1. Personifying my body
This thought made it much easier for me to be gentle, loving and forgiving with myself. I realized sadly, that it is often much easier to be kind and forgiving to another person than it is to be kind and loving to ourselves. I also found a sense of guilt for putting my body through the rigors of an eating disorder. Afterall, what did my poor loyal body ever do to deserve such awful treatment? The answer is absolutely nothing! This is also true for you; your sweet body never did anything to deserve the harsh treatment and wrath you have placed on it.
2. Setting attainable and realistic goals
When I took the big step to give up smoking, I called my dad (a former smoker) and asked him for his advice. He said something that helped me immensely, "Don't say that you will never have a cigarette again! Instead, promise yourself that today you will not have a cigarette." This same intelligent logic can be applied to making a recovery from an eating disorder as well. I have found that planning on making a permanent recovery is a daunting task. But committing myself and my mind to today, is not nearly as difficult. Fr help setting yourself goals get in touch with the ClarityClinic.
3. Considering that healing is political
One of my greatest motivations to disassociate myself from my eating disorder came when I thought of my great purpose in life which I believe is to be an inspiration to many future generations of strong young women. I asked myself "how can I be an inspiration and example of what it means to be strong and confident if I am over here trying to starve myself into an early grave?" There is a beautiful poem by Sierra DeMulder called "Ana" that I would invite anyone struggling with eating disorders to read. In this poem she asks the mothers of Hollywood's Red Carpet, how they will teach their daughters to love their bodies if they are busy wringing out their own body? This line struck me like a lightning bolt and I thought, "If I am going to set out to change the world, I can't do that on an empty stomach."
4. Remembering that "Fat" and "Skinny" are neither insults or compliments
For a long time, I was afraid to take the path to recovery because of my own childhood fears that developed through my own struggle with obesity. I had learned to associate the term "fat" as the greatest insult one could receive and the term "skinny" to be the greatest compliment. But I see things differently now, "fat" and "skinny" are nothing more than observations of the physical, there is no value attached to either term. This deflated my fear of fatness and I was able to take these terms as what they are, deriving no loathing from one or respect for the other. This allows for an improved perspective that allows me to keep sight of my true goals of being happy and healthy.
5. Picturing myself as a child
My instructor gave me this helpful exercise to apply when I am feeling angry with myself. She told me to think back of my childhood and ask what brought me joy and feelings of excitement. I thought back to the little girl I once was dressed up in neon-lime-green chasing fireflies around the backyard. It is important to remember that essentially, I am still that little girl deep inside. When I feel tempted to fall back into my old habits, I think of what kind of life I would give to that little girl, the kind of life I believe she deserves. Then I remember that I am still that little girl and the only things that have changed are external. Doing this makes it much easier to treat myself with kindness and softness that I would apply to my younger self given the opportunity.
