A P A R T O F T H E “ H E A L T H Y M I N D , H E A L T H Y B O D Y ” S E R I E S

B Y K A T I M O R T O N , M F T I

Workbook Volume 1

• CHAPTER 1 •

“Together we are going to work

towards a happy, healthy future!”

-Kati Morton, MFTI

I want to welcome you to the first Healthy Mind, Healthy Body workbook!

My hope is that this is something you print, keep in an easy to access place, and work on progressively throughout your recovery process. I want to highlight that recovery is a process, it is not perfect and it does not come without moments of relapse. This workbook can help you when you are struggling as well as help you continue to move forward in your recovery.

Due to the fact that eating disorders often thrive on negative thoughts, feelings and actions, this first workshop book will focus on what negative thoughts you actually handle day to day.

K a t i ’s r u l e s . . .1. Be kind to yourself

2. Set a to-do list each evening for the next day

3. Work on yourself daily

4. Reach out to others when you need help

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• Volume 1 •

Click here to see the Intro video

The first task is for you to write down

the things that your eating disorder (ED) tells you and how you “talk back” to it in order to recover. I am sure some of you have done this exercise before but it is always good to do it again. The most important thing to remember is to just be honest. No one is going to read this, it is just a helpful way for you to see what your ED is telling you about yourself and how much that negative voice can influence your mood and overall emotional state.

If you begin your day not in line with what your ED tells you to do, what happens? Well, nothing will actually happen, but more likely your ED will start filling your head with negative comments about how lazy or worthless you are, or how you are supposed to “make up” for being “bad” later on that day. This can

make recovery very difficult as well as damage the relationship you have with yourself.

In order to work through the negative thoughts, feelings and actions we have to

learn how to speak back to them. Think of the negative voice as a bully and you have to learn how to speak up for yourself. So in one column we have the negative voice of your ED, and in the other we have your healthy or true inner voice. I know that

talking back to your ED will be horribly difficult at first, but keep at it. There will be times when you feel like you are just going through the motions and don’t even really believe what your healthy voice is saying, but keep writing it down. Your head will

catch up. I promise. You are probably wondering what kind of things to write down to say back to your ED, right? Start out just negating what it says. For example, if you ED tells you that you are lazy, you could say I am not lazy, I do so much during each day that I am exhausted in the evening. Or you could list what you did that day and why you are not lazy. Whatever you can to

argue back to your ED. I sometimes even tell my clients that if they are at a loss for words to say back, just imagine what I would say to their ED. Sometimes it can help at the beginning to think of someone outside of yourself

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Click here to see the 1st Task Companion Video

talking back to your ED versus it coming directly from you. However, it would be my hope that as you continue progressing through recovery, you are able to personally identify with your healthy voice.

The second task

to help you get in touch with your inner or healthy voice is to go back to when you last heard it. I know that sounds ridiculously difficult, but an easy way to access that part of yourself is to go back to your favorite childhood memory. The term “childhood” can mean very different things to different people. For some of you, it may mean when you were nine years old, for others it would be in your late teens early twenties. Whenever it is, allow yourself to go there. I am sure from the moment you read “favorite childhood memory” a flash from

that memory flew into your mind. Go with that memory. There is no right or wrong childhood memory, and if you really like this exercise, you can do it multiple times.

Now that you have the memory, start writing down what was happening. Try to use all five of your senses. What smell was in the air? Do you remember if it was cold or hot where you were? Can you feel the clothing on your skin? Were you barefoot in the grass? What do you hear? Did you taste anything? What did you hear around you in this memory? Were people talking,

or just the rush of the wind? Try to get as descriptive as possible. That can help you really feel like you are there again. What were your thoughts at that time? Did you worry about what you had eaten or how much you worked out? My guess is no. Try to remember that person, what were your hopes and dreams at that age? Do you remember

what you wanted to be when you grew up, or what you were excited about? Write as much as you can about the person that you were at that time. You can reference this frame of mind by rereading this entry and that will hopefully help you better develop your healthy voice.

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Click here to see the 2nd Task Companion Video

The third task is

to recall when you first remember controlling your food. Do you remember what food it was? Do you remember why you decided to either refuse it, purge it, or whatever your behavior was at the time? I know that recalling this information can be very difficult, and that is why I usually ask my clients to do this at the same time as they recall their favorite childhood memory. Once you have tapped into your memory bank, it can be easier to recall instances like this. Also, recalling this information can give us more insight into why it is you have an eating disorder. Furthermore, when you can remember what was going on in your life when you first began using food as a way to cope, we will be better

able to come up with new coping skills to replace the ED. While writing about this, think of the things that were happening in your life around that time? Did your parents get divorced? Did your best friend move away? It could have been anything, but the more information you can gather for this the better we will be better able to help you when you are struggling.

