4 Alternatives to New Years Resolutions That Are Better For Mental Health From at Eating Disorder Therapist

A lit sparkler. This represents how at Maple Canyon Therapy, I help women improve their mental health. Maple Canyon Therapy provides trauma counseling, anxiety treatment, eating disorder help through in-person counseling and online therapy in Utah

I sincerely hope you all survived the holidays. The space between Halloween and New Years can be rouuuuugh for many of those that I work with. Observing holidays that are reminders of grief, loss, and relationships they long for but don’t have. From the outside, it may appear that everyone else is having a good time and are surrounded by people they love, while you’re hiding in the bathroom and watching the clock for when family time is over.

I feel you.

January can be a long month for some. The holidays are over. People are settling back into their routine. While the earth looks peaceful covered in a white blanket of snow. It also feels really cold, dark, and lonely for some. It may look pretty but for some, it feels really bad on the inside. Please know that it won’t last forever, The snow will melt, the flowers will bloom, the temperature will increase, and you’ll feel the warmth of the sun on your face again. Despite how miserable it can feel, January can also be an opportunity for a new beginning and to start something fresh.

Ditch dieting as a New Years Resolution

For those I work with New Years can be extra triggering. This is typically the time people get on the diet bandwagon and have goals to change their body size and appearance. If not that, then it’s a time to set other goals to improve personally, which can bring up perfectionism, rigidity, and shame if all the goals weren’t all achieved. Goals are powerful and important but rigidity and shame do not help a person achieve them and maintain them long term.

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Rather than being rigid in New Years Resolutions, I would perhaps consider trying something else if they leave a bad taste in your mouth. I’ve compiled some suggestions

Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions that are better for your mental health

  1. Create a Vision Board:

    A vision board can be personalized in many different ways. This is also called a “dream board”. This can include photos, words, and symbols of things that can give meaning and vision for the upcoming year. This is a good opportunity to display the things in your life that give you strength, safety, peace, and joy. I would advise staying away from displaying things that will make you feel negative about yourself or reinforce disordered behaviors. A vision board allows you to be creative.

  2. Identify a one-word intention as a theme for the year.

    This can be a value or quality that you want to have more of this coming year. Whether it’s peace, healing, or happiness, choose a word that sticks out to you. Choosing one word simplifies and adds purpose to all other goals or intentions. Once you choose your word, display it somewhere you can see it throughout the year. This will serve as a reminder of what you’re working toward are trying to implement more of in your life.

  3. Make a project for the year.

    Whether it’s taking a photo every day, cutting and sewing quilt blocks, daily quotes, or writing prompts to represent the year, focusing your energy on having something that will be representative of the year can make it more meaningful.

  4. Daily gratitudes.

    Write down something simple you are thankful for every day for a year. Gratitude is an effective tool to fight depression. Winter blues also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder is no joke and starting in January, the heart of Winter to focus on can increase positivity and happiness. At the end of the year, you will be able to look back on 365 good things you have in your life.

As a therapist, I want you to know your mental health matters.

Graph paper with a list of goals. This represents how at Maple Canyon Therapy, I help women struggling with anxiety and eating disorders find relief through providing trauma therapy, and online anxiety therapy in Utah.

Please, above all, know that you are good enough. If you choose to make none of these suggestions, that’s ok! If you do nothing else this year other than breathe and survive. You are more than enough, and you deserve self-care and compassion so please be generous and understanding with each other.

Ready to start eating disorder therapy near Provo, Utah?

You don’t have to keep repeating the dieting cycle. You can make peace with your body and with food. This Utah County Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder treatment. To begin eating disorder counseling, follow these steps:

  1. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation

  2. Meet with a mental health professional

  3. begin finding peace with body and food

Online Therapy in Utah

Having access to a therapist isn’t always easy or convenient. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. Online counseling allows you to access eating disorder counseling without traveling or leaving your home.

Online counseling also allows me to work with you no matter where you are in the state of Utah. I work with clients in Logan, St. George, Salt Lake City, Heber, Cedar City, and more.

Other mental health services at Maple Canyon Therapy

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service I provide at this Northern Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, body image therapy, and trauma therapy, including for birth trauma in Utah.

4 Reasons Why You Should Go to Therapy

Two people holding hands over coffee mugs. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy treats birth trauma, symptoms of binge eating disorder, and anxiousness.

