Bulimia Help

Well we made it! 101 great ideas of things to do instead of bingeing. Thanks everyone for your fantastic suggestions. Its a great list with some very creative ideas. 

Let’s get started shall we:

1. Delay for at least for 10 minutes... within this 10 minutes write down everything you will feel after you have binged and purged... awful.. drained.. guilty.. sad etc... then after 10 minutes ask yourself if you want to really feel like that!
2. Listen to your favourite music or song, and if you can sing along to it really loud.
3. Painting nails is a good one. You are doing something nice for yourself and reminding yourself of your femineity without thinking to much. Plus it stops you wanting to mess them up!
4. Play an instrument if you do, if you don't, learn!
5. Decorate your room.
6. Clean out or organize something you have been meaning to for a while like your closet.
7. Watch funny videos on 'You Tube'.
8. Focus on the wonderful things about life, Better if done somewhere beautiful and surrounded by nature.
9. Be Positive in your thoughts (instead of "Damn I just purged" Think outside the box: but it was very small, the first time in weeks, I didnt really want to, I didnt do it again afterwards even when Im really upset about it, overall I still did better than before.)
10. Make something to give to someone else (makes you focus on someone else, allows you to connect with someone and removes alot of the walls we set up around ourselves, and keeps you busy!)
11. Spend time with thoses you love (If today is the last day, you would want to be with your loved ones not food. So live each day as if it was the last and get the most out of life).
12. Let out your inner rockstar and play Rockband.
13. Volunteer at a nursing home or a school...or go out looking to do good deeds for people.
14. Close your door, turn up the music loud and dance.
15. Lie down in your bed, close your eyes and search for one really good memory. Feel the good feeling you had at that moment, and keep it;-)
16. Go on www.failblog.org and laugh!!!!
17. Play a computer/video game. Something that is fun, can hold your attention and uses you hands!

Well we made it! 101 great ideas of things to do instead of bingeing. Thanks everyone for your fantastic suggestions. Its a great list with some very creative ideas. 

Let’s get started shall we:

1. Delay for at least for 10 minutes... within this 10 minutes write down everything you will feel after you have binged and purged... awful.. drained.. guilty.. sad etc... then after 10 minutes ask yourself if you want to really feel like that!
2. Listen to your favourite music or song, and if you can sing along to it really loud.
3. Painting nails is a good one. You are doing something nice for yourself and reminding yourself of your femineity without thinking to much. Plus it stops you wanting to mess them up!
4. Play an instrument if you do, if you don't, learn!
5. Decorate your room.
6. Clean out or organize something you have been meaning to for a while like your closet.
7. Watch funny videos on 'You Tube'.
8. Focus on the wonderful things about life, Better if done somewhere beautiful and surrounded by nature.
9. Be Positive in your thoughts (instead of "Damn I just purged" Think outside the box: but it was very small, the first time in weeks, I didnt really want to, I didnt do it again afterwards even when Im really upset about it, overall I still did better than before.)
10. Make something to give to someone else (makes you focus on someone else, allows you to connect with someone and removes alot of the walls we set up around ourselves, and keeps you busy!)
11. Spend time with thoses you love (If today is the last day, you would want to be with your loved ones not food. So live each day as if it was the last and get the most out of life).
12. Let out your inner rockstar and play Rockband.
13. Volunteer at a nursing home or a school...or go out looking to do good deeds for people.
14. Close your door, turn up the music loud and dance.
15. Lie down in your bed, close your eyes and search for one really good memory. Feel the good feeling you had at that moment, and keep it;-)
16. Go on www.failblog.org and laugh!!!!
17. Play a computer/video game. Something that is fun, can hold your attention and uses you hands!

