A Journaling Club for individuals in recovery, caregivers and community members.
Starting Winter 2022, EDCI will be hosting an eight-week journaling club, hosted by our own volunteer, Emma Clanin. Emma will be providing weekly prompts to explore our relationship with food, our bodies and self-acceptance. We encourage you to join us in self-exploration by journaling on your own. If you feel comfortable, you are welcome to share your journal entries with EDCI to be featured on our social media and website. (Entries may also be posted anonymously by request).
As a teaser to our upcoming Journaling Club, feel free to check out a special Thanksgiving-related prompt to explore thoughts, feelings and action plans for this Holiday:
Thanksgiving. This holiday can be a joyful time where we can relax, spend time with family and friends, and have appreciation for where we are at right now, our lives and our relationships. However, Thanksgiving can cause a great deal of stress and worry due to the emphasis on food. This stress could occur at a Thanksgiving meal when a family member comments on how much you're eating, what you are eating, or how your body has changed. Triggers could arise due to the abundance of “special” and seasonal foods that may cause the urge to binge or restrict. Worry could also appear from the pressure we put on our bodies to look the same. Between the stress of the Holiday and food related triggers, there are often a lot of underlying anxieties that are normal to experience. However, it is important to have an action plan in mind when there are anticipated stressors. Action plans that are most successful are those that are clear, achievable and involve accessing self-compassion.
Anticipated Trigger Example:
I will want to binge on my favorite pie my mom makes only on Thanksgiving
Action Plan Example:
1. I am going to plan on taking deep breaths while I eat the pie so I take my time eating it.
2. I am also going to think about all of the amazing flavors I taste in the pie, so I can enjoy
each and every bite.
3. I will remind myself that it is okay to eat until I am satisfied. Letting myself enjoy this treat
is okay! If I end up overeating, it is not the end of the world and I can use this as a lesson
that maybe I need to eat pie more often in my life, so I do not feel like this is the only
time I can eat it.
Journal prompt: What are you most worried about for Thanksgiving? What are your anticipated triggers or stressors? How can you prepare yourself to handle the situation if it occurs?
There are no right answers. What matters is that it will work for you!
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