I know I am not the only one that has been told “You should really see someone about that" and perceived it as incredibly offensive. Being told you need therapy can make you think they are crazy and incapable of handling your problems on their own. I am just showing up here on this blog post because I want you to know why it’s ok to go to therapy and how it can be an incredible and even life-changing experience.

Before I became a therapist, I didn’t think I needed to go to therapy

I was a 19-year-old freshman psychology major when my friend from high school gave me the one-liner in an email of “I think you should really see a counselor.”

Cool.

I was not happy about that. I was offended and felt that she didn’t want to be there for me because my problems were too big and pawning me off on a professional because I was just too much. I remember not talking to her for several days because I was so hurt.

At that stage of my life, I had already known I wanted to be a therapist. I was one of those people that knew exactly what they wanted out of a career right when I was starting college. I mean, I didn’t realize that being a therapist wasn’t just listening to people and caring about people all day but that’s a story for another time.

It’s ok to go to therapy.

I wish that I could go back to being that girl wearing hoodies, flare jeans, and t-shirts and tell her how ok it was to go to therapy because that’s really what I want to tell you. It’s not as big of a deal as we sometimes make it out to be in our heads. Trust me, because I made it out to be a HUGE thing in my head.

A yellow floral chair. This represents how therapy at Maple Canyon Therapy provides therapy services for birth trauma, anxiety therapy, body image therapy through online therapy in Utah.

I eventually did go to the college counseling center pretty begrudgingly at some point in college but I was SO embarrassed and secretive about it. I made sure nobody I knew was walking by in the student center to see me go inside the counseling center. I didn’t tell my roommates, and I didn’t tell anyone I was going. I planned my routes for when there would be less traffic around the counseling center. Look at me now announcing it to everyone on the world wide web! I have been there and don’t want you to have to about it the same way I did.

I hope that by now we have come a little further with the stigma that goes along with going to therapy, and I really hope that nobody is having the same experience I had of carrying shame and embarrassment. I have told many people in my day since then that they should go to therapy and here’s what I really want you to know.

Reasons to go to therapy

  1. It will increase your ability to manage your life.

    There are 7.5 billion people on earth (yes I did just google that) and every. single. one. of them could benefit from therapy at some point in their life. Everyone from time to time experiences a greater amount of stress than they do healthy coping skills. Many of us have actually learned coping skills that do greater harm longer term than they do good. in order to manage our lives. Going to therapy can help you increase your ability to cope with your stress, your life, and the people in it. Therapists have gone to years of school and are required to go to a certain amount of professional training to keep their licenses. It can be incredibly helpful to be able to talk to someone that has no biases toward you because they don’t even know you.

  2. Going to therapy can help you get better faster.

    I am a big supporter of self-help books. I even assign them to my clients in therapy fairly often. I know that many people just want to be able to read a self-help book and be done with it. I realize that it is difficult to open up and talk about painful things so it might seem better to just skip that part. Personally, I like efficiency and getting things done quickly. Going to therapy can help you get better faster. It also decreases the chances that you will continue to struggle with the same problem over and over throughout your life.

  3. Having family and friends is important but not always enough.

    Having a support system is a big deal in overcoming problems and managing life effectively. However, your friends and family are always going to have a bias because they are in your story and living it with you. They know you in a different way than a therapist will know you. Family and friends can have negative reactions to some of the things you share and may in turn not feel comfortable giving you honest feedback. Family and friends also don’t have the professional skills you may need to progress with your problem. I know there are also things that you don’t want or don’t feel safe enough for your family and friends to know about you and a therapist is also someone that you don’t have to censor yourself with. A therapist has a fresh perspective and has your best interest in mind.

  4. It will improve your relationships.

    Going to therapy will help your ability to communicate with those in your life. Even if your presenting problem isn’t about communication, therapy will teach you how to communicate more effectively with the people in your life and to get your needs met. A natural byproduct of going to therapy is that it can decrease your stress and make you happier. Working on your own personal issues and negative experiences can increase your ability to connect and be more open with your loved ones. My clients have also shared with me that it takes away some of the worry and fear from their lives ones knowing they are being taken care of by a professional. My client’s parents, spouses, friends, and other family members have shared they want to be able to help but they don’t have the same skills that a therapist does.

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Therapy is for everyone.

