Resources for Individuals Experiencing Eating Disorders
Choosing the Right Therapist for You
Offers information on choosing an eating disorder therapist, including questions to ask, decisions to make, and insights into the therapeutic process and recovery expectations
This resource discusses seven common barriers to eating disorder recovery, including fear of weight gain, self-efficacy issues, association of recovery with acquiescence, uncertainty about recovery’s meaning, dependence on the eating disorder, secondary gains, and limited treatment resources
Examines the effects of vomiting on dental health, particularly in eating disorders, including short-term and long-term effects and ways to prevent dental damage
Physical Consequences of Bulimia
Details the physical effects of Bulimia Nervosa, including bingeing, self-induced vomiting, teeth damage, facial changes, throat injuries, stomach problems, electrolyte imbalances, laxatives and diuretics use, dieting, exercise, osteoporosis, fertility, and pregnancy
Planning for Changes in Eating
Offers guidance on meal planning to foster healthy eating, distinguishing between prescriptive diets and holistic meal prep, with tips for effective adherence
Eating Disorders and Gastrointestinal Changes
Discusses the gastrointestinal changes associated with eating disorders like Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge-eating, including abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea, often caused by inadequate nutrition and laxative abuse, and suggests seeking medical help for recovery
Discusses the relationship between eating disorders and emotions, focusing on how individuals with eating disorders often struggle to identify and regulate their emotions, alexithymia, and ways to reduce it for better recovery and normal life
Guides users on determining nutritional needs without calorie counting, emphasising BMR calculations, adjustments for underweight statuses, and exercise-related energy expenditure
| How Much Should I be Eating to Put on Weight?
Advises individuals with eating disorders on weight gain, stressing re-education, structured planning, and offers daily intake examples for weekly targets, advocating consultation to highly-experienced health professional |
| What is Healthy Eating?
Outlines healthy eating as regular, varied intake, emphasises tuning into body signals, and offers a sample meal plan for weight maintenance |
Provides mindful eating tips, urging individuals to recognise cravings, savor food’s sensory qualities, optimise their eating environment, and regularly evaluate satisfaction, all to foster a healthier and more pleasurable dining experience
| Breathing Exercises
Recommends breathing techniques to manage distress, emphasising bodily connection and healthy coping over harmful habits |
| Flashback Script
Helps ground those with flashbacks by connecting them to current emotions and surroundings, emphasising the unhealthy experience is in the past |
| Coping Statements
Offers coping statements and guidance to counter negative thoughts, especially during challenges like binge urges or feelings of anxiety and depression |
| Body Positive Social Media
Curates a list of social media accounts dedicated to promoting body positivity, championing self-acceptance, and challenging beauty standards across various platforms |
Aids individuals in grounding during night-time unhealthy experience flashbacks, emphasising their current environment and the past nature of that unhealthy experience
| Interpersonal Effectiveness
This worksheet aids individuals in navigating interpersonal challenges by helping them pinpoint and rank their goals, ensuring clarity in outcomes and self-respect |
| Perfectionism vs Optimalism
Inspired by Tal Ben Shahar’s “The Pursuit of Perfect,” contrasts “perfectionism” and “optimalism,” underscoring their differing views on failure, journey, and adaptability, and notes individuals can have traits from both mindsets |
| Cheerleading Statements
Offers “Cheerleading Statements” to promote self-affirmation and self-worth, reminding individuals it’s okay to prioritise their needs and set boundaries, while also encouraging them to craft their own empowering affirmations |
| Relaxation Techniques
Presents relaxation techniques like muscle relaxation, mind calming, and breathing exercises, and prompts users to track their efficacy using a provided Relaxation Diary |
| Adult Pleasant Activities Schedule
Inspired by M.M. Linehan’s manual, provides a list of activities for adults recovering from eating disorders to boost mood, deter negative behaviors, and cope with emotions, while highlighting personalised adjustments and safe exercise |
| Problem Solving
This resource offers “problem-focused” strategies for solvable challenges and “emotion-focused” methods for uncontrollable situations, emphasising techniques like planning and relaxation |
| Managing Sleep
Provides guidelines to improve sleep, highlighting daily routines and bedtime practices like consistent wake times, sunlight exposure, and caffeine avoidance, coupled with strategies for insomnia |
| Recognising Thought Distortions
Highlights cognitive distortions in those with disordered eating, explaining their impact on perception and behaviour, and provides examples to promote healthier thinking |
| Improving Self Compassion
Explores self-compassion, highlighting kind self-treatment, shared human experiences, and mindfulness while contrasting them with self-judgment and isolation, and offers further resources for insight |
| 10 Strategies to Boost Self-Esteem
Offers strategies for those recovering from eating disorders, emphasising self-understanding and holistic well-being to rebuild self-esteem and counter negative self-talk |
| Feelings Chart
The FEELINGS chart aids those experiencing eating disorders in reconnecting with emotions, countering emotional numbing, and enhancing recovery with professional guidance |
The Exposure Ladder helps individuals face feared situations gradually, advised to be used with psychological support
| Task Completion Ladder
The Task Completion Ladder helps individuals address overwhelming tasks incrementally, ideally with psychological support for best results |
“Extinction Bursts” describes the temporary increase in distress during exposure to challenging situations, emphasising the importance of persisting through the process to ensure successful desensitisation
| Intuitive Eating Diary
Aids individuals in monitoring eating habits, emotions, and sensations for fostering mindful and intuitive eating practices |
Outlines a weekly meal plan, detailing breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper for each day
Provides a schedule for various activities throughout the week, organised by time slots from 6 am to 10 pm each day
Eating Disorder Behaviour Tracking Sheet
Offers a tracking chart for monitoring eating disorder behaviours, including weight, menstruation, various eating patterns, and related actions over a series of visits
Is a tool to record mood ratings, sleep duration, and notes about medication, activities, events, symptoms, and lifestyle for each day
Lets you record session details like date, time, location, strategy, duration, stress levels, and comments, aiding in tracking relaxation’s stress-relieving effects
| Thought Diary
Lets individuals document actions, beliefs, consequences, disputes, and evidence, aiding in recognising and addressing negative thought patterns and their impacts |
Provides mindfulness practices for recognising and regulating the stories our minds create, concentrating on living in the present and addressing thoughts through reframing, visualising, assessing origins, exploring impacts, and evaluating efficacy
Outlines a meal plan development guide, offering recommended food choices for various meals and snacks, while emphasising balanced nutrition and hydration throughout the day
This template helps identify issues, coping methods, support contacts, and safety measures during the holiday period for mental well-being
| Safety Plan
Helps create a plan for handling challenges by identifying triggers, coping methods, support contacts, safety measures, and assistance during stable periods |
| Preventing a Binge
Offers strategies and questions to prevent binge eating by addressing hunger, cravings, motivations, emotions, and identifying triggers |
| Satiety Ruler
Explains the Satiety Ruler’s concept, highlights the significance of balanced meals and mechanical eating for understanding hunger, and offers guidance on creating a personalised “satiety ruler” by tracking sensations before and after meals |
| Refeeding Syndrome
Explains refeeding syndrome, a life-threatening condition during aggressive refeeding of severely malnourished individuals, discussing risk factors and prevention through slow nutrition increase under medical guidance and close monitoring of heart function and electrolytes |