Templates to help you in your journey 

I have created various templates that I have found to beneficial when trying to sort out feelings, thoughts and emotions.  Feel free to print them out, as many as you want or need.  You can also use these are ideas on how to create your own.  Another great reason I use them is that I can e-mail, text them as a pdf file or hand them to my professional support team.  It helps them to see what I have been struggling with and what I have found may be my ideas on what I can do or have already done to handle such things.  Some like the Cope Ahead Plan I keep handy to remind myself on how I found to handle a triggering situation.  I keep several of each of them in my ‘recovery backpack’ where they are handy and available for me to use whenever I need them.  

I have included in the templates a feelings wheel since a lot of us have a difficult time finding the words to convey exactly what we are feeling at the time.

There is NO right or wrong way to answer the questions or prompts on them.  Just be as clear and concise as you can be.  If you cannot come up with answers to alternative ways of thinking or processing the situation which most of the worksheets have a space for, take it to your professional team and ask them for suggestions based on what you have written.  They can guide you to solutions and tools that may help.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I know and believe that those of us who suffer from an ED of any type can beat it.  It is hard work and at times feels impossible; but I am sure it is a goal that is obtainable to all of you out there.

KEEP YOUR CHIN UP!  Take baby steps towards your recovery, put one foot in front of the other and know, with a capital K, you CAN do it.  Even if you can’t see it now, the world needs you!

I know I am making progress because…

Keeping track of the progress we have made is imperative to the success of our recovery.  We need to be able to recognize we are progressing, no matter how small the progress is.  Some of our progress will show up under the Today’s Wins if you are keeping a gratitude journal.  No matter whether you keep a gratitude journal or you don’t, having our progress in black and white is a great reminder of how far we have come.  

My ‘I am making progress because’ list is something I add to whenever I feel the need to remind myself of the progress of my recovery.  Another benefit to keeping track is that you can give it to your professional support team easily.  This lets them see what you are making progress in.  I myself, put each time I add to it a different color so I can see the growth.  

I have put out a sample of my progress report to myself.  Several templates for this type of list are out under the templates blog section.  You can either print them (and there are several different templates) out there, or just use them to design your own.  You don’t have to use a “pretty” page; it can just be written done in a spiral notebook.  It is up to you.  

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I know and believe that those of us who suffer from an ED of any type can beat it.  It is hard work and at times feels impossible; but I am sure it is a goal that is obtainable to all of you out there.

KEEP Y0UR CHIN UP!  Take baby steps towards your recovery, put one foot in front of the other and know, with a capital K, you CAN do it.  Even if you can’t see it now, the world needs you!