Distraction is the key

It was so good to see Emily have a better day today. We met with Tara, one of the team members, and talked about Emily's reluctance to come home. She is afraid that she will create conflict and that we will be fighting a lot. She said she really needs a distracting conversation which allows her to eat mechanically. She agreed to let me join the nurse for breakfast tomorrow morning to start my meal support training by observing her while I eat my breakfast. Emily doesn't want people staring at her while she eats which is why she wants me to be eating too.

Emily told Tara that she sometimes fights Ed by saying that the 'ensure' has as many calories as the meal so she might as well take a few more bites of the meal. She talked about how much she wants to go apple picking and that fall is her favorite season. Tara suggested she use that desire to help her fight Ed during meal time but I don't think she is ready to concede that apple picking is better than restricting but we'll see.

We also talked about Emily identifying things about her home life that help or hinder her to fight Ed. I needed to check in with her to make sure that my own issues with exercise, food and body image don't undermine her confidence in me. She said that my long bike rides seem excessive to her but that going to bootcamp and running a couple of times a week don't bother her.

Other things that distracted Emily today: knitting, meeting two Ottawa Senator hockey players, hanging out in the teen lounge, more knitting (not sure if the knitting isn't a little bit 'ocd')

I am very tired today after staying here until 11:00 last night. I hate to leave so early in the evening but I need to be here for 8:00 am to share breakfast with her so it's early to bed tonight.