Sparkpeople

Deleted my Spark account last week. Signed up again today. I’m cautious to write too much about it given my overwhelming fear of failure…I’m working through some thought records on this right now. Until I can write more…I found a few gems on Spark that I wanted to be able to refer back to (in the event I delete my account again).

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest asset or heaviest burden.
I will push you up to success or down to disappointment.
I am at your command.
Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me,
For I can do them quickly, correctly, and profitably.
I am easily managed, just be firm with me.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision
of a machine and the intelligence of a person.
You can run me for profit, or you can run me for ruin.
Show me how you want it done. Educate me. Train me.
Lead me. Reward me.
And I will then…do it automatically.
I am your servant.
Who am I?
I am a habit.

~Author Unknown

ALTERNATIVES TO BINGEING:

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Write in your Journal

Listen to your favorite music

Watch a sunset

Color in a coloring book

Play your favorite instrument

Tell one person how you feel

Teach a child to play a game

Pop or stomp on bubble-wrap

Have a water balloon fight

Paint a picture

Go to the pet store

Take a long hot bath

Go berry picking

Hug someone

Take a long drive

Pack up some clothes for charity

Go to a concert

Take a leisurely walk

Rent your favorite movie

Take a trip to the toy store

Go to a movie by yourself

Call an old friend

Fingerpaint, Doodle

Build with blocks. Build a tower and knock it down

Build with Legos

Spend time with your pet

Wash your car with a friend

Pick dandelions

Have a water-gun fight

Play Hopscotch

Have a snowball fight with somone

Paint a Room in your house

Read a book

Take a vacation

Take a nap

Count and roll loose change

Throw nerf balls, koosh balls or bean-bags at a wall (available at most toy stores)

Remind Yourself "It’ll be Ok"

Take a deep breath, count to 10

Ask your therapist to make a tape with you that you can use during difficult times

Go to a favorite "safe" location (beach, park, woods, playground, etc.)

Think of advice you’d give someone else… and take it!

Say something good about yourself

Use Self Affirmation tapes and books… and make your own affirmations (use notebooks, index cards, tapes, post-it notes, journal)

Meditate, use Relaxation

Call a Hotline

Have a pillow fight or punch a pillow

Do gardening or housecleaning

Play your favourite game as a child

Spend time with a sibling

Hold and/or tell your favorite stuffed animal or doll your feelings

Find an AOL or e-mail pal or join a chatroom for support

Stay in touch with others through contact – don’t isolate yourself

From Ellen’s site:
Alternatives to Eating Disordered Behavior

Below is a list of things to do instead of engaging in eating disordered behavior. Keep in mind that not everything on this list will work for everyone, pick and choose what is most helpful to you. Some of these choices are difficult and you might want to discuss them with your therapist or support system. Recovery is not a process that can be walked through alone… don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

Listen to music/relaxation tapes

Make a mourning wreath (start with black flowers and replace with colored ones)

Repetitive reality checking ("It’s January ??, 2007, and I’m going to be OK")

Negotiate with yourself

Get to know others

Recognize and acknowledge the choices you have NOW

Offer options

Carry tokens to remind you of peaceful comforting people/things

Create and use mental safe places (the beach, a cabin in the woods, etc.)

Get out on your own, get away from stress

Help someone around you

Pay attention to the changes needed to make you feel safe

Count yourself down (10…9…8…7..)

Take a different perspective (different vantage point)

"I’m aware" repeat 5 things that you see, smell, touch, taste in your present surroundings to help you ground you in the present

Pay attention to your breathing

Pay attention to the rhythmic motions of your body

Move to music

ASK FOR HELP

Ask yourself inside, what YOU need

Journal

Make affirmation tapes inside you that are good, kind, gentle (reverse the negative thoughts and physically rewrite them into positive statements

Touch something familiar/safe

Draw

Put your feet firmly on the floor

Make something

Accept a gift from a friend

Meditate

Make a phone list of people you can call for help and support, and allow yourself to use it

Learn HALT signals (Hungry, angry, lonely, tired)

Identify what is causing you the pain (other than the food)

Accept where you are in the process.

Beating yourself up only makes it worse

Do something FUN!

Take a break from mental processing

Take a SAFE risk

Tear up paper

Honor your present anger

Throw ice cubes at a tree, bathtub wall, etc.

Give yourself permission to…. (keep it safe)

Lose the "would-could-have to" words.

Try "what if"

Choose your way of thinking, try to resist following old thinking patterns

Put memories in air tight containers with air tight lids

Notice black and white thinking

Connect with others around you. Call a therapist or friend

Notice "choices" versus "dilemmas"

Keep in touch with others who are fighting the same fight

Check in with yourself and other fr

equently (try not to isolate)

Make yourself as comfortable as possible (without using food)

Take a bath or shower

Color in coloring books

Hold a stuffed animal

Write a poem

Leave the room

Leave the premises

Write a letter, NOT mailed, to the person or problem upsetting you

Play a musical instrument

Plan regular activities for your most difficult time of day

Call a hotline or support group

Listen to a comedy tape of video

Reality check old messages

Clean the house

Get out a fine tooth comb and vigorously brush the fur of a stuffed animal (use gentle vigor)

Pull weeds in the garden

Plant flowers

Play with a pet

Take your dog for a walk

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The best way to utilize this list is to print it out and keep it handy. When the eating disorder urges hit, we are often easily overwhelmed. This is not the best time to try and remember what our healthy choices are. If they are already written out, and on hand, all one has to do is read down the list until we find something safe and helpful.

From somethingfishy.org