If you are recovering from bulimia, mistakes will happen. You might even feel overwhelmed. Learning from someone else’s mistakes is sometimes the best thing you can do to avoid making the same mistakes. I want to share with you my three lessons so you can avoid the mistakes I’ve made.
Number 1 – Trying to recover on your own.
I’ve tried recovery on my own for too long, but bulimia recovery is not something you can do on your own. When you struggle mentally, you have faulty patterns in your head. These patterns run your life and make you act out. Over time, it becomes harder to break them, because you really believe they hold true. For example, “If I don’t purge, I’ll gain weight,” etc.
When you reach out for help, you choose to listen to people who are not bulimic. Therefore, they see things differently and can help you to get out of your head.
Number 2: You Expect Perfection
This doesn’t exist. And expecting to hit a goal at 100% is not possible because you are not a robot. When you think: “I will never binge & purge again,” you are placing a harsh, expectation on yourself.
Instead, try to allow yourself some breathing space to avoid this mistake. Remember, you will still face the behaviors, cravings, binging and purging urges. Slip-ups will happen, because they are a part of the process. Its ok, we are all human.
Number 3: Don’t be too hard on yourself.
We tend to punish ourselves with a strict diet; we self-harm with food for feeling an emotion we are not “supposed” to feel; we are hard on ourselves for not being perfect with the way we eat or look.
I’ve been at the point when I hated myself so much that I even slapped myself in the face.
Instead of feeling compassion for my struggles, I was constantly beating myself up for “messing up.”
Becoming my own loving friend was the best thing I have ever done. I’ve learned how to take care of myself when I was distressed instead of being self-judgmental and accusing myself of being “weak.”
Always remember…
Be kind to yourself, embrace your imperfections and reach out for help when you need it, others have been there before you. Never give up and remember, you can get better.