Step 6 to recovery? Find a hobby.
Exercise is an amazing tool to decrease stress and increase endorphins, but I have found that in the past when I get bored or don’t have anything to do, I will resort to working out (and cleaning…yes I am aware this shouldn’t be considered a hobby, but for me it was). This happens because ED calls me up and tells me that I am lazy and fat for not doing anything. And by doing, ED means moving.
The sixth step to recovery is to find a hobby that has nothing to do with working out, eating, or being fixated on the way you look. Also, make sure you are not doing it for the sole purpose of burning calories (cleaning and gardening are good examples). My favorite hobby is reading. Maybe yours is painting, training your dog, learning to play the piano, singing, blogging, volunteering, working on a house project, etc. It can be as simple as just finding a job. It was a huge help to me to find a full-time job because it makes you 1) realize there are more important things to life than working out your biceps, 2) it allows you to meet people who are your opposite 3) it takes you out of your comfort zone and 4) it gives you less time to be stuck in your head with ED. So whether it be a job or a hobby, find something that you can do that ED has no part in.
I would be careful if you are still with ED and your hobby is cooking or baking. When I was in the midst of binge eating disorder, my hobby was baking. Baking was a huge trigger because I still had all or nothing mentality so once the brownies came out of the oven it was very hard not to devour them all at once. If baking is a big trigger for you, avoid it until you are closer to NED. I would say just in the last year I have been able to bake again. For the longest time I did not have any type of sugar or flour in my cupboards so I was not tempted. Now that baking is no longer a trigger, meaning I can bake cookies and have them last for five days instead of one, I am able to enjoy this hobby again.
So take some time and find a hobby that you really enjoy doing. Extra points if it is something that challenges ED. If your hobby involves sitting still (like reading or binge watching Downton Abbey), ED may pop over for a visit. It is in these instances where you will want to resist ED and not give in to his constant “lets move” or “lets clean” bullying tactics. And by all means, if your house is nasty, clean it. If your garden is overgrown, tend to it! Just make sure you aren’t choosing hobbies because they allow you to burn calories.
Yours,
Robin