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Why Identifying Feelings is Important in Eating Disorder Recovery
Feelings come as naturally to us as breathing, and just like breathing, we often don’t consider the benefit to us when we do it intentionally. We know that we have emotions, but it is rare that we take the time to label and process them. Learning to recognize feelings in eating disorder recovery can be a fundamental part of understanding one’s experience of their eating disorder and working toward recovery.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Approach
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most widely-used treatment for eating disorders, and rightly so, as it has proven effective in hundreds of studies [1]. This approach is based on the foundation of how we behave, and the decisions we make are inextricably linked to our thoughts.
There is another step, however. CBT considers that thoughts lead to feelings and that those feelings lead to specific behaviors. Consider how many times you have felt a positive emotion and, therefore, continued engaging in the behavior that led to it?
And vice versa, how many times have you felt an unpleasant emotion and did what you could to get rid of the trigger for that emotion? Emotions dictate many of the decisions that we make, acting as what feels like either punishments or reinforcers.
In the CBT approach, there is a lot of work spent to identify the unhelpful thought processes that lead to disordered eating or unhealthy exercising behaviors. To do this work, one must identify the feelings those thoughts create within them and how this impacts the behaviors afterward.
Talking About Feelings in Eating Disorder Recovery Improves Communication
When someone asks you how you are, what is your standard response? For many, it is “good, okay, or alright.” These responses give very little insight into the actual emotional experience of that person or the kind of day they are having.
For this reason, learning to identify how one feels can go a long way in improving communication throughout recovery. When someone says, “I’m feeling hopeless” instead of “I’m feeling sad,” we have a better idea of the thought processes they are having and the place they are in at that moment.
Consider making, or Googling, a list of feeling words. Consider what each of these feeling words looks like in your life and feels like for you, in your mind and body. Try using them regularly in your interactions with others and see how it improves your ability to communicate where you are in the moment and feel seen and heard.
Feeling is a Mindfulness Activity
Mindfulness is incredibly effective in improving our moods and coping with mental health diagnoses. These practices teach us to take the present moment as it comes and accept it without making demands on reality.
In learning to tune into one’s body and recognize a feeling, we are engaging in being mindful and learning to listen to our bodies as they try to communicate with us. We use these same skills in eating disorder recovery to begin listening to our bodies, hunger, fullness, and pain cues.
While disordered, individuals often become numb to any strong emotions or feelings of hunger. In learning how to identify these emotions and physical feelings, the individual opens up a line of communication that has been cut off for too long.
Experiencing feelings in eating disorder recovery can be unpleasant and challenging. Often, that is why we engage in harmful or unhelpful coping skills such as disordered eating – to escape them.
When we learn that we will experience uncomfortable emotions but that we can make it through these emotions without causing harm to ourselves, we begin to repair our relationship with our bodies and ourselves.
Resources:
[1] Jong, M., et al. (2016). Effectiveness of enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) for eating disorders: study protocol for a randomized control trial. Trials, 17:573.About the Author:
Margot Rittenhouse, MS, PLPC, NCC is a therapist who is passionate about providing mental health support to all in need and has worked with clients with substance abuse issues, eating disorders, domestic violence victims, and offenders, and severely mentally ill youth.
As a freelance writer for Eating Disorder Hope and Addiction Hope and a mentor with MentorConnect, Margot is a passionate eating disorder advocate, committed to de-stigmatizing these illnesses while showing support for those struggling through mentoring, writing, and volunteering. Margot has a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective on eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Published March 4, 2020, on EatingDisorderHope.com
Reviewed & Approved on March 4, 2020, by Jacquelyn Ekern MS, LPC
The EatingDisorderHope.com editorial team comprises experienced writers, editors, and medical reviewers specializing in eating disorders, treatment, and mental and behavioral health.
