I’ve come to realize that the more ‘general’ therapy I get – and the more it works for me, the less symptoms I have. My eating disorder, as I’ve always known, is just a symptom itself. A symptom of feeling bad about myself, of self-hate, of not taking care of myself. Mostly it’s a symptom of not knowing other ways to cope. And I’m coping much better these days. So while I still occasionally have a small binge, I’m hanging up this goal and considering it done. Because I’m continuing therapy, I have gotten specific help, and in truth I don’t think of myself as having an eating disorder anymore. I don’t fit the clinical criteria anymore. I’ll call that a success :)
perpetualspiral's Life List
-
1. cook one meal a day
3 entries1 person -
2. meditate daily
3 entries . 3 cheers3,893 people -
3. Eat more fruits and vegetables
5 entries . 8 cheers1,095 people -
4. sleep better
2 entries761 people -
5. keep my apartment tidy
4 entries9 people -
6. Do my exercises daily
3 entries . 1 cheer1 person -
7. visit the Buddhist temple
1 cheer1 person -
8. complete unfinished projects
3 entries . 1 cheer1 person -
9. overcome fear
4 entries . 1 cheer43 people -
10. quit self-harming
2 entries . 5 cheers1 person -
11. read books in French and Spanish
2 entries . 1 cheer1 person -
12. learn to use my knitting machine
1 entry . 2 cheers1 person -
13. learn to sew
2 entries3,470 people -
14. Take more pictures
6 entries13,980 people -
15. Get out of my own way
2 entries . 2 cheers16 people -
16. read all the books I own
1 entry . 2 cheers1,088 people -
17. set up on etsy
1 person -
18. be a better friend
5,790 people -
19. attain a healthy weight (120-140lb)
1 person -
20. recover from my chronic pain condition
1 cheer1 person -
21. blog regularly
154 people -
22. find new friends
273 people -
23. declutter apartment
4 people -
24. Move to Toronto
1 entry . 1 cheer106 people -
25. take a daily walk
15 people -
26. create a large enough inventory to sell at a market
1 person -
27. conserve water
2 entries16 people
How I did it: I did a course of group therapy with other people suffering from eating disorders. In addition, I have a one-to-one therapist that works with me on the problems behind why I overeat - lack of coping skills, self-esteem issues, validation and understanding etc. Once I started making progress with her, I didn't need to binge as much. I found other ways to deal with my emotions. Read how I did it…
How I did it: I went to geocaching.com and looked up caches in my area. We plugged the co-ordinates into the GPS, followed directions and the clues provided by the website, and found the cache. Well that is how it is supposed to go. Finding the cache is sometimes not so easy, and while we were able to use the GPS properly, we had some trouble locating the exact positions of caches, especially if they were hidden in the woods.&nbs… Read how I did it…
How I did it: I did them myself, without much technique. I just separated bunches of strands, twisted them up and kept them in place with elastics and wax. I stopped using the wax because I found it was not helping. I maintained dread separation by periodically pulling them apart at the base. I folded stringy ends and attached them back to the dread with an elastic. I took out all the elastics after about a month. I … Read how I did it…
See all "How I Did It" stories...
I’ve read recently that it would take 10 billion dollars to make sure everyone on earth has clean water. That sounds like a lot until you realize that Americans alone spend 450 billion dollars each Christmas! That’s enough to solve the water crises 45 times over. It also means that if every American gave 4.5% of the amount they spend on Christmas in one year, the crises would be solved that year. That’s 22.50 if you spend $500 at Christmas, 45 dollars if you spend a thousand. It’s these kind of statistics that show you how easy these problems can be solved if only everyone would help a little. It also points out what a disgrace it is that this problem still exists.
I will do the dishes more often, so I am not washing one dish at a time.
I will not dawdle getting into the shower after I’ve turned it on.
I will not stand idly in the shower, unless I am using it for pain relief.
