and ugly we should feel. It is because of these thoughts that disordered eating patterns occur. I believed these thoughts. I thought that I needed to be skinnier and that I wasn’t pretty enough. Those thoughts led me to change my behaviors through restricting my eating and overexercising.
The first thing to do is to start noticing your judgmental thoughts.
We don’t usually think we have a lot, but counting them will help you realize the reality. It can be frustrating to have such automatic judgments. Continue to give yourself grace and recognize that these thoughts are normal and can be rewired.
The brain has high plasticity, which means it can rewire pathways fairly easily. With each new experience we have, our brain is making new connections. Thus, by recognizing the judgments that we have, we will be better prepared to start changing how we speak to ourselves and others.
After counting your judgments, recognize what other thoughts could be had about yourself or your situation.
With my eating disorder, I would start to make room for thoughts that told me that I was worthy regardless of what my body looked like and that food could be enjoyed. As you begin to recognize these judgments, it will be easier to talk to yourself in a kinder way.
Remember, even though we try hard to change our thoughts, judgments will still come up. It is important that you give yourself credit for the hard work you are putting in.
We have thousands of thoughts each day; this means you have so many opportunities to explore shifting your mind to more uplifting thoughts rather than judgments. ~ Intern Anna
Thank you Anna for sharing your hard earned insights!
I also want to thank our renewing sponsor this March, Monte Nido and Affiliates for your support of the work of Hope Network, LLC so that family caregivers can get their needs met to be calm, compassionate, confident caregivers! We are so grateful for your generous support of this work!
