Get out of your routine

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I’ve definitely been living out of habit for the last little bit, just existing in this routine where I’m not the one in control of my decisions - but the eating disorder is. There’s no ‘ ED voice’ telling me I need to do these things, but these unhealthy coping behaviours just start to seem so normal that you feel unsafe using healthy coping mechanisms. Keep in mind you have literally wired your brain to feel safe doing these unhealthy routines so it’s not some lack of will to change - smh Karen we have all TRIED snapping out of it.

Eating disorders are so toxic that way because they dictate every single thing you do - what you eat where you eat it, when you eat it, what you’re going to do after you eat it (usually move because you can’t sit in one place), who you’re eating with (usually alone) etc. Your day gets planned around these unhealthy habits.

So you have to switch up those habits - which seems easy but so did beating Trump in the 2016 election and look how that turned out.

Things that help❣️

💫Making plans with friends - set up a dinner or snack or whatever at a time you usually don’t eat at. You have accountability that way, and you’re distracted in that moment because you’re with your friend - win!

💫Start by doing one small thing differently - use a different plate, sit in a different spot, eat your food in the reverse order that you normally would (lol at people reading this without eating disorders who are like ‘da fuck does this mean’)

💫If you don’t think you have habits, ask yourself if it would scare you to ‘not’ do that thing during the day (ie. skip your walk, don’t go for a run, eat your lunch exactly at 12:30 etc.) - if it does it means it has power over you. Try to challenge that.

And yes, this is also a note to me because I need to start taking my own advice (lol).

What’s something you’re doing this week to challenge your routine?

Kate