3 DBT skills to use on Thanksgiving when you are suffering from an eating disorder
As the holidays roll around it can be very difficult with those who suffer with eating disorders. For some the stress around being with family is heightened. For some sitting down to a holiday meal can be daunting and fraught with fear. The urges to restrict, binge or purge are elevated and overall distress is at an all-time high.
Marsha Linehan, PhD., created a clinical treatment named, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), in 1993. Initially used with clients with Borderline Personality Disorder, DBT is now being used to treat many different clients including those who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and disordered eating. Check out my article in Community Magazine to learn more about DBT.
DBT focuses on concrete skills to manage emotions, stay in the present moment, assert our needs and tolerate stress without making the situations worse. Here are 3 skills to help you to navigate Thanksgiving:
- Opposite Action: When you feel that your emotion driven urge will not be effective, DO THE OPPOSITE of your emotion driven urge. If you are anxious and your emotion-driven urge is telling you to go up to your room and leave your family on Thanksgiving do the OPPOSITE and stay with them. When you feel distressed and your emotion-driven urge is telling you to restrict your meal, do the OPPOSITE and eat one bite.
- Self-soothe: Distress during the holidays can be high, especially around food-centered events if you suffer from an eating disorder. Use your five senses to help “soothe your stress.” Perhaps light a scented candle, wrap yourself in a fluffy blanket or watch the sunset.
- Surf the urge: In eating disorders recovery, urges to restrict, binge, purge, exercise are typically present. Surfing the urge helps you to ride out the ebb and flow of your emotion until it passes. For some you can put on a 5-10 minute timer and distract yourself until the powerful urge to engage in your eating disorder passes. And it will pass.
To learn more about DBT please go this link:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Fully recovery from eating disorders is possible!
Serenity Always, Meredith
