How do you know when you’re ready to recover from an eating disorder? More importantly, will all the hard work and effort be worth it?
This was a question Nay, a listener from our community, wrote in to be answered on The Recovery Warrior Shows.
In our mission to help you learn from the best, we connected with Kristina Saffran, co-founder of Project Heal and CEO of Equip Health, to answer this question about readiness to recover and whether it’s worth it.
Is there a right time to recover?
It’s difficult to take the first step towards recovery, and it’s not easy to know when the time is right. You might be waiting for a perfect moment to feel ready to recover from an eating disorder, but that moment may never come. Kristina suggests taking a leap of blind faith and trusting that recovery is worth it. Even though Kristina acknowledges recovery is very hard and it may be the hardest thing that you will ever do, she confidently says,
I have never met anybody who has regretted recovering from their eating disorder. It will open up a whole new life to you that you couldn’t have even dreamed was possible.
Recovery is hard, and it is 100% worth it.
Kristina also recommends building a community of people who have been through similar experiences. Having people who really get it can help when you’re unsure if you’re ready to recover from an eating disorder. A support system can make the leap towards recovery less daunting.
Remember the goal of recovery
It can be hard to know what the other side of recovery will look like. Equip uses two questions to help people clearly see what they’re working towards in recovery and to what extent they’re struggling with an eating disorder.
Give it a try. Ask yourself the following two questions:
On a scale from 1 to 10 (where 1 is not at all and 10 is all the freakin time)…
- How much do you think about food?
- How much do you think about your body?
The goal of recovery is to close the gap between how much time you want to be thinking about food and body, and how much time you actually spend doing so.
Having this difference be brought to your attention can help when you’re unsure if you’re ready to recover from an eating disorder. It’s important to know what you want in recovery, and have a clear picture on what you’re working towards.
Recovery is always possible. The journey is challenging, but it will open up a whole new life. If you’re unsure if you’re ready to recover from an eating disorder, keep in mind that no one regrets recovery, and there is no “perfect” moment to start. Taking a leap of blind faith, building a support system, and reducing the amount of time spent thinking about food and focusing on your body are all steps towards recovery. It may be difficult, but it is undoubtedly worth it. Kristina assures you to,
take comfort in the fact that uncertainty is normal, and have faith that it’s going to be better on the other side. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. That is what you need to hold on to.
Kristina Saffran’s work with Equip is revolutionizing the way eating disorder treatment is delivered and accessed. Her work has been recognized by Fortune magazine, who featured Kristina on their list of 40 Under 40 for her work in health and science.
Click here to find out more information about Equip.
Connect with Kristina Saffran & Equip
- Equip Website
- Kristina Saffran Instagram & Twitter
- Equip Instagram
- More information about Family Based Treatment
