Treatment for eating disorders is a multi-faceted process. It generally involves attention to all parts of one’s wellbeing and lifestyle, including therapy for the emotional aspects of the disorder, nutritional education, and family counseling. Treatment for eating disorders also commonly co-occurs with substance abuse treatment.
While you may hear many pieces of advice during your treatment, the details of each person’s treatment will differ. Today we’ll cover four tips that can help anyone on their way to recovery, regardless of each specific situation.
Tips for Successful Treatment for Eating Disorders
1. Find support
Living with an eating disorder can be stressful and even scary; treatment can also be a challenge. Your treatment team is there to support you, and you can also recruit friends and loved ones to form a support group. Look for people who will support your recovery and be there to lift your mood or distract you from triggering thoughts and situations. It may be frightening to let others in on your struggles, but having a support system during this journey can give you a better chance of success.
2. Ditch the scale
If your therapist or physician is monitoring your weight, that’s fine. However, it’s often best for clients in treatment for eating disorders to avoid seeing the number on the scale, and definitely to stop weighing themselves at home. During recovery, your weight may fluctuate significantly. Any change may feel threatening and cause anxiety. This feedback is not helpful. Allow your treatment team to keep tabs on your weight if needed, but make a conscious effort not to obtain that information right now. Your job is to focus instead on your health and wellbeing.
3. Find an outlet for stress
Many women in treatment for eating disorders use food, dieting, or extreme exercise as a way to cope with stress. Of course, this type of coping is ultimately counterproductive and can even be dangerous. One way to move on from disordered eating is to find alternate, healthy ways to manage stress, such as yoga, meditation, a favorite hobby, or quiet walks in nature. These stress management strategies can be soothing during times of distress.
4. Trust the process
Treatment for eating disorders is challenging. It requires a leap of faith on the part of the client. It’s important to trust that the process of recovery will be successful despite your current struggles, and that your life after recovery will be more joy-filled and rewarding than ever.
If you or someone you love is having problems with alcohol abuse, chemical dependency or addiction, recovery from a drug abuse program, like the one at Destination Hope, may be the answer. Remember that recovery from addiction and alcohol abuse treatment means learning how to cope with intensely emotional situations, and identifying when you need help and support. Treatment for addiction relapse, counseling, and aftercare can help you do this, so please call us today. Destination Hope is a full-service addiction and health treatment facility in Florida for men and women who suffer from substance abuse and behavioral health issues.
