How do you get the anorexic voice in your head to shut up. It's driving me crazy!!

[Citylife]

Has anyone got any ideas or suggestions of what I can do to try and block out the anorexic voice that is in my head. It's there from the moment I wake up to when I go to sleep, it never shuts up telling me what I can and cannot eat, what I look like and need to do to change that etc. I have tried blocking it out with watching tv, listening to music etc, but it's still is there. I have started recovery and feel it's holding me back it feels like 1 step forward and three steps back.

[njam]

Hi Citylife

i know exactly how you feel, i wish that voice would shut up and leave me alone too. i ti just so draining isn't it.

i dunno if this will help but sticking to a food plan and doing it despite the voice is one way of saying shut up i can beat you, and i also think that one step forward 3 steps back is part of recovery it has been in my case so far. whereas before i saw it as failure if i couldn't do the plan perfectly i am now seeing it as just blips and trying to take things an hour at a time.

hope that helps

njam

[crazycrossstitcher]

The voice is a real problem - I read the screwtape letters by Lewis Carol - which is about the devil and how he trains his little helper to divert Christians from faith - it really resonated as its just like the anorexic voice - this helped me in the sense that I recognised it for what it was - a voice telling me just what NOT to do - meal planning helps me - I hope to see a dietician soon and set up a plan - I know it will be hard - but knowing a professional has set the plan seems to help me in that it is someone else who knows about nutrition saying this is what you need to eat to be healthy - and I hope will give me the strenght to tell the voice to get lost .

[Citylife in reply to crazycrossstitcher]

Hi Crazycrosssticher, thanx for your reply, the part you said about the devil and training his little helper really hit home with me and can see the similarities between the two. I have tried doing the opposite to what the voice says but am finding it really hard at the minute. I suppose I am beating myself up because I allowed myself to eat 'too' much over Christmas and now feel I have to cleanse my body some how by cutting back and exercising again. I told my counsellor yesterday and we talked through how if I start cutting back etc again it will allow the anorexic voice back in a stronger way and make it harder to recover. So I am going to try and keep eating and not exercise too much.

[Hidden]

Yes, I go along with you all. Whatever good intentions I have the "voice" attacks. Having a meal plan helps. When the voice screams then I try to congratulate myself that it is screaming and that I'm trying to eat in a healthy way by following the plan.

I also think that having something active to do (e.g. craft work, art, study, housework, talking with friends/family, reading) can distract my attention from the voice. I personally find that something more passive (e.g. watching TV) doesn't work for me because my attention wanders back to the voice.

[Hidden]

One very wise specialist nurse on an E.D unit said to me "the best way to make the anorexic voice be quiet is to do the OPPOSITE to what it is telling you. So for instance if you hear in you head "No - you have to skip breakfast just like yesterday!" you need to take physical action by making yourself act opposite and actually eat it. At first the anorexia will be mad at you and make you feel terribly guilty, but if you KEEP GOING - each day KEEP acting against the anorexia and eat breakfast I promise you it wil ease up and get quieter and quieter and then suddenly one day you will notice (full of joy!) that you are getting up and having breakast without any nasty anorexic voice, no niggles to make you feel guilty! Just keep going, it WILL happen for you! Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Many thanks, breakingfree, for sharing this. I think the specialist nurse's words are very helpful.

[Eatingdisordersdevon]

I'm wondering whether you have anyone you can share this with, so they know what you are battling against? They may well be able to help you by encouraging you to ignore the voice and that they understand how difficult it is. As 'breaking free' says very often simply doing the opposite to what you are being told will begin to break down the voice. Don't underestimate how huge a step it is to recognise how damaging the 'voice' in your head is, and the fact that you want it to 'shut up' is really, really positive. The chances are that the voice has been with you for a while so will not go overnight, but it will go.....well done and hang in there.

[Elliexoxo_70]

I feel like the voices don’t stop no matter what I do. And if I try and make a dieting plan I end up writing it and then cross out items until I have entirely restricted myself again. People just say I am pathetic but I legitimately can’t help it and I hate myself. I look at myself and want to throw up. I just hate being alive.