As we ring in 2021 and you or your loved one continues to struggle with an eating disorder, I want to say, it’s okay. As a recovered individual, eating disorder specialist, supervisor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and licensed positive body facilitator, I know eating disorders well.
Recovery from an eating disorder IS possible
I am not enabling.
I simply want to encourage you to embrace compassion, self-love, kindness, and gratitude in a time where uncertainty, shadows, fear, and eating disorders are being magnified.
In a time where the diets and detoxes are being promoted by not only celebrities but also your own inner circle, know that you are capable and worthy of recovery.
Connecting to one’s own personal compassion and self –love is the remedy.
What does this mean? It means actually caring for you. I know, when I first heard this I wanted to crawl out of skin and secretly punch my own therapist.
We often cringe as the thought of actually liking and loving oneself tastes foul. I understand this well as it was a process for me. It’s not surprising that many of us get stuck or resist this as it restricts our ability to receive and give compassion as well as self-love. Not surprisingly, that this is a primary function of eating disorders.
A very important question
My therapeutic groups end with asking each individual how they are going to be kind to themselves for the rest of the day. I challenge everyone that is struggling with an eating disorder and those that are not to ask themselves this question and actually do the kind thing. It’s most effective if you actually do skills or so I preach.
Gratitude is also imperative. But not for material possessions which, sure, stuff is nice. I am referring to gratitude in the sense of ourselves and for the people you choose to connect with. My grandmother was the most real and grateful person. When I would share a frustration she had a grace about pointing the blessings around it. It was not invalidating.
Looking at gratitude really shifted my perspective along with my overall feelings.
Lets actively embrace compassion, self-love, kindness, and gratitude. Not only for 2021, but every year.
