Thriving in Binge Eating Recovery: Strategies for Sustaining Long-Term Success in London (& in the UK)
It’s so important to build in relapse prevention when you’re aiming for long-term success in binge eating recovery, especially when you live in such a big, vibrant city as London, England. Relapse prevention means that you are able to identify early red flags of relapse, and then implement coping skills to correct your recovery course. When you live in a high-pressure environment like London, UK, it’s important to have a strategy so that the first little red flag you see, you can turn away from it.
What Makes You at Risk for a Binge Eating Relapse?
Relapse is a scary word. It brings the horrors of binge eating again and even falling back into the shame cycle. In some ways, relapse needs to be frightening in order to prepare properly for it. In other ways, binge eating disorder relapse can become a part of getting stronger in your recovery. Regardless of the outcome, it’s important to identify the risk factors to help you return to your binge-eating recovery lane.
Context is Everything
How are things going at work, in your important relationships, and with your finances? At the end of the day, are you completely spent and have nothing to give? That’s a red flag. Do you have no time to take care of yourself? There’s another one. Here’s a list of other red-flag questions you can ask yourself:
When was the last time you saw your GP?
How much sleep are you getting?
Do you have many unresolved conflicts in your life?
When is the last time you asked for support?
Is practicing self-love a priority?
Are you feeling satisfied at work?
When is the last time you spoke with your binge-eating therapist or binge-eating coach in London and throughout the UK?
If there are a lot of stressors in one or more areas of your life, and if it has been a while since you’ve asked for support and practiced self-love and self-care, then you may be at risk for binge eating relapse.
London Food Availability
London is a huge, diverse city with so much amazing food. I love the restaurants, the takeaways, and the specialty shops. Unlike some cities, there are a lot more 24/7, late-night food options in London. Whether you’re getting food from the Ducks and Waffle or the Polo Bar at Bishopsgate, Beigel Bake or Beigel Shop near Brick Lane, or Refill Eaterie in Brixton, eating opportunities seem endless.
Now, what we know about food freedom and the need to feel food abundance is that having these 24/7 food options is VITAL to recovery. So knowing that you can get food anytime you need to is important so you don’t feel deprived and that you don’t restrict yourself.
That said, night-eating syndrome can creep up on you, especially if you’re restricting food during the day. Engaging food delivery services also can be amazing for recovery, and it can be a trigger as well, so learning how to navigate these options is key.
Diet Culture in London, England
Diet culture is a phenomenon that stems largely from the multi-billion diet and wellness industry. It pervades nearly every area of our lives. When you’re living in London, UK, you can feel pressured to shrink your bodies to smaller than they are genetically destined to be. It’s because the perception is thinner = healthier. According to researchers, this isn’t true. You may even think that in order to stand among the fashionistas in London, England, you’ll need to have a small body. This also is untrue. You can have mad fashion skills in any size.
What Coping Strategies Can Help You Find Binge Eating Recovery in London
Building coping skills is key to recovery from binge eating in London, England. It’s important to be able to stave off diet culture and outwit urges. Using skills from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is especially helpful. The more coping strategies you use and implement frequently, the better chances you have to build lasting binge eating recovery and prevent relapse.
Location, Location, Location
Sometimes it’s helpful to get away for the day to reset your body, mind, and spirit. It helps recovery tremendously to curate trips not to avoid your binge eating disorder but to shore up your strength so you can continue to stand against it. Here are three short trips you can take, courtesy of the website Secret London:
This beautiful beach town is a 6-hour train ride, 5-hour drive, or 1-hour flight away from London. It has wonderful bed and breakfasts and award-winning restaurants. It houses a stunning harbor, and when you’re there, you feel like you are a world away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
I visited the Lake District in the UK years ago because I was obsessed with the Lakeland Poets at the time and wanted to see where they had penned their masterpieces. Keswick is a picturesque market town where you can find great food, shopping, and museums, as well as a trip to Lake Derwentwater.
