Distractors: ways to keep your mind off of throwing up
Hey guys! As someone who has struggled with bulimia for years, I have come up with some tricks to keep my mind off of throwing up throughout my recovery.
So here I go, please feel free to add yours:
1. take a walk
2. call a friend
3. draw a picture
4. STAY AWAY FROM THE BATHROOM
5. look up puppy pictures
6. have a crazy dance party in your room
7. laugh
@sereneSunshine20 it's great you've come up with distractions that work for you! Sometimes keeping the mind occupied can make such a powerful difference. I'm a big fan of your first distraction - I take walks for everything too. Sometimes, if I'm having a tough time keeping my mind off of it, I'll even just go to bed (if it's nighttime) which seems to work well for me most of the time.
I also wanted to add in that coloring is awesome:)
Those are awesome distractions. My best one, by far, was to talk to or be near other people because I don't want to purge if they're around, but when that's not possible, I would look for some other distraction - listening to music, doing a puzzle, checking my email, etc. my other trick was to tell myself that I could purge if I wanted to, but I had to wait 20 minutes first. That usually helped me to calm down enough that after 20 minutes I often didn't have the urge anymore at all.
My distractors: Paint "mandalas" Deep breath Look for funny videos on YouTube Draw Walk Talk with somebody I learn to stop my binges when my head says " just eat, it doesn't care, you'll throw up all this". This is a no return point.
I dont have bulimia but I think taking a walk is a great distracter. I know when someone gets the feeling to purge its sometimes uncontrollable emotions that make them do it. Walking can calm a person down and also help them think things through.
Getting out of the house for sure!
For me, I thought trying new things was very helpful! I would go on hikes and explore new places I have never been! Once I felt more comfortable with my surroundings and ready for new things, I felt more and more comfortable with myself at the same time! Just absorbing natures energy was really helpful! I always keep my busy too, staying out rather than home where I can hide my eating habits! Keep it up! You are strong! I know it!
All of these are such wonderful ideas! I know how hard It is to recover so im taking all the tips I've learned and applying them in hopes of making it further down the road