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How to Cope When You Stumble – by, Intern Anna

by | Aug 28, 2022 | Caregiving, Communication, Distress - Yours, Mine and Ours, Education, Hope, Mindfulness, Recovery, Support, Tools for Caregivers

Thank you to Intern Anna for filling in for me this week as I’m traveling to Minnesota and attending a wedding.

How to Cope When You Stumble – by, Intern Anna

Eating disorders are tricky. They try to sneak comments into your head and want you to believe them. Even while I’m in recovery, I still have disordered eating thoughts occasionally. It hurts to write that, but I know with each step forward, the closer I get to having my freedom from ED.

A lot of the time eating disorder thoughts come from comparison. Comparing oneself to someone else or to a past self, perhaps. When I have those types of thoughts, it can feel easy to be beaten down. One of the strategies I’ve been employing is to think of talking to yourself like you would talk to a friend or loved one. This helps tackle the thought and allows a chance for self compassion instead of criticism.

In the moment though, that can be harder to do. I think remembering that your first thought does not necessarily equal the truth can help to create some space with the thought. Then coming back to your self compassion and coping skills to continue to calm yourself down.

Personally, when I get triggered or I have a disordered eating thought, I know I can feel really defeated. It’s difficult to constantly feel in battle with your mind. Recognizing that you are having a hard moment can aid in calming down. It is hard to focus or reframe thoughts when your nervous system is so active. Taking the time to calm down your body will help you to be able to clear your head.

Throughout my recovery process I’ve always heard the phrase “recovery is not linear.” I know for us people pleasers and perfectionists that can be hard to take in. There are days when you want to throw in the towel when you stumble. Another way to think about this is to recognize reaching for recovery is the difficult step and the most rewarding one too. Recognize that freedom can not be earned without hard work and errors. Each error could be seen as just another obstacle to get around.

My tips for coping with stumbles:

  1. Pause.
  2. Talk to myself like I would talk to a friend or loved one.
  3. Stop comparing myself to others.
  4. Remember my first thought is not necessarily the truth.
  5. Use self compassion to recognize this is hard.
  6. Take time to calm my body.
  7. Reframe thoughts.
  8. See mistakes as obstacles to help me grow stronger in recovery.

Take small steps, do self care, and remember that you can beat the ED!

Intern Anna for Becky Henry

Message from Becky:

We are so grateful to our generous sponsors! One of their benefits is to share an event or highlight their programs in one of our newsletters during the year. Our Sponsor, Timberline Knolls would like you to know about their outpatient programs:

At Timberline Knolls we offer a full continuum of care from residential treatment to outpatient services. Our outpatient services, including IOP and PHP, are available to adult women, age 18 and above, both as a direct admit or step-down. Our outpatient program offers excellent therapeutic interventions, highly-trained compassionate staff and clinical support seven days a week.  We also have sober and supportive housing for individuals in our PHP and IOP, which comes with transportation to and from programming.

Timberline Knolls uses evidence-based treatment modalities at our outpatient programs including: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); Recovery Principles; Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT); Expressive art; crisis intervention; exposure therapy; motivational interviewing; music therapy; solution-focused therapy; trauma-specific therapies and psycho-education.

  • Treatment at our PHP includes: 
  • -Five to seven days a week programming from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.    
  • -Breakfast, snack and lunch (meals supported with a dietitian and clinical staff); breakfast and lunch during weekday sessions/lunch during weekend sessions. 
  •  -Individualized care plans including psycho-educational, process, and expressive groups.
  • -Two therapy sessions per week, including  individual and family sessions as clinically indicated.
  • -Meetings with a case manager to discuss aftercare planning.
  • -Medication management services and medical consultations, including one weekly session with our onsite medical provider.
  • -Weekly nutritional counseling with a dietitian, if clinically indicated.
  • -Grocery outings twice a week with a Registered Dietitian. 
  • -Social outings once a week to practice coping and social skills.

Timberline Knolls Outpatient Services (IOP) Includes:

  • -Five day-a-week programming, from 9:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. 
  • -Individualized care plans including psycho-educational and process groups. 
  • -One therapy session per week. 
  • -Social outings once a week to practice coping and social skills.
  • Supportive housing is available for both PHP and IOP clients. 
  • -Housing is located on a beautiful campus.
  • -Clients have evenings off, with the autonomy to explore the surrounding area, or hang out with friends and family.
  • -Behavioral Health Associate Staff (BHA) available for check-in’s and skills coaching.
  • -Curfew is at 9:30 p.m.

We are in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield for our outpatient services . For more information, please call 877.257.9611  or visit us at:  https://www.timberlineknolls.com/program/php/