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Click here to see the 3rd Task Companion Video

The fourth task is along the same

lines as the last. I want you to think about how food was used in your family. By “used” I mean was food used as a way to reward you? Did you only get to spend time with your parents when you were eating? Was it withheld until you completed something or were you forced to finish all food before you could get up from the table? Now I know that almost everyone could say that many variations of these instances have happened to us, but I want you to try and focus in on these instances and how you felt about it. Did you learn from your mother that eating dessert was “bad?” Did your father like you or your mother to prepare food that only he could eat? What emotions came along with the way food was dealt with and talked about? I know

that, especially for women, there is a lot of guilt associated with sweets. I have heard from many clients and even friends that they cannot eat dessert because they

shouldn’t or they do not deserve it. If you find yourself saying the word deserve, I want you to think about what you have to do to deserve to eat? Is it that you have to be “perfect” or you have to be having a “bad” day already? Knowing what emotions are tied to your interactions with food is another tool we can use to combat the

negativity that your ED throws at you all day every day. Also, this information will give us insight into how we have learned to feel about food or feel through food. I know

for many of us food is seen as a comfort when we feel we have no one to turn to. Also, many of us use food to numb ourselves from bad feelings and/or experiences and so we restrict our food intake in order to force our minds to focus on our feelings of starvation instead of the real emotions we are experiencing. Binge eaters do something similar, but instead of numbing out by starvation, they numb out by focusing on how to get food, how to eat it all and

possibly how to get away with purging the food. By noticing when we first “learned” to do this, we can gain some insight into why certain emotions come up when we are either forced to eat in a treatment center, or if we feel the urge to binge some days and not on others. So write about this, or if you hate journaling, create videos or

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Click here to see the 4th Task Companion Video

collages about it. Something I do to healthfully deal with my overwhelming emotions is to color. Yes, I am aware that coloring is a childlike thing to do; however, it really helps me calm down and see the whole picture clearer. So find what works for you and let’s start doing it.

The fifth task is

something that you may be ashamed to put to paper, or even scared that if you write it down something terrible will happen. But I promise nothing bad with happen, in fact, the complete opposite could happen. Something wonderful could take place. I would encourage you to write down all of the equations that you use while you are in your ED. Every last one of them. I know that they change, and you use some of them some days and others the other days, but it can be really eye opening

to see them on paper. This is not something that you need to share with anyone, but I just want you to see them

written out. I would also like you to think about when you acquired these equations, and possibly how they have changed over time to fit your ever changing ED. I would also like you to include how you came up with them. Did you read it in a magazine? Did you do research online to find out how many calories you needed, or how much you needed to work out? Did you come up with a certain workout routine based on

this information? How much of your ED is run by these equations? I would assume about eighty percent of it is based loosely

on them. I can also bet that the shame, guilt and fear stem from your failure to adhere to them perfectly and will even aid in creating “bad days” or “binge days.” So take your time with this, maybe do it over the course of a week or two to ensure that you have included all of them and noticed how they have changed over time.

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Click here to see the 5th Task Companion Video

The sixth and

final task that I have for you is also the most difficult. I have probably told many of you to do this when you have sent me messages and questions about recovery. This tip helps you to build up a better self image, and therefore can give you the strength to fight back to your ED when it lashes out at you. I want you to write down things that you are good at other than your ED (and anything that is related to your ED). I know that you are all talented, intelligent, witty and strong. Give this tip all you’ve got! Are you a great writer? Do you paint or draw? Are you great at figuring out websites and decorating your blog space? Maybe you play an instrument or sport. I want you to be careful not to put in anything that is triggering for your ED. I know this can be frustrating, but it will help you more if they

are not linked in any way to your ED behavior. Maybe you are a great listener and are always there for your friends. Start making a list. If you struggle to come up with these at first, maybe ask a close friend or parent. They can give you things to put down and it will make you feel better at the same time! (Although I do recognize that you will not believe one thing they tell you). Once you have a list, it does not matter how many items are on the list, I want you to rewrite these onto post it notes. Then take those notes and place them in areas that you will see every day. Maybe place

one in the dash of your car, or on your bathroom mirror. I had a client once who got so into this that she covered her entire bathroom mirror with them because otherwise she would criticize herself in that mirror every day. Just make sure they are in a place where you will see it and where you think the positive item could help you get over an urge from your ED. Also, feel free to keep adding to the list and putting up more

notes. You may find that it gets easier the more you do it. After time this simple task can really help boost your body image and overall self confidence. So give it a try!

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Click here to see the 6th Task Companion Video

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The tasks and tips in this workbook are just the beginning on our path towards a healthy mind and a healthy body, but they are all pivotal in our recovery process.

I hope that you find them helpful and easy to navigate. Keep working towards recovery one step at a time, and as each day passes you will feel increasingly free.

Last but not least, don’t forget that I release a new video each week on Youtube...

- Kati

© 2012, Kati Morton, MFTIThe materials found in this digital collection are owned, held, or licensed by Kati Morton and are available for personal, noncommercial, and educational use, provided that ownership of the materials is properly cited. Any commercial use of the materials, without the written permission of Kati Morton, is strictly prohibited. For permission to use specific materials, please contact info@katimorton.com

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“My worst days in recovery are better than the best days in relapse.”

Kate Le Page