Even if things aren’t going as bad as they have in the past, therapy can help. Just because you aren’t at rock bottom doesn’t mean it can’t be an extremely helpful experience. In fact, when you get to a place where you are doing a little better can be a great time to start looking at things and getting help from someone with an outside perspective. Therapy is not what it’s portrayed to be in movies. I guess there’s always that therapist out there that is cold and distant and just asks questions the entire time, but that is definitely not me and the therapists I know and would recommend. Please don’t feel embarrassed, crazy, or ashamed of seeing a therapist. The right therapist can help you in ways that you haven’t been able to on your own.

Looking to start working with an anxiety therapist in Utah?

You don’t have to keep struggling with anxiety. Anxiety therapy can help you learn to manage your anxiety symptoms and find relief. This Utah County Counseling Clinic has an anxiety therapist specializing in anxiety treatment. To begin counseling, follow these steps:

  1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation

  2. Meet with an anxiety specialist

  3. Begin anxiety therapy

Online Therapy in Utah

It’s important that you find a therapist you trust and connect with AND one that you can access. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. This makes it easier for you to attend therapy consistently without having to worry about traffic.

I work with clients in Salt Lake City, Logan, Heber, Cedar City, St. George, and more.

Other mental health services at Maple Canyon Therapy

Anxiety therapy isn’t the only counseling service offered at this Northern Utah Counseling Center. Other mental health services offered at Maple Canyon Therapy include trauma therapy, birth trauma therapy, eating disorder therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, and body image therapy in Utah.

About the Author

A photo of Ashlee Hunt LCSW. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy provides anxiety treatment in Utah, along with EMDR therapy in Utah and online eating disorder therapy in Utah.

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and wonder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah County. Ashlee has two bachelor’s degrees from Southern Utah University in psychology, family life, and human development. She has a master’s degree from Utah State University in social work. She loves providing therapy to women with anxiety and helping them manage their anxiety symptoms better. Ashlee helps women struggling with high-functioning anxiety and dating anxiety. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys hitting up the Cinemark in Spanish Fork to enjoy some movie theatre popcorn.

Eating Disorder Treatment: You Deserve It.

“Patients with eating disorders frequently feel that they aren’t ‘sick enough’ to merit treatment, despite medical problems that are both measurable and unmeasurable. They may struggle to accept rest, nutrition, and a team to help them move towards recovery.” -Dr. Jennifer Guadiani 

Woman sitting and staring at a body of water. This represents how as a therapist at Maple Canyon Therapy, I provide body image therapy, EMDR for eating disorders, and EMDR for binge eating in Utah.

Nearly all my patients at some point in therapy talk to me about how they are not THAT bad and aren’t THAT sick. Because eating disorders are comparative in nature, my patients have pointed out to me why someone else they know is worse than they are, and this somehow cancels out them needing or deserving any help. Turns out that’s actually completely false. When I worked in inpatient, my patients would express guilt that they must be taking the spot of someone else that does deserve and need help and somehow they made it to treatment by mistake. It would seem that they think there is a limited amount that is deserving of help, and they just aren’t one of them.

You deserve eating disorder treatment

It makes me tear up when I think about those that I work with not getting help because they don’t think they need it or that they don’t deserve it regardless of what they’re struggling with. They don’t go to therapy because they think their eating disorder will be dismissed or that they’re not in a condition that a therapist would believe they have an eating disorder. It scares me when I see people delaying help and their condition declines. The truth is those with eating disorders don’t ever think they’re bad enough to warrant help. They often spend months and years trying to sort things out on their own. Those that I work with are often high achievers, dependable, responsible, and are the ones that are present and compassionate with everyone else while ignoring their basic human need: nutrition.

A black woman smiling. This represents how at Maple Canyon Therapy has an anxiety therapist in Utah providing anxiety therapy for dating anxiety and high functioning anxiety treatment in Utah.

Regardless of your size or weight, eating disorders are serious

It doesn’t matter your body size; eating disorders are harmful to everyone, from average size to larger-sized bodies. There is plenty of research that it isn’t just about what you weigh or your size. I realize that in health class, whether in middle school, high school, or even college it wasn’t brought to anybody’s attention that people can have deadly eating disorders despite how much they weigh or their body size. Also, if you’ve done a Google search on eating disorders and didn’t find your symptoms aligned with WebMD: please know that means nothing.

