Michelle Market, LPC
Specializing in Healthy Food Relationships
and Building Self-Esteem
Life Balance
Janaury 2013


 

 

 

Providing

virtual counseling, phone coaching, individual therapy and support groups for binge eating, eating disorders and building self-esteem. 

 

Specializing in Healthy Food Relationships and Building Self Esteem. Providing services to adolescents and adults.

 

For more information on services provided check out my website

www.michellemarket.com

 

 

 

 Like me on Facebook

  

 

 

 
 
 

Happy New Year! I am excited to share with you all that Life Balance is going through a makeover and will be re-launched in April of this year. I promise a new edition that will continue to provide inspiration in your personal healing journey. Over the past couple of months I have been working on revising one of my workbooks and am designing a whole new e-newsletter series. I will continue to post inspirational messages and updates on my facebook page www.facebook.com/MichelleMarketLPC
 Warmly, Michelle Market, LPC

Binge Eating/Emotional Eating Tip - 

Creating Awareness with Your Relationship with Food
 

 

For many you used food at an early age to self soothe, to escape, and perhaps survive difficult feelings or circumstances. Food was there. Food was a friend. Food was a parent. Food was quick and easy. Food was an escape. You did the best that you could. Now as you step back and really look at what was going on back then and how easy it is to slip into that pattern, take a moment to express gratitude for the bingeing part of you.

 

Thank you for being there for me when I needed you. Now I no longer need you because I am learning to acknowledge and work through my feelings. How might you express gratitude to the bingeing part of you?

 

 

 

 

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.- Eleanor Roosevelt

 

 

An important component of your healing journey is to learn to be self compassionate. We do not heal through shame, we heal through our compassion with ourselves.

 

Identify supportive statements that you can say to yourself. Shifting our beliefs means challenging old beliefs. It is sitting with new feelings and new thoughts which translate into a new way of being. Check those positive statements that may apply and add your own

 

If you stick with it, it does make a difference

As I continue this journey I do feel better

It is temporarily uncomfortable as I begin, but as I continue at this it will get easier

I am worth taking the time for myself

I chose to move my body to help my breathing, help my stress level,

And enhance the quality of my life.

I am not in a competition with anyone else. I will not compare myself to others.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

I am approaching this in a new way that encourages me to delve into my underlying feelings and to practice self compassion

This is hard and I have done other things in my life that have been hard

I am learning to heal and this process takes time

I am learning to trust myself with food and to understand what my triggers are

I am learning other things to do to comfort myself instead of turning to food

I am beginning to accept my body

I am doing the best that I can

I am learning about the underlying pieces that maintain my present relationship with food

I recognize that lifestyle changes do take a lot of work initially and I am being patient in the process

By taking care of myself, I am showing to myself and to others that I am important

I am learning to understand that the process of change takes time and with every step I take, I am working towards healing my relationship with food.

 

Eating Disorder Recovery Tip

 

 

Body Acceptance

 

 

Body acceptance and embracing a positive body image is an integral part of having a healthy food relationship. So often, it is easy to fixate on the scale and allow our feelings about our body to embark on a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows based on what the scale is telling you.

 

An important step in your recovery journey is to stop using the scale as an indicator of how you feel about yourself that day. You are a person with good qualities, not a mere number on the scale. Valuing yourself and practice self-acceptance, it is the best gift you can give yourself.

The number on the scale cannot tell you

  • You are worthwhile person
  • You are good enough
  • What a great person you how
  • How much you are loved
  • That you are beautiful inside and out
  • Your values, interests, and passions
  • That you are kind
  • Your self worth

 

Don't get hung up on the number on the scale, in fact throw out the scale. Within the course of a day your weight can fluctuate. Too often, individuals get hung up on the idea of what the number is. They find they are happy and elated when there is a loss and depressed and frustrated when there is a gain.

 

How would you define self-acceptance? What does it look like? What does it feel like? How will you know when you are there? What is getting in the way of practicing self-acceptance?

  

 

 

 

Top 10 Ways to Enhance Your Body Image

 

  1. Don't use the scale as an indicator of how you feel about yourself.
  2. Create a list of the top ten things that you love about yourself.
  3. If looking at fashion magazines result in feeling worse about yourself, cancel your subscriptions.
  4. Don't hide away in black clothing, wear colors that are flattering.
  5. Don't let your weight hold you back from participating in activities that you enjoy.
  6. Find a form of exercise that you enjoy and participate in it on a regular basis.
  7. Challenge your negative self-talk with positive, empowering statements. "I am stunning inside and out".
  8. Don't wait until you are a certain size to go shopping for yourself, instead wear clothes that you feel good in.
  9. Take care of your body treat it in a loving and kind manner.
  10. Practice self-acceptance.

