Dealing with a Relapse
A relapse is the comeback of an illness after a long time of deprivation from the same illness. At this stage, the sufferer slips back into habits which once acted as a threat to one’s physical and/or psychological health. A relapse can occur at the beginning of a recovery program or after a long period of recovery from the illness.
Often times, relapses are triggered by a situation which creates feelings of discomfort and anxiety for the sufferer. Example an anorexic, who is nearing full recovery, is complemented by her cousin about how healthy and more beautiful she looks. At that point, the sufferer goes through a thought-roller-coaster inside her/his mind. ED thoughts kick in and the anorexic succumbs to their evil and falls back into the ED wagon. After some time, health complications arise again and treatment has to be received once again.
Listed here are some signs of an ED relapse:
· Food, weight and exercise obsessions
· Frequent weighing
· Self-isolation
· Mixed emotions in the presence of food
· Looking thin and bony is your priority
· Friends and family comment about your weight changes
· You avoid dining out or around people
· You seek to eat by yourself
Relapses are part of the journey of recovery. They should not be feared but they should not be taken lightly either. So these steps might help you if you fear you might be suffering from a relapse:
· Seek professional help
· Call a friend/ family member and talk about your feelings
· Write down your emotions and difficulties on a diary
· Meditate and practice some breathing exercises
· Practice good self-talk
· Nourish your body well
· Exercise
· Be strong and try to resist falling back into ED habits!
I relapsed quite a few times before I have finally reached the more peaceful stage I am at today. My relapses acted as a learning experience and made me seek different ways how to cope with stress, anxiety, depression and difficult experiences. At this stage, my ED knows that it is losing its battles so it creates a lot of situations which tempt me to seek the ED for comfort, so right now I practice a lot of self-talk and reasoning before taking action. I also make sure to workout on a daily basis while nourishing myself with enough food to keep my energy levels up in order to be able to think clearly and to carry out my daily activities (studying, coaching, running errands, etc..).
Relapsing does not mean that one is weak or a failure! It shows that more psychological treatment and effort is required to battle out the ED thoughts. Be aware that you are relapsing, write it down, point out its triggers, seek ways how to cope with the triggers and work, work, work on avoiding the relapse.
You can do it!
A relapse is the comeback of an illness after a long time of deprivation from the same illness. At this stage, the sufferer slips back into habits which once acted as a threat to one’s physical and/or psychological health. A relapse can occur at the beginning of a recovery program or after a long period of recovery from the illness.
Often times, relapses are triggered by a situation which creates feelings of discomfort and anxiety for the sufferer. Example an anorexic, who is nearing full recovery, is complemented by her cousin about how healthy and more beautiful she looks. At that point, the sufferer goes through a thought-roller-coaster inside her/his mind. ED thoughts kick in and the anorexic succumbs to their evil and falls back into the ED wagon. After some time, health complications arise again and treatment has to be received once again.
Listed here are some signs of an ED relapse:
· Food, weight and exercise obsessions
· Frequent weighing
· Self-isolation
· Mixed emotions in the presence of food
· Looking thin and bony is your priority
· Friends and family comment about your weight changes
· You avoid dining out or around people
· You seek to eat by yourself
Relapses are part of the journey of recovery. They should not be feared but they should not be taken lightly either. So these steps might help you if you fear you might be suffering from a relapse:
· Seek professional help
· Call a friend/ family member and talk about your feelings
· Write down your emotions and difficulties on a diary
· Meditate and practice some breathing exercises
· Practice good self-talk
· Nourish your body well
· Exercise
· Be strong and try to resist falling back into ED habits!
I relapsed quite a few times before I have finally reached the more peaceful stage I am at today. My relapses acted as a learning experience and made me seek different ways how to cope with stress, anxiety, depression and difficult experiences. At this stage, my ED knows that it is losing its battles so it creates a lot of situations which tempt me to seek the ED for comfort, so right now I practice a lot of self-talk and reasoning before taking action. I also make sure to workout on a daily basis while nourishing myself with enough food to keep my energy levels up in order to be able to think clearly and to carry out my daily activities (studying, coaching, running errands, etc..).
Relapsing does not mean that one is weak or a failure! It shows that more psychological treatment and effort is required to battle out the ED thoughts. Be aware that you are relapsing, write it down, point out its triggers, seek ways how to cope with the triggers and work, work, work on avoiding the relapse.
You can do it!