18. Do some yoga. It raises self-awareness and self acceptance. ;)
19. Read the Twilight series...you won't want to take your eyes off of the page!
20. Make a playlist full of songs that always get you pumped up and play it.
21. Sew a dress! if you cant sew, try to learn :)
22. Make a pet rock- retro but fun!
23. Write a poem about how you are feeling.
24. Drinking a herbal tea settles the urge for me.
25. Get out of your tight uncomfy clothes...it really makes a difference on my comfort level...comfy soft and beautiful clothes make me feel less likely to panic.
26. Call a friend to "babysit" you. Preferably one that knows about your anxious feelings!
27. Go to www.43things.com and start a list of things you want to do in your lifetime.
28. Go clothes shopping. Even if I don't buy anything, seeing myself looking good in new clothes makes me feel good about myself.
29. Play with your dog/cat. I love animals and they can take away a lot of negative feelings after just being around them.
30. Sleep I'm always tired... and depression often comes from a lack of sleep!
31. Do your lipstick really nice. You won't want to mess it up by b&p!
32. Scrub a few toilettes. It might kill your appetite lol.
33. Drink a glass of ice cold water and take a few deep breaths.
34. Go for a walk :D. Think about a positive future, ed free!
35. Message a loved one (family or friend) and tell them how much you care.
36. Do a little spring cleaning! I always feel better cleaning out my closets/drawers/desk/etc.
37. Find a nice open space, inside or outdoors, get down on the ground and STRETCH! Stretch like you've never stretched before!
38. Write a note to someone (friend, therapist, yourself, etc.) telling them how you resisted the urge to purge and how proud you are of yourself.
39. Get back in touch with your inner child, play dough from scratch, adding calming essential oils like lavender, vanilla, or verbena.
40. Take a jog!
41. Think and breath. Whenever i do that, my mind snaps out of that trigger mode, and I realize how damn stupid I'm being.
42. Drown the food in water.
43. Brush your teeth.
44. Go on ebay and buy something totally rad instead of binge food. :)
45. Call someone. Even if you don't tell them what's wrong just being around someone or talking to someone can make you feel less alone and it makes you have to think of an excuse to leave. Or if they know about your problem, all you need to say is something simple like, "I need to be with someone".
46. Go for a drive.
47. Keep a journal, write everything in it as often as you can, especially after b/p. When you feel like binging go back and read your previous journal entries. It will really calm down your urges and put you inside your own head and make you ask if this food is worth another guilty, sad, defeated, I-can't-believe-I-did-this-again!! entry. It will motivate you to be strong, control your urges, and finally write a positive entry about how happy you are that you got through the day.
48. Find someone in your house and chat to them.
49. Surf the internet, come onto this site, find puzzles, games etc. online to keep your hands busy!
50. Think about how miserable a binge will make you feel...you will certainly feel worse than you do beforehand.
51. Make a collage with old magazines/newspapers.
52. Run up and down the stairs as fast as you can until your out of breath-anything to not even think about eating. Make sure you dont even get to the stage of "shall i?shall i not? just a bite?" just run without thought, even shoving your trainers on and running down the road.
53. Do something to improve your self image like pluck your eyebrows or paint your nails. Something that takes concentration and the results should make you happy.
54. Think of how wasteful it is when there are poor starving people around the world. Get online and look at the photos. Sometimes removing yourself from your problems brings things back into perspective.
55. Take a long shower.
56. Just go!... anywhere as long as its not around food.
57. Clean the awful ledges around the baseboards and in your window sills, its pretty gross if you haven't done it in a while.
58. Do your homework or some sort of analytical thing like math that keeps your mind occupied.
59. Go on Facebook. <3
60. Go out and rent/buy a film you haven't seen before!
61. Do something nice for another person, think of a way to make it really great, think of all the details:)
62. Buy a schnook or a troll, you know those toys with the carzy hair... or even get out a barbie. When I want to binge or purge I sit down with my schnook and do it's hair in all different styles and take photos. If I make it through the week without binging or purging I am going to reward myself by buying another one!
63. Go to Starbucks. That soothing music and their awesome teas/coffees calm me down when I am anxious to give in.
64. Go through your closet and play dress up! Its great excuse to try on everything you own, maybe even decide to donate some clothes to charity! Giving things away always makes me feel better.
65. Make clothes by recycling old ones.
66. Sketch the entire world around you playing with different materials and methods.
67. Go to the shower, stand close to a machine that makes a lot of sound, stand by the highway - and sing!
