Eating Disorder Relapse Prevention

Get Effective Treatment for Disordered Eating at Icarus NM

Whether you struggle with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder relapse can feel like a tremendous setback on your recovery journey. You may blame yourself. Perhaps you saw the warning signs and symptoms but ignored them. You thought you had regained control of the disorder and could manage your relationship with food.

Don’t be too harsh on yourself – give yourself some grace. Recovering from an eating disorder means a complicated recovery process. It’s rarely a straight line.

Relapse occurs, but Icarus Behavioral Health is here to help. Our treatment team can help you face your disordered behaviors. We will help you restore your mental and physical health and maintain hope for a brighter future.

Read on – we will explain why we are well-qualified to address your eating disorder symptoms and help you heal with tips for relapse prevention and proven programs of support!

What Do Eating Disorders Feel Like?

Are you reading this page because a family member has shown you some disordered eating behaviors? We applaud your efforts to gain insight into their disorder – it can be hard to comprehend why. It’s a normal part of life for everyone to indulge in occasional self-criticism.

But it’s quite another to have a body image so distorted that eating and purging becomes a way of life. So allow us to give an example of what an eating disorder feels like:

Walking Down a Distorted Hall of Mirrors

Some compare eating disorders to getting trapped inside a carnival funhouse. In the maze of creepy corridors, reality presents in a different – and often perplexing – way. Every mirror reflects you in a version that’s warped or exaggerated. The mirrors lining the maze of hallways contort your image. One shows your body shape as too thin. But another one makes your weight seem so much larger than it actually is. You don’t recognize yourself as you try to escape the mirrors.

You try to get back on track and find the exit. As you wander through the corridors, you hear strange music and laughter. The laughing mocks you – diminishing your self-worth and damaging your self-esteem. You feel confused, and re-emergence from the fun house feels nearly impossible. You pay close attention to a few signs that you are near the end of the maze. With tremendous focus, you finally exit the strange tunnels.

Now that you can better visualize what a person might feel like, you can see how important it is for you to support your loved one as they recover from their disorder.

What Are the Warning Signs of an Eating Disorder Relapse?

Whether you have a binge eating disorder or engage in non-binging behaviors, you should take your eating disorder relapse seriously. If you identify one red flag or more from these disordered eating behaviors, call Icarus Behavioral Health for help and reliable treatment options today.

What are the Behavioral Signs of Your Disorder?

These factors may show that you need a little more support toward making a full recovery:

• You might return to old disordered eating behaviors. For instance, you might eat too much and then binge – even if you haven’t done these harmful behaviors recently.
• Besides that, you might obsess about every nibble. For example, you might feel utterly out of control if you don’t stick with a strict diet or meal plan.
• Skipping meals or avoiding specific foods could also be a red flag that you need a little more help.
• Being very secretive or defensive about eating habits or your weight.
• Another sign of eating disorder relapse is exercising obsessively. A systematic review published in BMC Psychiatry reported compulsive exercise in half the eating disorder clients they monitored.
• Some people who relapse cannot concentrate or focus on tasks unrelated to eating.

Don’t hesitate to reach out for help if you see these. Receiving help sooner than later can stop a backslide into a full relapse.

Emotional Red Flags of an Eating Disorder Relapse

Know these emotional symptoms – they can help you identify the need for help.

• You may feel anxiety or stress. As a result, you start relying on food to cope with these life events.
• You might also feel sadness or depression. You might also lose interest in activities you previously enjoyed.
• Some who need additional treatment for anorexia nervosa or bulimia express and an increased dissatisfaction with body image or self-worth.
• You feel defensive when someone asks questions about your well-being.
• Some who relapse explain their persistent, intrusive thoughts about food, weight, or shape.

These early indicators of relapse should be a warning. Icarus Behavioral Health can help you sharpen your tools and get back on track.

Physical Signs of Disordered Eating Behaviors

Here are a few of the physical signs of a relapse:

• You had your weight restored to a healthy goal. But now the needle is moving on the scale again, with rapid weight loss or gain.
• Some people with an eating disorder feel fatigued quickly.
• You might have constipation, bloating, or stomach pain after meals.
• Experiencing frequent dizziness or fainting spells can indicate a relapse.

If you have any of these signs, give yourself some grace. Lean on your trusted support network – family, friends, or neighbors. Most importantly, reach out to us at Icarus Behavioral Health. Our treatment center can help restore your health and craft a relapse prevention plan for overall wellness and long-lasting recovery.

Relapse Prevention Programs for Bulimia or Anorexia Nervosa

One of the key risk factors that predicts an eating disorder relapse is leaving treatment too early and without a clear plan to prevent relapse.

A recovery center can give clients the tools for success. But without clear instructions on how to use those tools, they cannot continue to make progress.

That’s where a relapse prevention program comes into play. It acknowledges that an eating disorder is a lifelong struggle, albeit one that a person can manage with treatment and support.

Because a relapse prevention plan plays such a vital role, here are some things it must include:

Understanding Triggers and Coping Strategies

Those at risk of relapse should fully understand their triggers when they leave recovery. They should also understand how a life event – such as the stress of a new job, for instance – can connect to their ongoing recovery.

They should also learn how to deal with those stressful times. Icarus Behavioral Health teaches those who struggle with an eating disorder mindfulness, yoga, and meditation, to name a few.

Better Nutrition and Health Exercise

Those with eating disorders should learn nutritional management as part of their recovery. They should learn about healthy, sustainable food choices.

A person in our program also learns the difference between healthy exercise to keep the heart pumping healthily and muscles limber and over-exercising to the point of exhaustion.

They also leave Icarus Behavioral Health with a realistic view of meal planning and exercise to help them enjoy recovery while preventing relapse.

Therapy and Support Groups for Accountability After Recovery

Whether our clients receive inpatient or outpatient care for an eating disorder, they will receive counseling. Our licensed, caring professionals will help each client learn how to adopt a healthy self-image, letting go of the past behaviors that put your recovery at risk.

We also recommend support groups. When a person connects with others who have experienced an eating disorder, it promotes healthy choices and accountability.

Support groups may also include family therapy. An eating disorder can impact the entire family. Healing is necessary to help restore trust and rebuild broken bonds with a loved one or friends who care.

Every relapse prevention program we design is flexible and customized to meet the needs of each person.

Get Help in Finding Long Term Eating Disorder Recovery

Many people experience a relapse after they think they’ve healed from an eating disorder. It is nothing to be ashamed of – recovery is rarely linear. It usually means that you (or your loved one) left treatment too soon or without completely understanding how to manage your disorder.

But know that it is not too late to recover. Treatment is a quick call away; we can help put you back on the road to recovery immediately. Make the confidential call now – we are standing by to help you or your loved one find lasting solutions for eating issues, today!