Being in recovery in and of itself is obviously a challenge, a day-by-day journey. Add a huge change -- and often stressor -- on top of that like college, and it can seem overwhelming. But it really doesn’t have to be! Maintaining your recovery in college is not only possible, but it can also open up a new world of things like career opportunities, fun and exciting adventures with friends (or trips to Sonic for drinks at 1 a.m. if you’re like me...), relationships, etc. To be able to enjoy those aspects of college life, though, you have to be prepared for the challenges, the unavoidable hardships that come with big changes.

1. Triggers.

Unfortunately, being in recovery doesn’t mean you won’t still struggle, that you won’t still be triggered. Especially on a college campus! People are bound to be talking about the new fad diet they are on, how many calories they just burned in their workout, or how they realllly shouldn’t eat that food because it has SO many carbs.

It’s gonna happen; there’s no getting around it. But you can handle it! When I get triggered, I usually try a few things:

• I remind myself that just because they are focused on those things doesn’t mean I should/have to be. I have an eating disorder. I am the one in recovery. Focusing on those things could be so destructive for me, but maybe not for them.
• I let myself feel whatever the trigger stirs up: temptation, guilt, frustration, whatever. There’s no denying those feelings, so trying to act as if they don’t exist is pointless. However, I can’t let myself get too sucked into the thoughts, because thoughts can often lead to engaging in behaviors.
• I distract myself. Change the subject. Reach out to someone who I know can talk me down. Work on homework. Read a good book. Dance it out (Grey’s Anatomy style, duh). Anything!

2. Support System.

When I was first told that having a support system at college was essential, I can’t lie, my sarcastic side may have taken over just a little with my response of, “NO, really??” But rest assured that I was put in my place pretty darn quickly as I realized that it was actually true (shocker).

I really can’t stress this enough -- BUILD YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM NOW. This includes both your “team,” with your therapist, a psychiatrist for medicine (because better living through chemistry, am I right?), and often a dietician to help keep you accountable with your meal plan.

These people have your back and know their stuff. Their trained on how to handle the stressors, the changes, and the just not fun parts of recovery that will inevitably come up.

Also, find a few trusted people outside of your team. For me, those people are my mom and a few girls I have within my sorority. They have no idea how much they do for me, how just knowing that I can count on them to help me if I start slipping, to make sure I am eating enough, to comfort me when I’m really struggling, etc. They are my base, my solidity when my recovery is shaken.

3. Social Life.

Being social and creating relationships are huge benefits to being in recovery, but the nature of eating disorders is that they tend to isolate us. I often found myself avoiding social events because I didn’t know what food would be there, or not going out to eat with friends because the thought of the food I would be expected to eat caused me overwhelming anxiety. But thankfully there are things we can do when that happens!

• Look it up. Know what restaurant you’re going to? There’s this handy dandy little thing called Google that pretty much has any and every restaurant menu known to man.
• Eat beforehand. So simple. If the thought of eating uncomfortable foods is hindering your chance to go out and have fun, to be social and interactive, then just plan to eat beforehand until your recovery reaches the point of being able to challenge yourself in that way. Don’t let the disorder hinder you anymore than it already has! (So much easier said than done, I know!)

Also, there were many times I would just not want to go out, not want to do anything or be around anyone. I would come up with excuse after excuse, creating a cycle, a list of reasons why I couldn’t go out memorized and ready to recite. Now, I’ve determined to be a Yes-Woman (OK, my nerd side is totally showing).

I have told myself I will say yes, at least just try it, and I can always come home if I’m miserable. I mean, I would much rather go out and no have a great time than wonder what I had missed out on by staying in! And again, this is much easier said than done, so I rely on my friends and my mom to push me to do so, to push me to fight, to push me to continue to try and live the fullest, recovery-filled life possible.

The most important thing to remember, though, is this: our recovery has to be number one. That means above school, above social life, above romance, above it all.

Because what are all those things going tot amount to, anyway, if we are so enveloped within our eating disorders that we can’t maintain them, much less enjoy them? That means making sacrifices by not over-extending ourselves with activities, working ten times as hard as most people to do typical things like eating or being social, and making sure we practice self-care, learning to love ourselves again.

Because wouldn’t that be just amazing? Just imagine: one day, hopefully sooner rather than later, we might just wake up one day and realize the light is finally, finally, breaking through our darkness.