Navigating Urges to Restrict in Eating Disorder Recovery
Navigating urges to restrict can be one of the most challenging aspects of eating disorder recovery.
As eating disorder therapists, we 💯 get it.
These urges, often intense and overwhelming, can feel like immovable obstacles on the path to recovery. We want you to know that understanding and moving through these impulses is possible in ED recovery.
Here are strategies and reflections on how to navigate these urges effectively.
Get Curious About the Origins of Urges to Restrict
Recognizing the root causes of the urge to restrict can be a powerful first step. Often, these urges are not just about food but are tied to deeper emotional or psychological needs. These might include coping with stress, anxiety, or feelings of control.
Identifying these underlying factors can help you address the core issues rather than just the symptoms.
Try keeping a note on your phone to pause and explore the feelings leading up to the urge and what you might be needing.
Develop a Support System
Recovery is not a solo journey. Having a support system in place, whether it's friends, family, therapists, or a support group, can provide the encouragement and support needed to navigate tough moments. Sharing your experiences and struggles with others who understand can make you feel less isolated and more empowered to ride out your urges.
Create a Flexible Meal Structure
Creating a flexible structure that supports you to turn toward food every few hours can reduce the stress and anxiety around food. The key to this is flexibility- allowing yourself to touch into hunger/fullness/cravings to make choices that align with your recovery goals while still enjoying food.
Practice Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
Mindfulness techniques can help you stay present and grounded, reducing the power of intrusive thoughts or urges to restrict. For techniques that might support you, sign up for our free membership portal!
Practices like mindful eating can also enhance your relationship with food, making meals a more positive experience. Combining mindfulness with self-compassion is key; be kind to yourself, acknowledging that recovery is a process with ups and downs.
Identify Coping Strategies
Developing healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with negative emotions or stress can decrease the likelihood of turning to food restriction. Activities that promote relaxation and well-being, such as exercise, reading, or engaging in a hobby, can be effective in helping your identify and ride out urges to restrict.
Here are a few coping strategies to try:
TIPP
Temperature: Changing your body temperature by, for example, splashing your face with cold water to calm down quickly.
Intense Exercise: Engaging in intense physical activity for a short period to burn off energy and reduce the intensity of the urge.
Paced Breathing: Breathing deeply and slowly to calm the nervous system.
Paired Muscle Relaxation: Tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups to reduce physical tension.
Mindfulness Techniques
Observation: Simply observing your thoughts and sensations without judgment can help you detach from them and reduce their power.
Participation: Fully immersing yourself in the current activity can help distract you from the urge and provide a sense of peace and enjoyment.
Wise Mind
The concept of Wise Mind involves finding the balance between the emotional mind (governed by feelings) and the reasonable mind (governed by logic and facts). This balance is where you make decisions that are in your best interest. Remembering to access your "Wise Mind" can help you make choices that align with your long-term goals rather than giving into immediate urges.
Anticipate and Plan for Challenges
Recovery involves understanding that there will be challenging moments. Anticipating these situations and having a plan in place on how to deal with them can make you feel more prepared and less vulnerable to acting on urges to restrict.
We’re a team of eating disorder therapists in Horsham, PA.
We want you to know that managing urges to restrict in eating disorder recovery is a process, and often, not an easy one.
Remember, progress in recovery is not linear; there will be setbacks. However, by embracing these strategies and maintaining self-compassion, you can navigate the journey to recovery with resilience and hope.
🧡,
Reclaim Therapy provides therapy for eating disorders and trauma therapy in Pennsylvania.
Our office is located in Horsham, PA and we also provide telehealth for all residents of PA. Our work is trauma-focused, and hopes to support folks to do the deep healing work that is often needed as a result of experiencing trauma, toxic shame and being inundated with diet culture.
Our therapists are EMDR trained, and provide trauma informed therapy for eating disorder, PTSD, CPTSD and body-shame.