Creating a Wellness Toolbox for Weight Issues
WRAP can be easily adapted for use by people who have specific issues, or who are dealing with difficult decisions. In WRAP for Life we touch upon how it can be used to help you to lose weight and the feedback and personal experiences shared on Facebook have given great suggestions for wellness tools that have been wonderfully supportive. But what about the flip side? WRAP can also be used to help those who need to gain weight in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A struggle with weight, whether on the high end of the scale or the low end, is not an easy trial to overcome. A WRAP can help you establish a healthy journey towards your goals and keep you on track.
Creating a wellness toolbox and setting a goal for living a healthy lifestyle every day is the key. Do not get caught up in the numbers, try not to rely too regularly on the scale. This may just cause more anxiety if you start tracking every pound, which could in turn become a trigger. Tell your family, friends and co-workers if you feel comfortable that you are working to overcome your weight issues so they can help and support you. Talk to your doctor and counselor to ask for his or her support.
Educate yourself about strategies, supports, ideas, programs and groups that you may wish to include in your list of Wellness Tools. Remember though, before taking action or choosing your wellness tools, you want to make sure you have fully researched any methods you might have questions about.
Following are some examples of Wellness Tools for weight issues that may work for you:
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day.
- Try several smaller meals throughout the day to avoid feeling overly full and potentially triggering negative thoughts.
- Include healthy fats in your diet like olives and nuts.
- Do things you enjoy.
- Reward yourself for attaining goals with a CD, DVD, or piece of clothing you have been wanting.
- Meditate.
Once you find a complete wellness toolbox that works to serve your needs, you can continue by outlining the rest of your WRAP. Remember, YOU are the person who is developing this WRAP, and YOU and only YOU are the expert on your plan and what you want.
Do you want to share your story or have any tips that might help others?
Join our Facebook discussions and tell us what tools have worked for you.
Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD, developed Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) with a group of people with lived experience who were attending a mental health recovery workshop in 1997. She is the original author of the WRAP Red Book, as well as dozens of other WRAP books and materials. She has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to learning from people who have mental health issues; discovering the simple, safe, non-invasive ways they get well, stay well, and move forward in their lives; and then sharing what she has learned with others through keynote addresses, trainings, and the development of books, curriculums, and other resources. Now that she is retired, and that, as she intended, others are continuing to share what she has learned, she continues to learn from those who have mental health issues and those who support them. She is a frequent contributor to this site.
