Coping Strategies : Bulimia Nervosa

Hey, Everyone ! I recently made an awareness post on Bulimia Nervosa you can find it here. I would like to give some coping strategies/steps to recovery in this post.

Step 1: Break the binge and purge cycle

The first step in bulimia recovery is stopping the vicious cycle of bingeing and purging. In order to do this, its essential that you quit trying to diet. Dieting triggers bulimias destructive cycle of bingeing and purging. The irony is that the stricter the diet, the more likely it is that youll become preoccupied, even obsessed, with food. When you starve yourself, your body responds with powerful cravings—its way of asking for needed nutrition.

As the tension, hunger, and feelings of deprivation build, the compulsion to eat becomes too powerful to resist: a "forbidden" food is eaten, a dietary rule is broken. With an all-or-nothing mindset, you feel any diet slip-up is a total failure. After having a bite of ice cream, you might think, "Ive already blown It, so I might as well go all out."

Unfortunately, the relief that bingeing brings is extremely short-lived. Soon after, guilt and self-loathing set in. And so you purge to make up for bingeing and regain control. But purging only reinforces binge eating. Though you may tell yourself this is the last time, in the back of your mind theres a voice saying you can always throw up or use laxatives if you lose control again. However, purging doesnt come close to wiping the slate clean after a binge

Purging does NOT prevent weight gain

Purging isnt effective at getting rid of calories, which is why most people suffering from bulimia end up gaining weight over time. Vomiting immediately after eating will only eliminate 50% of the calories consumed at best—and usually much less. This is because calorie absorption begins the moment you put food in the mouth. Laxatives and diuretics are even less effective. Laxatives get rid of only 10% of the calories eaten, and diuretics do nothing at all. You may weigh less after taking them, but that lower number on the scale is due to water loss, not true weight loss

Step 2: Develop A Healthier Relationship With Food

As explained above, treatment for bulimia is much more likely to succeed when you stop dieting. Once you stop trying to restrict calories and follow strict dietary rules, you will no longer be overwhelmed with cravings and thoughts of food. By eating normally, you can break the binge-and-purge cycle and still reach a healthy, attractive weight.

Pay attention to your hunger. Dont wait until youre starving. This only leads to overeating! Eat as soon as you notice youre feeling moderately hungry.

Eat regularly. Dont skip meals. Try not to let over 4 hours pass without a meal or snack.

Dont restrict foods. When something is off limits, it becomes more tempting. Instead of saying I can never eat ice cream, say I will eat ice cream as an occasional treat.

Focus on what youre eating. How often have you binged in an almost trance-like state, not even enjoying what youre consuming? Instead of eating mindlessly, be a mindful eater. Slow down and savour the textures and flavours. Not only will you eat less, youll enjoy it more.

Step 3: Learn To Tolerate Unpleasant Feelings

While bingeing is often triggered by overly strict dieting that backfires, it can also be a way to control or numb unpleasant moods or feelings.

The next time you feel the urge to binge, ask yourself if theres something else going on. Is there an intense feeling youre trying to avoid? Are you eating to calm down, comfort yourself, or to relieve boredom? If so, instead of using food as a distraction, take a moment to stop whatever youre doing and investigate whats going on inside.

Identify the emotion youre feeling. Do your best to name what youre feeling. Is it anxiety? Shame? Hopelessness? Anger? Loneliness? Fear? Emptiness?

Accept the experience youre having. Avoidance and resistance only make negative emotions stronger. Instead, try to accept what youre feeling without judging it or yourself.

Dig deeper. Explore whats going on. Where do you feel the emotion in your body? What kinds of thoughts are going through your head?

Distance yourself. Realise that you are NOT your feelings. Emotions are passing events, like clouds moving across the sky. They dont define who you are.

Sitting with your feelings may feel extremely uncomfortable at first. Maybe even impossible. But as you resist the urge to binge, youll start to realise that you dont have to give in. There are other ways to cope. Even emotions that feel intolerable are only temporary. Theyll quickly pass if you stop fighting them. Youre still in control. You can choose how to respond

Step 4: Challenge dysfunctional thoughts

The bingeing and purging of bulimia is often fueled by dysfunctional, self-sabotaging ways of thinking that undermine your confidence, colour everything in an unrealistically negative light, and make you feel helpless, inadequate, and ashamed. The good news: you can learn to put a stop to these unhealthy mental habits.

Damaging mindsets that fuel bulimia

All-or-nothing thinking. You have a hard time seeing shades of grey, at least when it comes to yourself. If youre not perfect, youre a total failure and might as well binge.

Emotional reasoning. You believe if you feel a certain way, it must be true. I feel fat means I am fat. I feel hopeless means youll never get better.

Musts, must-not, and have-to. You hold yourself to a rigid set of rules (I must not eat such and such a food, I have to get straight As, I must always be in control. etc.) and beat yourself up if you break them.

Labeling. You label yourself and call yourself names based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings. Im unhappy with how I look becomes Im disgusting. Slipping up becomes Im a loser or a failure.

Catastrophizing. You jump to the worst-case scenario. If you backslide in recovery, for example, you assume that theres no hope youll ever get better.

Put your thoughts on the witness stand

Once you identify the destructive thoughts patterns that you default to, you can start to challenge them with questions such as:

Whats the evidence that this thought is true? Not true?

What would I tell a friend who had this thought?

Is there another way of looking at the situation or an alternate explanation?

How might I look at this situation if I didnt have bulimia?

As you cross-examine your negative thoughts, you may be surprised at how quickly they crumble. In the process, youll develop a more balanced perspective.

Helpful Resources:

Bulimia Support Groups

-Eating Disorders Anonymous

-Effective Coping Skills: Eating Disorder

-Eating Disorder, Self Help Guide

-Eating Disorder Support Groups

International Eating Disorder Support

Thank you all for reading, please answer the questions given below:

1) How have 7 cups helped you in coping with Bulimia?

2) Have you tried any of the above mentioned coping strategies?

3) From the above-mentioned steps of coping with Bulimia, which one do you find the most essential ? can you explain why?

4)What step can you take towards your recovery from Bulimia today?

5) Anything you would like to say to a person dealing with Bulimia? Any tips or suggestions?