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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffYou may find it difficult to cope with bulimia when you're hit with mixed messages by the media, culture, and perhaps your own friends or peers. You may even have heard people joke that they wish they could throw up after overeating.
So how do you cope with a disease that can be deadly when you're also getting messages that being thin is a sign of success?
- Remind yourself what a healthy weight is for your body, especially at times when you see images that may trigger your desire to binge and purge.
- Resist the urge to diet or skip meals. Dieting actually triggers binge eating and makes it difficult to cope with stress.
- Don't visit Web sites that advocate or glorify eating disorders. These sites can encourage you to maintain dangerous habits and can trigger relapses.
- Identify troublesome situations that are likely to trigger thoughts or behavior that may contribute to your bulimia so that you can develop a plan of action to deal with them. Also have a plan in place to cope with the emotional distress of setbacks.
- Look for positive role models who can help boost your self-esteem, even if they're not easy to find. Remind yourself that the ultrathin models or actors showcased in popular magazines often don't represent healthy, fit bodies.
- Find pleasurable activities to engage in. This can help distract you from thoughts about bingeing and purging and also help you develop healthy hobbies.
- Build up your self-esteem by forgiving yourself, focusing on the positive, and giving yourself credit and encouragement — just as you would do for a loved one.
Get support
Some people — those with bulimia and their family members — find support groups helpful. Support group members can truly understand what you're going through because they've been there themselves. They can also offer encouragement, hope and advice on coping. If you're interested in joining a support group, you can ask your doctor if he or she knows if there's a group in your area, or you can call the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders (ANAD) helpline at 630-577-1330. (This is not a free phone call.) You can also find information on its Web site. Overeaters Anonymous (OA) also offers support groups. You can contact OA through its Web site or by calling 505-891-2664. (This is not a free phone call.)
Coping advice for parents
If you're the parent of someone with bulimia nervosa, you may blame yourself for your child's eating disorder. But, eating disorders have many causes and it's better not to waste time trying to figure out why the eating disorder occurred. Instead, focus on how you can help your child now.
Here are some suggestions for supporting your child:
- Ask your child what you can do to help. Would it be helpful if you made sure that certain trigger foods aren't in the house? Or, would your teen like it if you planned family activities after meals to reduce the temptation to purge?
- Listen. Allow your child to express his or her feelings.
- Schedule regular family mealtimes. Regular eating is an important component for reducing binge eating.
- Let your adolescent know any concerns you have, but try to do so without placing blame.
It's also important to remember that eating disorders affect the whole family and that you need to take care of yourself too. If you feel that you aren't coping well with your teen's illness, you might benefit from professional counseling. Or, ask your child's doctor if he or she knows of any support groups in your area for parents of children with eating disorders.
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