Increasing food variety can help so much when you’re in recovery from a binge eating disorder. It prevents relapse. One place to find excellent, locally sourced food is in Clovelly, Devon. Wander the cobblestone streets as you check out the Clovelly Court Gardens, as well as the Fishing Cottage and the museum.
Mindfulness in London
If you’d prefer to stay local, find places in London where you can practice mindfulness, which is moment-to-moment nonjudgmental acceptance. Mindfulness is helpful in binge eating recovery because it calms down your brain and nervous system, giving your brain a break from anxious thoughts. It prevents urges because it helps you steer away from emotional reactivity and into a more grounded, peaceful place.
Need help with it? Check out Kew Gardens, which hosts well-being sessions including yoga, tai chi, and nature sound baths. Or, go to a place where you feel safe, secure, and connected with your inner self. For me, it’s in the pool or by the ocean. For you, it may be in a forest, taking pictures of deer. Wherever it is, find it on a regular basis in order to propel you further down your recovery road.
Ready to Begin Working With a Binge Eating Coach to Create Strategies to Help You Thrive in Binge Eating Recovery in London, Florida, NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado, and Anywhere in the World!?
Do you struggle with binge eating? Discover how partnering with a dedicated binge-eating coach can empower you to create personalized strategies and tools for thriving in Dr. Marianne-Land’s Binge Eating Recovery Membership Program*. Unlock the support you need to understand the root causes of your binge eating, develop healthier coping mechanisms, and cultivate a nourishing relationship with food and your body. Embark on a transformative path towards a balanced, fulfilling, and binge-free life by following these three steps:
Sign up for the Dr. Marianne-Land’s Binge Eating Recovery Membership Program*
Start the self-paced binge eating recovery program with a binge eating coach
Thrive in your binge-eating recovery and take back control of your body!
Binge Eating Recovery in London, England, UK Can Be Supported in My Programs
🇬🇧 Take the first step toward binge eating recovery in DR. MARIANNE-LAND’S BINGE EATING RECOVERY MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM*, which combines a comprehensive online binge eating class with a private, hidden Facebook group where you can get support. It’s an online course for high performers who aim to transform their relationships with food.
🇬🇧 Sign up for the ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD**. It’s a 3-month, 1:1 online binge-eating coaching + an online class for professionals, students, athletes, and all-around high achievers who just want to gain balance and control of food.
Catch Marianne Miller, Eating Disorder Therapist, and Binge Eating Coach on Social Media
🇬🇧 Watch my Instagram LIVES on Thursdays from 12-1p PST (3-4p EST, 8-9p GMT) . I have conversations with professionals such as eating disorder dietitians and therapists on many topics, such as binge eating, BED, bulimia, body image, etc. Subscribe to my Instagram @drmariannemiller, and you’ll get bulimia and BED info sent to your phone with my reels, posts, etc.
Disclaimers for Body Image, Binge Eating, and My Virtual Online Binge Eating Program
*DR. MARIANNE-LAND’S BINGE EATING RECOVERY MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM is online binge-eating education and private virtual group support via a Facebook Group. The aim of this course is to help people reduce and eliminate any type of distressed eating, such as binge eating or binge/purge behaviors via education, behavioral changes, and mindset shifts. DR. MARIANNE-LAND’S BINGE EATING RECOVERY MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM is not a clinical eating disorder therapy or eating disorder treatment program and is not intended to serve as such. In them, Dr. Marianne Miller works from her role as a binge-eating coach, not as a binge-eating therapist.
**The ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD is virtual binge eating education and LIVE virtual coaching support. The goal of this program is to help people stop any type of distressed eating, such as binge eating or binge/purge behaviors via education, behavioral changes, and mindset shifts. The ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD is not a clinical eating disorder therapy or eating disorder treatment program and is not intended to serve as such. In them, Dr. Marianne Miller works from her role as a binge-eating coach, not as a binge-eating therapist.