UNPOPULAR ED RECOVERY ADVICE
RELAPSING HAPPENS
Quitting any habit takes time and is incredibly challenging. It’s normal to relapse and indulge in old habits in times of distress or subconscious boredom. Make the mistakes occur less and less, learning from them each time. Don’t beat yourself up; accept defeat, learn what triggered the relapse, and improve the next day. Eventually, those mistakes will happen less and less, and they will never happen again.
YOU DONT NEED TO EAT FEAR FOODS ASAP
When I was in hospital, they forced me to eat fear foods multiple times a day within the first two weeks of being there. At the time, I wasn’t ready for such a stressful task, and it encouraged me to purge and relapse worse than ever. I think it’s important to begin eating enough nutrient-dense foods and gently challenge your fears. Naturally, the more you eat, the more open you will become towards trying new foods. Some of my favourite foods, which I eat every day now, are avocado, salmon, bread and butter.
ITS OKAY TO HATE YOUR BODY
When your body changes overnight, it’s a shock to anyone, let alone an ED suffer. As your body changes, it's okay to feel uncomfortable in your own skin, it’s okay to feel ugly, and it's okay to feel like a failure at times; it’s okay to feel terrible. Know that feeling doesn't last forever; you will blossom...eventually.
DONT TRACK WEIGHT GAIN
Numbers on the scale or your clothes are triggering. Stay away from the scale and focus on consuming a nutrient-dense diet with enough calories to be considered healthy.
ITS OKAY TO EXERCISE LIGHTLY
Exercise is stress relieving and endorphin-creating. Gentle exercise like walking a few kilometres a day, yoga or Pilates is a nice way to connect with your body and build new muscles you are now feeding. Movement is also a great social activity with friends and helps your bowels move.
As long as you dont over do it I think gentle exercise a few times a week is okay during recovery.
NOT EVERYONE NEEDS THERAPY
I hate therapy and was forced to speak to many in high school. Everyone says they need therapy but lack the inner knowledge to rework their brains at home positively. If you don’t have the means to seek therapy, YouTube or read topics to help heal your relationship with yourself. With the right tools, you can fix the broken parts inside you better than anyone you could pay.
PS. If you need or can afford therapy, please get the help you require; this is just gentle advice from a non-conventional self-fixer who believes in self-healing.