68. Put on comfy clothes/pajamas, make a pot of herbal tea and climb into bed. I find this helps because most of my binges start off being "comfort eating" that gets out of control.
69. Imagine you are sitting or standing in the middle of a stream. The water is flowing away in front of you. Notice if there is any sound from the running water. Notice if there are any trees, etc. on the banks of the stream. Now see leaves floating down the stream away from you. They can be any shape, color, or size. As the negative thoughts come into your mind, be aware of what the thought is, and then place it on a leaf. Now watch it float away down the stream. Do this with each thought as you notice it and for as long you like until you feel better. As you acknowledge each of your thoughts, you do not need to hang on to them. There is no need to become attached to the thought. Just acknowledge it and then place it on a leaf. By watching it float away, it loses its hold on you and its intensity.
70. Google puppies and look at the ADORABLE puppy pictures... it will make you smile for a good long time :)
71. Have sex.
72. Plan out and then plant a garden. Then you can use your special garden spot as a place to escape to if you ever get the urge.
73. Dedicate your time to a worthy cause such as volunteering. There are so many different opportunities out there!
74. Indulge in yummy bath treats instead of food, and relax in a bath for a long while in order to clear your head. Listen to calming music while in your bath.
75. Take a book or sketchbook to a park.
76. Go outside and do some yard work (summer mow lawn do flowers) spring - (rake leaves) winter - (shovel snow) fall- put things away for the winter. or sun tan make snow angels have relaxing time.
77. Go to the pool and go swimming or sit in steam room or sauna.
78. Pleasure yourself! (I know it's a bit raunchy, but who doesn't enjoy it!)
79. Take time to appreciate your body... Be thankful that you have arms and legs and fingers and toes...
80. I love to make myself a good chai latte, so comforting, and an iced one for the summer.
81. Plan a vacation! Even if you don't have the money... just plan your dream trip.
82. Give yourself a facial.
83. Learn a language! The BBC has a pretty good bunch of free video/audio language courses on its website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/ and there are also plenty of free podcasts on iTunes to help you learn languages. Plus, you could always enrol in an actual language class in your area.
84. Get some audio books and listen to them!
85. Call a good friend, roommate, boyfriend/girlfriend, and get them to come see you or go see them. Get out and be social! It always makes me feel better about myself and distracts me from the thought of food. Plus you never want to stuff your face in front of someone.
86. Tweet!
87. Donate. Think of the money you would be wasting on bop, and go online to Oxfam Unwrapped: http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/ and buy/send a gift to someone who needs it and doesn't have enough money to eat.
88. Self-proclaimed "baby freak" goes on Anne Geddes websites and Geddes-related sites for encouragement!
89. Laugh at the food your about to binge and say "is this little STUPID cookie or piece of food really worth messing up my recovery? HAHAHA NOPE!" then throw it away!
90. Vacuum your house, scrub your bathtub, anything that is repetitive and will take you awhile. I have realized that when I am binging I am really just doing a repetitive action where I can sit and think for a while, so maybe these actions could be used as replacements.
91. Hold a cube of ice in your hand, count to 3 very slowly and when it gets too cold, swap hands and repeat. Do this until the ice runs out. If you still have that urge to binge or purge, do it again with another cube of ice..............or however many you want!
92. This might seem silly, but cooking helps me. It slows down the irrational thoughts and makes me appreciate food instead of seeing it as a drug.
93. Watching Buddhist meditation vids on you tube
94. Get someone to tie your hands behind your back
95. Visit www.cutethingsfallingasleep.org
96. Pretend your going online shopping for makeup! It makes me happy even though I dont get anything.
97. Put on a face mask, lie down and relax.
98. Go on http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ and vote for something that you feel strongly about.
99. I like to play with my dog or take him for a walk. I try to think about how care-free and happy he is and let other things go.
100. I log into the bulimia help website, and I do a FAKE binge, I go to record a binge and then I make sure I label it "Coulda, Woulda, Didn't." I log in all the food that I wanted to eat and probably could have eaten, and I put the price of what each item would have costed me....money wise, not to mention the guilt, sadness, and energy lost. I add up the cost $ of each item at the end ......and viola!. So when I look at the list I see all the food I didn't binge on and purge, which makes me feel stronger and glad, and all the money I saved, which makes me feel empowered.
101. Go to  www.operationbeautiful.com, and realize that you are beautiful the way you are, then make your own signs and go out and post them.

   
Pheew! Well done guys. Definitely some good ideas there. Well, did you find any of them useful?