Eating Disorder Recovery Skills: 10 Best Tools to Help Now

Being in recovery from an eating disorder mean that you have intense urges to engage in disordered eating behaviors. Whether that’s restricting, bingeing, purging, or over-exercising, the feeling of panic or distress leading up to engaging in the behavior can feel overwhelming and even intolerable.

There are plenty of effective skills and tools you can use to delay and manage eating disorder urges, as you begin the deeper work of putting them out of a job. Your specialized therapist and dietitian will help you so much with this, and if you’re not currently working with a team, here’s your sign to start.

Specialized Outpatient Eating Disorder Treatment in Texas

Austin Center for Eating Disorders provides both in-person and virtual therapy to speed up and soften your recovery process. We are the lowest level of care for eating disorder treatment, which means that you come to a session and then return to your life. We are a highly skilled and compassionate group of therapists and dietitians, here to help you build the life you want… without the prison of your eating disorder.

Below are 10 eating disorder recovery skills to help in the moment:

However, this list is just a primer. For long-term, sustainable recovery, working with an eating disorder specialized team can be a game-changer. The Austin Center for Eating Disorders (ACED) team of therapists and dietitians use evidence-based techniques tailored to your individual needs, giving you a shortcut to feeling better and reaching lasting recovery.

1. Use the "Delaying Tactic"

One of the most effective strategies for managing an eating disorder behavior urge is to delay acting on it.

The idea is simple: when you feel the urge to engage in an eating disorder behavior, commit to waiting for a specified period (like 10 or 15 minutes) before acting. During that time, engage in a distracting or soothing activity, such as listening to music, calling a friend, or journaling. Often, this delay reduces the intensity of the urge.

Why it works: Delaying gives you time to practice self-regulation and can shift your attention away from the behavior you’re trying to reduce.

2. Practice "Urge Surfing"

"Urge surfing" is a mindfulness technique that encourages you to ride the wave of an urge instead of trying to suppress it. When the urge to engage in disordered eating behavior arises, notice it without judgment. Observe how it builds, peaks, and eventually subsides—just like a wave in the ocean.

By staying present with the urge and not acting on it, you can reduce its power over you.

Why it works: Urges often feel intolerable, but they pass if you don’t act on them. Urge surfing builds emotional resilience.

3. Grounding with Your Five Senses

When emotions feel overwhelming, grounding exercises can help. One effective grounding technique involves focusing on your five senses. Look around and identify five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

This shifts your attention away from intrusive thoughts and back to the present moment.

Why it works: Grounding techniques help you feel more in charge of and connected to the present, interrupting the hold that eating disorder thoughts have over you.

4. Use the "Leaves on a Stream" Technique

"Leaves on a Stream" is a thought diffusion technique from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Visualize each thought or urge as a leaf floating down a stream. Rather than engaging with the thought or letting it control you, simply observe it as it floats away.

This skill is particularly helpful for folks with OCD or OCD features, as disengaging with intrusive thoughts rather than focusing on them is needed.

Why it works: This technique allows you to create space between yourself and your thoughts, reducing their emotional intensity and weakening the urge to act on them. It teaches you to not engage with destructive thoughts and behavior urges, and rather observe as they pass by you.

5. Distract Yourself with an Activity

Distraction is a powerful tool for managing urges. If you feel the need to binge, purge, or restrict, try distracting yourself with a different activity. This could be something creative, like painting or writing, something passive like listening to a song or watching a tv show, or something physical, like taking a shower, going outside, or gentle stretching.

The key is to shift your focus away from the eating disorder behavior and onto something that brings you joy or relaxation.

Why it works: Engaging in a positive activity interrupts the disordered eating cycle and replaces it with something healthier. Distraction is considered a harm reduction method, and eventually, as you develop more distress tolerance skills, your need to distract should wane over time as you become more solid in facing distress without needing to avoid it.

6. Challenge Intrusive Thoughts with Fact Checking

When disordered thoughts or self-critical beliefs come up, challenge them with cognitive restructuring techniques. Write down the thought (e.g., "I don’t deserve to eat") and then challenge it with evidence that contradicts it (e.g., "Everyone deserves nourishment; my body needs food to function"). This practice helps you detach from harmful thinking patterns and reframe your beliefs.

Remind yourself that you are not your thoughts, and just because you have a thought, doesn’t make it true.

Why it works: Challenging distorted thoughts helps break the cycle of destructive self-talk that fuels disordered eating behaviors .

7. Opposite Action: Do the Opposite of Your Urge

"Opposite action" is a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skill that involves doing the opposite of what your emotions or urges tell you to do. For example, if you feel like restricting your food intake, deliberately eat something nourishing. If you feel like isolating yourself, reach out to a friend or family member for support.

Why it works: Acting against the urge diminishes its strength, shines light on the lies of your eating disorder, and reinforces self-caring behaviors over time.

8. Connect with Your Values

When the urge to engage in disordered eating behaviors arises, take a moment to reflect on your core values. What do you want your life to stand for? Does acting on this urge align with those values? For instance, if you value self-care and health, remind yourself that nourishing your body is more aligned with those values than restricting or purging.

Why it works: Connecting with values helps to to develop your identity outside of your eating disorder, which is needed for your sustainable long-term recovery.

9. Use a Coping Box

A coping box is a collection of items that bring you comfort or serve as distractions when you're feeling overwhelmed. This might include sensory items (like a stress ball or essential oils), a journal, photographs of loved ones, momentoes that are meaningful to you, or notes of encouragement. When an urge arises, reach for your coping box instead of engaging in the disordered behavior.

Why it works: Having tangible items that bring comfort can be a soothing, immediate alternative to engaging in eating disorder behaviors. Items on your box can help remind you that your are resilient, not alone, and can find comfort even in moments of distress.

10. Reach Out for Support

Perhaps the most important skill is recognizing when to ask for care or help. Reaching out to a therapist, dietitian, or trusted friend can be powerful in moments of distress. Sometimes, simply having someone listen to your struggles or provide encouragement can be the support you need to avoid or delay engaging in ED behaviors. Professional care, such as therapy and nutrition counseling, can serve as a shortcut to recovery by providing compassionate guidance tailored to your needs.

Why it works: Social support is one of the strongest predictors of recovery from eating disorders. Furthermore, eating disorders are inherently disorders of deception, isolation, and loneliness, and talking about your struggles reduces the shame, and help foster desperately needed connection in your life.

You don’t have to go through this alone. Reach out for support, we’re here.

Working with an Eating Disorder Specialized Team: A Shortcut to Recovery

While these ten strategies are effective tools, lasting recovery from an eating disorder requires professional support.

The 10 skills listed here are just a starting point. There’s so much more to learn and discover on your path to recovery. We are sending you lots of compassion and resilience along your way.

References

Hudson, J. I., Hiripi, E., Pope, H. G., & Kessler, R. C. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Biological Psychiatry, 61(3), 348-358.

Kaye, W. H., Bulik, C. M., Thornton, L., Barbarich, N., & Masters, K. (2004). Comorbidity of anxiety disorders with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(12), 2215-2221.

Legal disclaimer: The ACED team is comprised of mental health professionals licensed to practice in the state of Texas. Reading our blog does not create a therapist-client relationship between us. Our blog is designed for informational purposes only, and is not intended as a substitute for professional care. The contents of this blog should not be used to diagnose or treat illness of any kind, and before you rely on any information presented here you should consult with a trusted healthcare professional. If you are currently experiencing a mental health emergency please call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.