 Recovery from an eating disorder, addiction, or other mental health challenge is an incredible undertaking that requires courage and stamina. The individual has to make choices towards recovery in the presence of distress and discomfort. We cannot expect every day to go perfectly and must understand that there will be moments of doubt, mistakes, or simple slips in staying the course. In fact, those moments can provide very useful information about triggers, places of pain, and areas of focus. Still, recovering persons, support persons, and providers may understandably worry about these instances as a sign of an impending relapse.
Below is a Stoplight Plan that can be useful in recovery, especially when working with support persons and clinician team members to determine more support is needed. It is particularly important to assess progress overall, not moment by moment or even day to day. Progress assessed over a week’s time is recommended, so that one can focus on the successes and achievements as well as the areas of struggle. Furthermore, it is important to have a plan of action in writing and shared with others, one that clearly defines goals and progress measurements (i.e. Bonnie will attend two support meetings this week.). Green Light When a recovering individual is on a green light, it means that, over the last week, they have maintained or made progress in recovery as measured by their treatment plan, nutritional plan, behavioral contract, and/or another goal. We are looking for progress rather than perfection. We are also focused on the ability to quickly recover from any moments or behavior choices that take one away from recovery. It is advised that support persons and clinicians emphasize strengths, successes, and behaviors that are working rather than focus solely on problem areas. Reinforcing positive actions will help individuals feel competent and confident in recovery, and they will be more likely to choose these behaviors in the future. Yellow Light A recovering individual on yellow is someone who is struggling and needs support and care to get back on track. Overall, progress is going in the wrong direction, and the recovering person, support persons, and clinicians are concerned. At the yellow stage, it is recommended that a discussion among all support persons and clinicians is had to circle the wagons of support and help the individual reset and focus on goals. A clinician may call a “huddle” or start a written communication (with appropriate consents in place). The recovering individual has one to two weeks to demonstrate that they can get moving in the right direction. This time is a great opportunity to assess adding in some additional supports like online groups, family time, or an extra session with a clinician. Red Light A red light means that the recovering person has not had success with getting back on track and it is time to discuss more intensive treatment options. This discussion is meant to be a motivator, not a threat. A fear that many recovering persons have is that their clinicians and support persons will give up on them and tell them that can’t help them anymore. And, while it is true that there are times when the individual’s behavior requires support beyond what a clinician or support person can offer, it is also crucial to give the message that you believe that they can do it with added support. As long as the person is medically and psychiatrically stable, the clinicians and support persons can elect to give it another week for the individual to move back into recovery before referral to more intensive care. In Conclusion The use of the Stoplight Plan can greatly reduce anxiety and worry about what to do when challenges arise during recovery. It also outlines how to give an individual both space and support as they undertake this difficult journey. Please feel free to share this plan with others. Never give up hope! Check out my website or reach out to me via my contact page. I offer free, 30-minute consultations to new clients.
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 In honor of September’s National Recovery Month and its theme, “Recovery is For Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community,” I wanted to take a moment and highlight just how amazing and truly inspiring it is to witness persons and their families recovering from eating disorders. I remember working in a hospital for eating disorders and being astounded that these individuals would fly across the country, battling snow and ice and travel delays, many times in desperate states physically and mentally, to engage in what I believed was one of the most difficult things a human can do: recover in the environment that they struggle with the most, food and the body. Unlike a person with an addiction to alcohol or drugs, we can’t just remove the problem substance. Persons with eating disorders have to learn how to develop a healthy relationship with food and their body. And that trigger is with them all day long, every day. Think about it. From the lens of addiction recovery, what we need to do for eating disorder recovery would be like taking the alcohol use disordered person, walking them into a bar, setting them down with a drink, and saying it’s time to develop a healthy relationship with alcohol. To me, it was always astounding to see how many persons were willing to walk into the gauntlet of treatment, which includes three meals and three snacks, monitored bathroom breaks, minimal exercise, therapy all day long, and a milieu full of other persons with eating disorders. What courage they have! The strength one has to muster to do this gives me goosebumps! Not to mention what we know about temperament and the natural harm avoidance that is present in many with eating disorders. I think their courage speaks to something in their hearts, a belief deep down that they deserve a different life, even if that part is really small at first or isn’t used to having a voice or a seat at the table. I am deeply grateful to all those I have helped navigate their massive undertakings of eating disorder recovery. I am also deeply grateful to all the families who assisted their loved ones in doing this work, oftentimes while navigating their own recovery journeys too. And finally, I am deeply grateful to be part of a community here in Denver, and virtually across the world, in which we hold hope and compassion for those recovering, at whatever pace they need to go -- because, you see, these heroes are really some of the strongest people you will ever meet. Hand to heart to my heroes in eating disorder recovery. Happy National Recovery Month to all! Check out my website or reach out to me via my contact page. I offer free, 30-minute consultations to new clients.  Our last days of summer are here in the Colorado mountains! The aspen trees at higher elevations are beginning to tinge yellow, and the mornings have that whiff of the ending of growth. Even though it has been years since I went to school, I still get excited for the atmosphere of learning that September brings. Memories of cool days and busy coffee shops with intellectual conversations come to mind. I think about my younger self, in the first years of college, searching for the meaning of life, wanting to make a difference in the world, and longing for love and acceptance. I wanted my parents to be proud and supportive, even though I was pursuing a degree in English that I might not use in the future. There is definitely a piece of that younger self with me in late summer -- the one with big dreams, the one that keeps me in check and reminds me to find moments of joy when I get too focused on solving all the problems in my world. One Piece of Advice for Your Younger Self On one recent summer evening filled with conversation about kids and memories, a friend asked me, “Given the opportunity, what one piece of advice would you give your younger self?” Boy, lots to think about there! And what a great question to reflect on knowing what I know now. Today, I ask that question to you. What’s your answer? Given the crystal ball you now have into your past, what have you learned that could guide you? Would you have believed it at the time? I don’t ask you in order to trigger regret but rather to reinforce that what you’ve realized now is so important to you. One thing I would definitely say to myself is to spend more time in nature and to make sure that I use that space to reboot my energy levels. Watch my latest video for a little glimpse of a lovely place where I spent time recharging in southern Colorado. Therapy Exercise As a way to deepen the exploration of what’s important to you, there’s a therapy exercise I like to use with Life Compass Cards, developed by Joanne Steinwachs. You sort 108 word cards that represent values that may or may not resonate with you, using guidance from the exercise instructions and some coaching from the facilitator on how to narrow it down to your top 7 values. I find the exercise useful and also difficult at times. It requires you to let go of those things you may find important but not necessarily the most important to you. It’s a lovely endeavour to do with your therapist or a trusted friend. So whether you are on your own recovery journey or supporting someone on their’s, I encourage you to enjoy the end of this summer and the beginning of the introspective opportunity that fall gives us. Make a plan to spend more time with who and what is important to you, perhaps inspired by that question from my dear friend. And, if your younger self has some advice for you, listen carefully to what that voice says! Check out my website or reach out to me via my contact page. I offer free, 30-minute consultations to new clients. |
AuthorBonnie Brennan shares thoughts, inspiration, skills and resources for recovery Archives
February 2022
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