Unhelpful Thinking Styles: Eating Disorder Recovery

We actually have very little control over these thoughts popping up and that's okay. Thoughts are just thoughts. We can choose to practice zooming out, leaning in to understand them and where they come from and try not to identify with them.

“I realized that I don’t have to hop on the thought train!” 💭 🚂 -amazing things your clients say

Behaviors are hard to change. And why is this? When thoughts are so ingrained into our day and we choose to ride that wave, believing that the thoughts that happen to us define us...we can be led in a harmful direction without even knowing how we ended up with these acquired behaviors. It all starts with thoughts.

Remember that you are not your thoughts. They happen to you. And you can choose to mindfully observe them. When you do this, you can choose to not ride that train. When we identify with them and name these thoughts as truth, we are letting the thoughts stick around and get stronger. You can choose to pick a different train to ride.

Identifying the unhelpful thinking styles that you may use in relation to how you feel or think about food is a good way to develop a more respectful and trusting relationship with food.

“In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), clients work to bring awareness to their unhelpful thinking styles, or cognitive distortions, that keep them stuck in their eating disorder. CBT demonstrates that when we work to recognize, name, and change our cognitive distortions, we become less attached to those damaging, hurtful, self-defeating thoughts. Since these thoughts are so automatic to our brains, it is always helpful to have reminders of the 10 most common cognitive distortions at arms length.”

Which of the following unhelpful thinking styles do you tend to automatically follow?

Unhelpful Thinking Styles

Like any habit, unhelpful automatic thoughts can be changed through awareness, practice, persistence, and patience. What unhelpful thoughts are you using today when it comes to your body? How can you become more aware of these thoughts and rewire your brain?

Now it is your turn to dive deeper into understanding how these unhelpful ways of thinking may be affecting your relationship with food and body. Download your Unhelpful Thinking Styles: Food Edition Journal below!