“Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue. I can sing a rainbow. Sing a rainbow. Sing a rainbow too.” That song brings back childhood memories of my friend Kristen and I putting on variety shows for our families. It was a time where I celebrated my body and embraced my happiness. A time when I was not aware of our diet-obsessed culture and being self-conscious did not register yet.
In recovery from anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating and other eating disorders we feel strong emotions. While our eating disordered voice will tell us to “numb out,” “escape the negative feeling” and “run away,” in recovery it is important to feel all of your feelings. And yes, even the uncomfortable ones. Emotions communicate that something is important and it is an opportunity to mindfully check in with ourselves.
Grounding techniques can help you regain a sense of safety and control in your life. They can help you anchor yourself in the here and now and keep you from getting lost in the past, holding on to a negative feeling or thought or detaching completely.
The RAINBOW skill is a tool to use to ground you in the present moment. Instead of fleeing it helps you to stay in the here-and-now. One of my clients reminded me of this skill this week in session. I knew I had to share it.
R- Identify something RED in the room
Y- Identify something YELLOW in the room
P- Identify something PINK in the room
G – Identify something GREEN in the room
P- Identify something PURPLE in the room
O- Identify something ORANGE in the room
B- Identify something BLUE in the room…and then do it again until you feel calm and grounded.
I hope each of you reading have already put the skill into practice!
We can recover one day at a time.
Serenity Always,
Meredith
