diyhealth.com

Guilt combating practices for bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is basically an eating disorder which makes the person extremely conscious about his/her body weight and hence, the person eats a lot of food at once and then tries to get rid of the food by vomiting. There are some really effective ways that can actually help the one suffering from the disorder to combat the guilt that arises from this cycle of binge eating and purging.

Keep the pattern of thoughts in control.
People suffering from bulimia nervosa are often found to be fixated on issues relating to their weight and their body. As stress makes way for the binge-purge cycle, it helps to break the pattern of thoughts in order to divert the attention of the patient. This strategy works by replacing the stressful thoughts and making the patients feel better about their looks and weight. The scientific explanation for the efficacy of the strategy lies in the fact that a person who binges under stress or craves for food owing to frequent purges and starving, needs some support to get over the poor body image. This is particularly effective in case of teenagers and college going girls. The support of family and friends is needed to implement this strategy and to make it a success.Resolve issues that lead to anxiety or stress.
Stress precedes the binge-purge cycles. In case the stress pertains to emotional issues, it is important to resolve the issues for the person to be more relaxed. A poor body image is often also a result of failed relationships. This strategy works by alleviating stress that makes the person overeat, and it works irrespective of the age of the patient. Family members and friends play a key role here. These are the people who need to take the initiative on the part of the patient to set the problems right when it comes to emotional issues. It sees fruition only when the people close to the patient understand that the personal problems are taking a toll on the health of the patient and require an immediate look-in.Find alternate ways of dealing with stress.
Patients need to be introduced to other options of managing stress rather than binge eating. Family members need to comfort the patients in order to make them understand that they do have people to confide in. This strategy can be implemented by family and friends by spending time with the patient and taking up activities that the patient is fond of. It could relate to music or an indoor game that the patient enjoys. The strategy calls for effort from the near and dear ones. It works for all the patients irrespective of the age or gender. The strategy proves effective because it alleviates the stress that makes the patient binge on food. Thus, the patient gets some relief from the guilt associated with overeating.Regular physical exercise in moderation.
Depending on the physical condition of the patient, this strategy can be implemented. In case of patients who are not frail but are constantly obsessed with their weight, simple exercises in the presence of family members or friends can help alleviate the guilt associated with overeating. The strategy works because it gives the patient a feeling of having burnt the excessive calories to some extent. Family members play a pivotal role here because a line needs to be drawn between moderation in exercising and a punishing exercise regimen in order to ward off the effect of excess intake of food. Patients of all age groups benefit from this.Take small meals at regular intervals.
Craving for food can be beaten with regular small meals. In addition, the high calorie foods can be replaced with foodstuffs that are low on calorie but are high in volume. Small meals at regular intervals keep the metabolism high and the low calorie foodstuffs ensure that the patient does not gain weight. Balanced meals control the hunger pangs and hence alleviate the guilt associated with overeating. Age or gender is not a factor of significance in this case. The role of near and dear ones is significant.Understand situations that lead to the binges and take steps to avoid them.
It is important for family members to take note of the situations that lead to stress and the subsequent food binges among patients. A clear understanding of the same helps in keeping such factors in check. The strategy does work because it keeps the patient out of the binge and purge loop. The implementation requires monitoring of the patients’ activities in order to fathom the factors that trigger abnormal behavior. This is effective in all patients but more so in teenagers who are not very forthcoming in expressing themselves. The effect is maximized when relatives take it upon themselves to take care of the patients without making them feel that they are under constant supervision. Lack of excessive eating by itself curbs the pangs of guilt.Avoid TV shows that deal with food.
This would be a very obvious thing to do. The patients need to divert their thoughts away from food. It is only natural then that lifestyle shows relating to food be kept at bay. The patient would thus be spared the craving for food and the attendant guilt. This works especially well in case of kids. It is again the family and friends who need to monitor the patients to support the initiative for the patients’ condition to stabilize.Take up activities that calm the mind.
Simple breathing exercises and other forms of exercises that have a soothing effect on the mind are a must. These alleviate the stress and help the patients keep their focus off food. It also helps patients get rid of the thoughts that create a negative self image. A calm mind helps the patients in recognizing the problem at hand in order to take corrective action. This works well in case of teenagers and women in their early 20s. Support of the family and the people around is crucial.Make the patients spend time with people they are close to.
The focus is on ensuring that the patient remains calm and is occupied with activities that keep thoughts pertaining to eating and weight loss at bay. Controlled eating habits and the company of the people they are close to helps the patients in recuperating. The impact can be maximized by helping the patient in regaining the lost self confidence. Support of the people who are important to the patients makes this strategy work wonders.

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top