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I need to start by saying that I am not a licensed therapist and if you are someone struggling with an eating disorder, seeking help from a professional can be an important part of your overall plan to get better. I say a part of the plan because I believe that recovering from an eating disorder takes a village and multiple tools. I saw a therapist when I was in recovery, and he helped me tremendously. He helped me understand some of the emotional trauma that hid beneath the physical manifestation that was my eating disorder. Without question, there were some discoveries I needed a therapist to help me make.
Now, all of that being said, if I can be 100 percent honest about what really pushed me over the edge from in recovery to recovered, it was certain realizations that I had on my own, and that friends, family, and even coworkers helped me discover. When it came down to it, no matter how wonderful my therapist was, what was truly impactful to me was talking to someone else who had been through an eating disorder. Only those who’ve also suffered one understand the way that my mind works.
There is not just one path to recovery, and my theories and ideas may not appeal to everybody. In fact, some may find them a bit offensive, or even ridiculously simple. But please try not to judge me. All I want is to share the many concepts that came to me during my recovery that really helped me. In the end, all that matters is that the person suffering gets better. Even if done so by unconventional means, or just through developing some thinking patterns that may seem a little imperfect. I know it isn’t always easy for grown women to talk about this stuff, since we may associate it with our younger years, but eating disorders in women well over 30 do happen. So for anyone who needs to hear it, here are realizations that helped me recover from my eating disorder.
