Discussion: Lapse vs Relapse
Something that comes up several times is relapsing when being in a stable place of recovery. There is a difference between a lapse and a relapse. That said, there is a relationship between them.
When you think about the differences and relationship, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Please read this article on Lapses and Relapses from the National Eating Disorders Collaboration of Australia and then share your thoughts and how you may relate to this with your eating disorder journey.
What has been your experience with lapse or relapse?
How have you dealt with getting back on track?
@KristenHR this kinda in the nose for me as I think I am going though a relapse I think it's my first one I definitely had lapses. The thing is I never really wanted to or planed to (not tje right word but idk what is) to get better I only did due to other issues and the fear of being found out but now things have calmed down a bit I am going bad to the old days it probably won't get as bad
@GwydionRowan
Thanks for sharing. Have you thought about what you'd like to do now that you've been relapsing to get back on track?
What did you do to manage when you had a lapse?
I am just weeks into “this round” of recovery and haven’t yet experienced a lapse or relapse, but I know it’s not off the table. Even though I don’t want a lapse to happen and don’t necessarily want to plan for it, I have been thinking about what I need to do and think if it does happen.
it will be important for me to remember that a lapse/relapse doesn’t negate all the good work I’ve done. It can’t take away the ways I’ve grown or what I’ve learned. This is why I don’t like to count days in recovery. I don’t like to say, “I did well for 250 days and now I’m starting back at 0.” Because we never really start back at 0.
When I stopped engaging in behaviors, I told my therapist I was afraid I would “mess up” again. She said that if I took a step back, we would talk about it, identify triggers, and move forward. Her simplistic explanation took away the power of a lapse. It doesn’t have to be a devastating failure. It just be a moment in time that doesn’t have to control the future.
@mich765
I love that your therapist has taken the approach of addressing triggers and such as you need to. I always say that we can start again with the next moment if we have a lapse, to prevent a full-blown relapse.
I get not counting days because of the pressure that can put on you. It puts us on high alert to make sure we are doing the correct things all the time and we are oversensitive to everything and analyzing everything we are doing. Eating disorders are already very focused on rules, so having flexibility is good.
Thanks for sharing in this discussion.