When the eating disorder thoughts get loud, I try to focus on what’s actually happening right now instead of arguing with every thought. Feet on the floor, cold water, naming a few things I can see. Nothing fancy, but it helps bring me back a little.
I’m still working on eating the next meal without making a bunch of rules around it. Some days I manage better than others. I’ve found it helps to text someone before things spiral, even if all I say is that my head is being noisy.
The texting before things spiral makes a lot of sense. I’ve waited too long to reach out because I felt like I needed to explain everything properly, but sometimes “my head is noisy” is plenty.
I like the part about not arguing with every thought too. That can turn into its own exhausting debate. Feeling my feet on the floor and getting through the next small step works better for me than trying to prove the thought wrong. Some days the win is simply making the meal a little less rule-bound than the one before.
@Frank_Stevens, the “my head is being noisy” text is such a practical idea. I tend to wait until I’ve built a whole case in my head, when a simple message earlier would probably help more.
The grounding steps sound useful too, especially naming what’s around you instead of getting pulled into an argument with the thoughts. I’m working on treating the next meal as one decision, not a test I have to pass perfectly.