Self-Esteem

[jnell]

As I work hard at getting and working eating food I haven't allowed myself to eat in many years and the less I binge eat- the harder I seem to become on myself. I am looking for some ideas or ways to work on my self esteem and maybe even a support buddy. This website is amazing because it lets you know you aren't alone in the world with your feelings and pain.

[aworkinprogress]

First of all, I'm very proud of you for allowing yourself to eat foods that you haven't eaten in many years. That is a giant step! Do you feel proud of yourself for having the strength to do that?

Secondly, what kinds of thoughts come to mind when you're being hard on yourself? And why do you think they're more prevalent now than they were before?

I think it would be helpful to explore those reasons. And, like I said, I'm proud of you. Whether your mind wants to admit it or not, you are making progress!

[knightingale]

i know exactly how you feel, when i came on here, i was like WOW! i had been feeling so alone, and like no one understood what went on inside my head, but i've opened the door to a whole new world full of people who DO know,,,and it seems like such a load off my heart,,,i think it will really help with my recovery :)))

[bunki]

I know what you mean when you say that the better your eating gets, the harder you become on yourself. I think it's the ED "voice" that's there saying negative things. The ED really tries to hang on and whenever I've improved with eating I do the same thing. It just doesn't feel right to not be critical of myself in some way. :ugh Do you think this might be what's going on with you?
There are a lot of good tips for working on self esteem in this forum, I went back and looked at the back postings and found lots of good ideas and suggestions. I'm working on the same stuff right now. You can e-mail me if you want, a "self esteem support buddy" sounds like a good idea! :happy