Sometimes, the little things in life are what mean the most. That’s how I think of “little memories”. They can happen on any given day, at any time, unexpectedly. They’re not planned and they might not mean much to you in the moment. But looking back, it’s those little moments that make life so special and worth living. There are countless examples of how my eating disorder took what would have been “little memories” away from me. I decided to make a list, because I believe that recognizing and learning from past mistakes helps keep you from ever making them again.
Read MoreUsing it was a morning ritual: wake up, use the restroom, remove my clothing to be as light as possible, step on the scale, and anxiously wait for a number to appear. I did this without fail, every day. Since I found my self worth in how much I weighed, I panicked when I was traveling and didn’t have access to my scale. This habit extended far past my weight restoration and “recovery” from anorexia. Although my relationship with food and my body was, by comparison, much healthier at this point, it was nowhere near where it should have been. I still relied on numbers to dictate how much I could eat and how far I needed to run. Doesn’t sound quite “recovered”, does it?
Read MoreIf you are someone who’s never experienced any form of disordered eating, then hunger is most likely a very normal part of your day… something you don’t give a second thought to. You feel hunger pangs, so you eat food until the feeling subsides. But for those who are combatting restrictive forms of eating disorders, hunger is the enemy. Many of us have tried everything under the sun to allude it, but hunger can only be defeated with one thing: food.
Read MoreMaking the decision to seek help for your eating disorder can feel like the most confusing, frustrating, and isolating thing in the world. When chronic dieting and the pressures to constantly change ourselves is the cultural norm, it can be difficult to decipher if what you’re struggling with is a true, diagnosable eating disorder or some other underlying issue. Regardless of whether your eating patterns are diagnosable as an eating disorder or not, an unhealthy relationship with food is never good. If you find yourself restricting your intake, constantly thinking about food, and feel like the number on the scale or the calorie count on the package controls your life, it’s time to make a change. An unhealthy relationship with food, even without the “official” label of an eating disorder, should be addressed and healed (ideally with the support of a professional). If interested, you can use the National Eating Disorder Associations screening tool by clicking here.
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