yeah i know-i said i want out of my ED but yet again i don't! i hate the habits i got due to it and i despise what it has done to me-drained me emotionally and physically as well as mentally and basically taken my life from me-my whole world circulates around it it seems sometimes! well what i want to know is this-how can i shift the focus off my ED? i don't wanna think about food and calories and this and that 24/7! i just want to feel and be NORMAL! my therapist made a good point though-what is ''NORMAL''? hes got a point but i want to feel like i used to! don't get me wrong- i love my new thinner body-i'm not underweight-i am 4'11 and 94 pounds-but i feel compelled to feel normal and maybe i am maybe its just me that thinks i am not normal? maybe to others i am normal?! i could go on and on! but i wanna know how can i just feel more normal and not put all my energy on my ED? thanks!

I wish I could help....there are ways to "take your mind" off your eating disorder, like totally immersing yourself into something, reading, ect. Is there something you are really PASSIONATE about? (besides your eating disorder?) My wish is that you can find something that you really really love, and then maybe you will be so wrapped up in that thing (which hopefully will be healthy) that you won't be so focused on your eating disorder.
A couple questions:
Are you ana or bulimic?
Why do you think you became ana or bulimic, and do you think it is really a "control issue" or a "weight issue" or depression, ect.
Hope I can help....

hey! :wave: i am described as borderline ana or recovering borderline ana its a control issue as well as a weight one too! i have a feeling that when school starts August the 11 i will be better i hope- i will be a senior after all! yay me! lol ;)

Okay i read something a long time ago. it really helps at night when i cant shut my mind off maybe it will help when we obsess over our weight. when you start to think about your weight or food in a bad way. say stop it out loud and replace that thought when a healthy happy thought. smile and say i can do this and get on with your day. if you have to keep doing this for a while keep doing this eventually you will learn this technique well, and it will help tremendously. it may not work %100 but it will help also i found this on a web page i hope it helps.


Negative Thought Stoppers

THINK ANOTHER THOUGHT; THAT'S NOT TRUE. When you have an unhealthy negative thought...think of something good, true and beautiful with lots of love, freedom and personal growth.

HERE COMES THE THINKING JUDGE. Your conscious mind is your judge. When you get a negative thought...just say I'm going to judge you guilty, take him away boys.

ONLY ONE THOUGHT AT A TIME. You can't think yes and no at the same time so if you think a positive thought, you can't think a negative thought at the same time.

USE A POSITIP. Select one of the 31 positips and use it to stop an irrational negative thought. Try Positip 15 - You can O.D. (overdose) of self-talk. It's a very good one to work with.

GIVE YOUR PERSONAL SLOGAN. Take your first name and write a positive word for each letter. When you have a negative thought, say the positive words of your personal slogan.

HAND AND FIST THE PAST AND FUTURE. Hit your left palm with your right fist if you think of the past. Hit your right palm with your left fist if you think of the future.

TIME OUT. When you have an automatic negative thought, put your two hands together to form a "T" as the referee in a sports game does, and shout Time Out!

STOP COP. When you think negatively...just say Stop Cop think another thought. Or Stop Cop and see, hear, smell, taste or touch something in the ouside physical world.

TALK BACK TO THE JUNGLE BRAIN OF FEAR AND RAGE. When you get a nutty negatve thought, just say, Shout up, I got your message and I'm turning you off.

ONE MORE THING TO WORK ON. When you think you're about to do something negative, just say, You just gave me one more thing to work on Jungle Brain.

POP OR STOP NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. Put a rubber band around your wrist. When you get a negative thought and don't stop it...give the rubber band a pop on your wrist.

PRETEND THE OPPOSITE OF HOW YOU FEEL. If you feel sad, get up and sing. If you feel like frowning...Smile. If you feel like shouting, talk in a normal voice.

EVERY THOUGHT CAN BE STOPPED AND CANCELED. You're in charge of your own special thinking world. Nobody can tell you what to think. You can cancel any thought you want to.

RETURN TO SENDER, IT'S JUNK MAIL. Your Jungle Brain just sent you a message. Send the negative letter back to his 'Post Office' marked unclaimed. Don't accept it.

SPELL POSTPONE. Automatic thoughts roll off your tongue without thinking. The next time you're about to say something negative...spell P-O-S-T-P-O-N-E... It gives you about 8 seconds to re-think.