 

 

Self Care Corner
  

Use this assessment to track how things are going. Take note of any deficits and areas for improvement. Use the space below each category to describe what is getting in the way of practicing self care in that area.

 

Physical (body)

  Do I get enough sleep each day?

  Do I move my body consistently? (walking, swimming, or some form of exercise I enjoy)

  Do I nourish my body at regular intervals throughout the day?

  Do I meet my nutritional needs on most days?

  Do I take time off of work when needed?

  Do I take time to breathe and slow down?

 

 

 

 

Emotional (mind)

  Do I say affirmations?

  Do I take time to write in a journal?

  Do I actively reduce stress in my life?

  Do I say no?

  Do I spend time with individuals who I enjoy being around?

  Do I participate in individual therapy or group support?

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual

  Do I reach out to friends?

  Do I take time for quiet reflection each day? (prayer, meditation)

  Do I read inspirational writings?

  Do I spend time in nature and appreciate my surroundings?

  Do I know what is meaningful in my life?

  Do I know my values and passions in life?

 

 

 

 


 

What areas (body, mind, and spirit) do you notice a deficit? What areas in your life are in balance?

 

 

 

What intention can you make towards practicing self care more regularly?

 

 

 

Building Self Esteem Tip

 

Self-esteem is confidence in oneself. It is viewing yourself in a kind and loving manner. Our self-esteem impacts the way we think, how we feel, and what actions we take. A healthy self-esteem is when you look internally for validation and approval. You are acting as your strongest cheerleader and believer. You are not focused on looking to others to help you feel better about yourself. A faulty self-esteem is when you focus on external resources as an indicator for how you feel about yourself. This is when you look to others to compliment you on your appearance or on your accomplishments. Basing your self-esteem externally gives you a false sense of validation. For every compliment you receive you feel good. However, when you don't receive positive feedback, or if you are given negative feedback, you feel worse about yourself. When your self-esteem is internally rooted, then your image of yourself stays consistent and does not rise or fall based on what others say about you in the course of the day.

 

Pillars of self esteem that create a strong sense of self

  • Patience with self
  • Self respect
  • Self awareness
  • Self acceptance
  • Self understanding
  • Standing up for your needs
  • Practicing self care
  • Self confidence
  • Self love
  • Self forgiveness

 

For me, self-esteem is practicing self-care; accepting myself instead of comparing myself to others or criticizing myself and my dreams; being patient with myself and accepting that my mistakes are okay and do not define me; liking myself and viewing myself as worthwhile; and feeling confident to make decisions, expand my comfort zone, and share my vulnerabilities. - One person's perspective

 

Create your own definition of self-esteem:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journal Prompts
 

 

What ways do I get in my own way when it comes to my healing journey?

What am I afraid of if I succeed?

 

Inspirational Quotes

 

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. -John Quincy Adams

Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will
always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what?
Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger,
more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more
successful. ~ Mark Victor Hansen

 

There is a connection between self-nurturing and self-respect.- Julia Cameron

On-going Enrollment.Groups Being Offered

to register for any of the groups email mmarketLPC@gmail.com 

Adult Eating Disorder Support Group Tuesdays 12-1 p.m. 

 

Adult women (ages 18+) eating disorder group held on Tuesdays from 12-1 p.m. in Herndon, VA. Cost $200 per month. Learn healthy coping skills to address underlying concerns of your eating disorder. Learn ways to combat negative body image thoughts. Learn emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness and interpersonal effectiveness. On-going Enrollment. To register email mmarketLPC@gmail.com

 

Making Peace with Food Binge Eating/Emotional Eating Support Group Thursdays 12-1:00 pm  

This group meets weekly at 12noon on Thursdays in Herndon, VA.The cost is $200 per month. In the group we will explore obstacles that get in the way of creating peace with food. Members will be taught skills of intuitive eating. This group is appropriate for emotional eaters, binge eaters, and compulsive overeaters. A monthly invoice will be provided if you chose to submit to insurance for reimbursement. To register email mmarketLPC@gmail.com

 

Binge Eating/Emotional Eating Telephone Coaching Group Wednesday  evenings (NEW NIGHT)

Overcoming Binge Eating Telephone support group, Wednesdays 8:00-8:45 p.m. limited to 6 participants. Cost $160 per month.  During the duration of the group experience you will be provided tools to combat overeating as well as learning skills of mindfulness. Each participant will be given space to share their obstacles and challenges with their relationship with food as well as their successes.   Monthly, each member will receive an individual 15 minute monthly check in to explore individual struggles and intentions for their healing journey. To register email mmarketLPC@gmail.com