Resting comfortably.
Image: Winter: Cat on a Cushion, Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, 1909, The Charles Deering Collection, Art Institute of Chicago. Used with permission.
Hi friends! Took a break last week after getting my first vaxx dose. Afterwards I kept myself home for observation. I rested comfortably. And puttered a lot. A very overdue dose of nothing at all. I recommend giving yourself the same, as needed: rest, recover, replenish, recombobulate.
So I promised to tell you a little about the Nalgona Positivity Pride Eating Disorder Harm Reduction workshop that I attended, led by Gloria Lucas. Here are a couple of my key takeaways (these words and any misunderstandings are mine):
harm reduction focuses on lessening the negative effects of a behavior. It doesn't necessarily focus on the behavior itself. An example, in the case of bulimia, might be using dietary supplements to ameliorate some of the physical effects of the disorder.
harm reduction isn't tough love; it doesn't give up on anyone who can't commit to 100% abstinence from the behaviors. And it doesn't assume 100% abstinence is always possible or even always the goal.
at the same time, harm reduction is NOT a rejection of behavior change and can work in harmony with clinical interventions
This was a really exciting workshop for me. I heard SO MANY NEW THINGS. So I may have more to report after the second part, which takes place in early April. If ED harm reduction is a topic that interests you, I believe you can still register for the workshop. Details here.
I will repeat this observation from my own work on myself and with others: there's nothing like EATING MEALS AT MEALTIMES for easy and harm-free behavior change for binge eaters. I have seen many people stop binging in one simple move just by switching to generous meals of their own design on a more-or-less set schedule also of their own design. If you struggle with chaotic or bingey eating, you might want to try this. (And tell me how it goes.)
Mood enhancers.
I got lots of enticing meatball recipes from you! Thank you, everyone. In particular, Jane from Melbourne shared this comprehensive meatball resource Missy's Meatball Project 😻
Over on Modern Daily Knitting last week I wrote about the endless slog that is COVID and how to carry on anyway. Lots of people shared their own ways of persisting in the comments.
If you're interested in the importance of rest, I have a piece on MDK about that, too. It includes advice on resting from such diverse characters as Jason Bourne, high-key rester, and DJ Khaled, above-average voluptuary and pillow ambassador to your greatness.
And another MDK piece on rest, The Body is Not a Factory. Apparently I need to reflect on this rest thing every year.
Well that's the week. I hope you're well!