When I had bulimia the worst part for me was trying to keep it hidden all the time. Once I told someone, I then found it easier to tell others. Then I found other people who were going through the same thing as me. Then it just got easier and easier to be open and find the help that I needed. The relief in telling someone was enormous. Especially in my situation where the person I told was a professional and really able to help. First of all she affirmed that I wasn’t going around the twist which was extremely comforting. Then she very calmly told me that I had bulimia and what we could do about it. Suddenly I wasn’t on my own anymore. Naturally I broke down in tears, which was another relief as I was able to let go of a lot of anxiety and hurt.
So who can you tell? Is there a family member or close friend you can trust? If not, find someone you can. Often someone you don’t know like a professional doctor, counsellor or psychiatrist is great because you don’t feel the same embarrassment. They can be completely non-judgmental and are trained to help and support you.
Once you are able to trust someone else then you will gradually begin to trust yourself to take the appropriate steps to getting well again. You will also find yourself being open to accepting help and wanting to help yourself.
For me I had to deal with two issues when recovering from Bulimia. The first was to learn to eat normally again and trust that I was the appropriate person to make the decisions about what and how I should eat. Fortunately I attended an 8 week workshop where I was taught the four principles of “Natural Eating”. This is a completely natural, positive and empowering way to eat. You learn to love food again and get pleasure from it. You eat what you want to eat, when you want to eat it instead of feeling guilt and anguish around food. You learn when you are hungry, exactly what you want to eat and how to stop when you are satisfied. But most importantly you learn to focus on other things that give you pleasure instead of food, so gradually over time the food doesn’t have such a hold on you.
The second issue for me was to learn to love myself again and to increase my self esteem and confidence. I needed professional help with this but ultimately the main shift for me was that I incorporated Personal Development into my life. It was so rewarding to grow internally as I learnt so much about myself and other people I read about who had become successful in their lives. Once you see other people can do things it gives you confidence to try as well. Once you start having your own little successes then you just go from strength to strength.
So find your own inner strength, confide in a friend and break free from Bulimia. I am so grateful that I can now help others by telling of my personal experience. I urge you to pay it forward be helping yourself and who knows who you may be able to help along the way?
I am a forty something year old wife and mother who has recovered from 6 years of depression, a side effect of which was bulimia. I used to binge on food uncontrollably and then exercise excessively to get rid of it. In my mid thirties I was introduced to Natural Eating which together with personal development, allowed me to learn to love and trust myself enough to make a full recovery. My weight settled at 49 kilos in 1998 and has remained at this level for over a decade. Previously, I’d had weight and food related issues for over 20 years. I have now written an e-book entitled “Empower yourself by eating what you want – how to lose weight naturally without dieting”. For a FREE copy please click the following link http://www.weightlossandpersonalgrowth.com/Home.html.
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