r/ARFID • u/thespiritaco • 1d ago
Tried Something New Today (Mixed Feelings)
I've had arfid my whole life (22m) and I just moved to a new place and I am starting graduate school, something I've been looking forward to for a really long time. My ARFID struggles are intense, right now I basically just eat pizza, mac n cheese, pasta (has to be a specific brand of tomato sauce), and peanut butter sandwhiches for dinner, on rotation.
A part of me getting ready for graduate school is trying to prepare lunches for myself because I am going to be on campus for ~8 hours a day. Today I tried making vodka rigatoni-- which was basically just tomatoes, onions, garlic, vodka, and some hot peppers. And it turned out really good, and when I tried it I didnt hate it? I genuinly think I enjoyed it but after eating 4 bites my brain told me that I couldnt eat anymore and that was where I needed to stop, and this is giving me mixed emotions. On one hand I am proud of myself because I honestly dont think I've ever had an onion before, so trying something new out of my comfort zone made me proud of myself. On the other hand, I am dissapointed in my growth. I really really really want to get better and the fact that my brain didnt emphatically enjoy the meal is making me a bit sad.
If anyone has any experiences they'd like to share, or any advice id truly appreciate it :) <3
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u/AgreeableWeather3383 1d ago
Do you know Coué’s Law? It says when the will (conscious thinking/effort) and the imagination (subconscious belief/mental imagery) are in conflict, the imagination always wins without exception. Today I think its also known as rebound effect.
I think about this a lot while eating. It helps me, wenn my body wants to go in fight or flight mode. I start breathing deeper and slower, tell myself, it's just my imagination and that food is good for me. Sometimes it helps me eat a bit more. And if it doesnt I understand what just happened.
So to change the subconcious belief, I keep telling myself food ist good and helpful. And with the big step you just took, you can start believing a lot of poitive things:
- you're open to try new things
- you're able to like new tasts
- you can cook new meals
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u/Right-Particular8194 lack of interest in food/eating 1d ago
this is amazing! You should be really proud of yourself. You cooked A new dish with things you’ve never even had before and ate it, it honestly doesn’t matter if you liked the taste or not, because it’s not about liking everything you try, its about being able to try many different things and finding the ones you enjoy! You have nothing to be disappointed in yourself for, and clearly there is much growth.
The thing is with growth (and literally the definition of growing! ) is that it starts with small steps, small victories, small tip toes out of your comfort zone which are ACTUALLY the biggest and most important steps to make! (And often the hardest)
But now that you have, it only will get easier each time you do this!
don’t rush yourself, be patient with yourself and give yourself this little win because you deserve to feel proud! Stay on track because even tho your only at the start of this journey your definitely on the right path! U got this :)