As an eating disorder therapist, I want you to get help

I need you to sit down and really listen to me. I know that maybe you have had your needs ignored most of your life, whether it’s by yourself or someone else that was supposed to love you. I know that therapy and medical care can be an investment. I know it would be easy to dismiss and try to work out on your own. It’s very important to stop putting this off or waiting until you look or feel “sick enough.” I cannot speak for every therapist, dietitian, or medical provider, but I can speak for myself in saying that I promise you I won’t judge you. I won’t dismiss your struggles or tell you that “you don’t look like you have an eating disorder. “ I want you to have a safe place to come and feel supported and cared about. Most of all, I can help you kick your eating disorder to the curb and to help you start a new and better life. You deserve it.

Ready to start eating disorder therapy near Provo Utah?

I don’t want your eating disorder to prevent you from enjoying life. I know your eating disorder has likely taken a lot from you, and it’s time for you to get it back. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Northern Utah Counseling Clinic has an eating disorder therapist that can help. To begin eating disorder therapy follow these steps:

  1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation

  1. Complete online forms and meet with a caring therapist

  2. Begin Eating Disorder Treatment

Two women looking at a book. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy has a PTSD therapist providing trauma therapy in Utah.

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah

I know that having access to this specialized treatment isn’t easy. Eating disorders require working with a professional with specialized training in eating disorders. Unfortunately, many parts of Utah do not have access to this care. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Eating disorder therapy is just as effective as meeting with a therapist, and it’s convenient and requires no travel.

Online therapy means wherever you are in Utah, I can work with you. I work with clients in Logan, Salt Lake City, Heber, Cedar City, St. George, and more.

Other Mental health Services Provided By Maple Canyon Therapy

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only mental health service provided at this Utah County Counseling Center. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, body image therapy, EMDR therapy, and Binge Eating Disorder treatment in Utah.

A photo of Ashlee Hunt LCSW. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy provides anxiety treatment for anxiety symptoms in Utah.

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and owner of Maple Canyon Therapy outside of Provo, Utah. Ashlee specializes in eating disorder treatment and is passionate about Binge Eating Disorder. She provides enjoys being able to help women access this specialized treatment through online therapy all throughout Utah. Ashlee holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Bachelor’s Degree in Family Life and Human Development from Southern Utah University, and a Masters's in Social Work from Utah State University. Ashlee believes in the Intuitive Eating and Health At Every Size approach to treating disorders. The women with eating disorders that Ashlee works with also have high-functioning anxiety. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she might be found walking her Goldendoodles around the Canyon View Park in Spanish Fork.

Other Blog Posts You May Find Helpful

5 Things You Should Know About Eating Disorders: Advice From An Eating Disorder Therapist

A woman enjoying eating a donut. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy has an anxiety therapist providing anxiety therapy in Utah through online therapy in Utah..

“I had no idea something was wrong,” or “She just hid it so well I didn’t even realize she was struggling,” or “She didn’t look like she had an eating disorder” are common statements that I hear from parents or loved ones of those that I work with. Parents have been adamant that their child can’t possibly have an eating disorder because they eat! Every day even!

There are many preconceived and inaccurate beliefs about those with eating disorders, and there are some things that I wanna clear up for you. You deserve to know the truth and some do the people you have in your lives that are suffering and that we are completely oblivious to.

1. Those with eating disorders or disordered eating are masters at keeping their disorders a secret.

The clients that I have worked with have kept their patterns of restriction, binging, purging, and overexercising a secret from everyone in their lives. You might think you know and are confident that this is not your loved one. Everyone knows someone in their life with an eating disorder; they just don’t know who it is. I don’t say that to scare you, but I’m confident that if you knew, you would do anything to help your loved one. If your child or loved one has an eating disorder, it does not in any way reflect on who you are as a parent, and you are not to blame.

2. Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes.

Looking at someone is a very poor screening tool to know if they have an eating disorder. Eating disorders are deadly of any size. I will say that again, JUST to make sure. Eating disorders are deadly of any size. A person can be malnourished AT ANY SIZE. Someone can be medically compromised and in serious danger at any size. Well-meaning medical professionals may exacerbate eating disorders in patients who fall in the “overweight” (we will talk about this unhelpful terminology another day) by recommending weight loss as an option to “improve health.” According to Dr. Elizabeth Joy of the University of Utah School of Medicine, healthcare professionals should screen EVERYONE for an eating disorder first. It does not matter how much you weigh or how small or large your body is; you deserve help in recovering from your eating disorder.

