Thriving in Recovery
I struggled with my eating disorder for over 25 years. It was the hardest journey of my life, but I reached full recovery. Along the way I have learned many things about recovery–particularly the environment that your eating disorder feels comfortable in and the environment that it feels uncomfortable in. Recovery is about initial discomfort, but you learn to set up a recovery environment for you to thrive in.
Here are two columns: One labeled “Eating disorders like” and one labeled “Eating disorders do not like.” Check out the list and feel free to add your own. Then pick one category and create a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-sensitive) goal, such as, “I am going to meet my friend today at 12pm for lunch and I am going to reach out to my eating disorder coach before and after for extra support. My goal is to eat 80% of my lunch.”
Eating disorders like: Eating disorders do not like:
Excuses Determination
Wishy-washy goals Concrete and manageable goals
Rejecting reality Radical Acceptance
Problems Problem solving skills
Stress/other unpleasant emotions Emotion regulation
Unstructured free time Structured time
Missed therapy sessions Consistent therapy support
Diet-culture media Body Kindness media
Self-criticism Self-compassion
Lack of self-care Self-care routine
Eating the same foods each day Eating a variety of foods
Isolation Social support
Relationship chaos Interpersonal effectiveness
Skipped meals Meal exposure
Extreme exercise Balanced, gentle movement
External cues Internal cues
Hopelessness Reasons to recover
Impatience Patience
Stagnation Growth
Listening to ED self Listening to healthy self
Comfort Discomfort
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For me, building an environment where my healthy self could thrive was crucial to my recovery. Hopefully, this will help you on your journey.
Check out my debut memoir titled Opening the Door: My Recovery Through Anorexia to Full Recovery. It will be published by Koehler Books in July 2022!
Full recovery is possible!
Serenity always,
Meredith
