A Different Focus
I'm a fan of practical tips. My favorite classes in school are the ones that have practical applications. (Who wants to learn something that you'll never use?) My favorite books, movies, and songs are the ones that leave me saying, "Wow, this has changed my life." I love to hear a speaker that leaves the audience with a practical application - something that you can tie into your own life, a lesson that you can use daily.
When I was diagnosed with an eating disorder, I wanted something practical to help me through it all. I wanted some little tip that could help me when I started feeling the pressure. And as a recovered patients of an eating disorder, I want to share something very practical with you! So the next few posts are devoted to sharing some of the practical things I did that helped me regain a healthy mindset and a healthy body.
Practical Tip #1: Direct your thoughts (aka "Thought Triggering")
For me, mastering my mindset was the hardest part of my eating disorder. Whenever I was around food, I was reminded of my eating disorder and tempted with unhealthy thoughts about my body and my diet. It was really easy to let those thoughts grab hold of my mind and control my actions. So if you relate to this feeling, let me share a littl bit of advice with you!
Do you remember those lamps on the infomercials that would turn on and off when you clapped your hands? When you clap you hands, it triggers the light to turn on and off. Whenever I was tempted in my eating disorder, I often felt like I was in the dark. I needed something to trigger the light of Christ to shine in my life! Over time, I began to develop what I call "thought triggers." Here's how it works:
First, you recognize your negative thoughts. For me, whenever I was around food and begain to think negatively about eating, I told myslef, "You are thinking negative thoughts!"
Next, train the negative thought to trigger a positive thought. For me, as soon as I recognized that my thoughts were negative, I automatically tried to think of something positive. The negative thought is like the clapping, which triggers the light to come on.
Finally, let the positive thought replace the negative thought! This is when the light comes on! You can think of your own positive "thought triggers", but here are some ideas that worked well for me:
~ Quote your favorite Scripture
~ Sing a song of praise
~ Say a prayer
~ Name some of God's attributes (like God is loving, God is faithful, God is holy, etc.)
This way of "thought triggering" was really helpful to me, and I hope you find it helpful as well! The more you practice this, the more of a habit it will become! Soon, all your negative thoughts will quickly turn to positive ones as you replace your eating-disorder-thoughts with thoughts of praise, thankkfulness, and prayerfulness to God. Plus, those positive thoughts lead to positive actions! You will find all the strength you need to conquer negative thoughts in the Lord, and He will hold your hand as you walk towards recovery together!
When I was diagnosed with an eating disorder, I wanted something practical to help me through it all. I wanted some little tip that could help me when I started feeling the pressure. And as a recovered patients of an eating disorder, I want to share something very practical with you! So the next few posts are devoted to sharing some of the practical things I did that helped me regain a healthy mindset and a healthy body.
Practical Tip #1: Direct your thoughts (aka "Thought Triggering")
For me, mastering my mindset was the hardest part of my eating disorder. Whenever I was around food, I was reminded of my eating disorder and tempted with unhealthy thoughts about my body and my diet. It was really easy to let those thoughts grab hold of my mind and control my actions. So if you relate to this feeling, let me share a littl bit of advice with you!
Do you remember those lamps on the infomercials that would turn on and off when you clapped your hands? When you clap you hands, it triggers the light to turn on and off. Whenever I was tempted in my eating disorder, I often felt like I was in the dark. I needed something to trigger the light of Christ to shine in my life! Over time, I began to develop what I call "thought triggers." Here's how it works:
First, you recognize your negative thoughts. For me, whenever I was around food and begain to think negatively about eating, I told myslef, "You are thinking negative thoughts!"
Next, train the negative thought to trigger a positive thought. For me, as soon as I recognized that my thoughts were negative, I automatically tried to think of something positive. The negative thought is like the clapping, which triggers the light to come on.
Finally, let the positive thought replace the negative thought! This is when the light comes on! You can think of your own positive "thought triggers", but here are some ideas that worked well for me:
~ Quote your favorite Scripture
~ Sing a song of praise
~ Say a prayer
~ Name some of God's attributes (like God is loving, God is faithful, God is holy, etc.)
This way of "thought triggering" was really helpful to me, and I hope you find it helpful as well! The more you practice this, the more of a habit it will become! Soon, all your negative thoughts will quickly turn to positive ones as you replace your eating-disorder-thoughts with thoughts of praise, thankkfulness, and prayerfulness to God. Plus, those positive thoughts lead to positive actions! You will find all the strength you need to conquer negative thoughts in the Lord, and He will hold your hand as you walk towards recovery together!
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