3. Eating disorders are difficult for outsiders to understand.

A plate with hands holding utensils. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy provides a body positive approach to those struggling with emotional eating, and high functioning anxiety in Utah.

I have had patients who described their eating disorder as an abusive boyfriend making them feel like garbage but are stuck and don’t know how to escape. Other patients I have worked with have expressed they feel that their eating disorder is something that provides them safety and security and does not see it as harmful. Restricting food intake will decrease anxiety in those with eating disorders. Nearly all the patients I have worked with have some form of anxiety that they use their eating disorder to cope with.

4. Eating disorders are about more than food and body size.

It is only at the surface that eating disorders are about food, body size, and physical appearance. “I’m fat” or “I’m ugly” are just the tip of the iceberg. In therapy, we explore what else there is to it. While nutritional rehabilitation is 100 percent necessary in eating disorder recovery, “JUST EAT!” will not serve your loved one. Empathy, compassion, warmth, and validation are a place to start. Therapy is also critical in your loved one’s recovery to truly understand more about their eating disorder and how they heal.

5. Eating disorders affect both men and women of all ages and races.

It is a myth that eating disorders only affect “white teenage girls.” This could not be further from the truth. Every race and ethnicity is impacted by eating disorders, and we must be aware of them. Women and men can be impacted by eating disorders at any age. I have worked with those in their early -teens to those in their sixties who are trying to find a way to freedom. Another population that goes unnoticed is men. There is a higher statistic of men who are impacted by eating disorders than what is reported. I remember at a treatment center I worked at, a psychiatrist told me, “Boys don’t get eating disorders.” I was horrified and shocked at the time when I was concerned about a young teen boy I was working with. That psychiatrist was skilled in many areas, but he just didn’t know how real eating disorders are in males just as well as females.

If you weren’t aware of these things, please know you aren’t alone. Please have compassion for yourself if you are noticing some signs in someone you love. Please, please, also know that despite the large statistic of people impacted by eating disorders, full recovery is possible. People get better and can overcome their eating disorders. One essential part of recovery is having a strong support system that I know you can provide for your loved one.

Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah can help

Everyone with an eating disorder has one thing in common: needing help from a mental health professional. Eating disorders are physically, mentally, and emotionally dangerous for people of any size. Getting help as soon as possible is the best route to ensure a full recovery. Often eating disorder treatment requires the assistance of not only a therapist but an eating disorder dietitian as well. There is no shame in reaching out for help.

Start Eating Disorder Therapy Near Provo, Utah

You don’t have to stay stuck in your eating disorder forever. You can find peace with food and body image. This Northern Utah Counseling Center has an Eating Disorder Therapist who specializes in eating disorder therapy. To begin eating disorder therapy, follow these steps:

  1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation

  2. Meet with a mental health professional

  3. Begin eating disorder treatment

A beige couch set up in a living room. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy has a therapist for anxiety treating dating anxiety, and birth trauma in Utah.

Online eating disorder therapy in utah

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, you know how important it is to work with a therapist specializing in what you are struggling with. Eating disorder therapy requires training and help from a qualified professional with extensive treatment in eating disorder recovery, AND that’s not always accessible and convenient in your town. This is why I offer Online Therapy in Utah so you can access a therapist who can help.

Online therapy means wherever you are. I can help you safely and conveniently. I provide eating disorder therapy through online therapy in St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Salt Lake City, Heber, and more.

Other Mental Health Services Provided by Maple Canyon Therapy

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided at this Utah County Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include body image therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, anxiety therapy, and EMDR therapy in Utah.

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt LCSW is an eating disorder therapist and owner at Maple Canyon Therapy in Spanish Fork, Utah. Ashlee holds two bachelor’s degrees from Southern Utah University, including a bachelor’s in psychology and a bachelor’s in Family Life and Human Development. Ashlee earned her master’s degree from Utah State University in Social Work. Ashlee loves working with women who struggle with eating disorders, including binge eating disorders and negative body image. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy she enjoys riding her bike around the Spanish Fork River trail.

Other Blog Posts from an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah

A photo of Ashlee Hunt LCSW. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy provides EMDR for Eating Disorders and EMDR for Binge Eating in Utah. Additionally, Maple Canyon Therapy provides therapy for anxiety in Utah.