There’ll never be a “right time” to recover. Your ED voice will fight hard to keep you locked in.
I meet clients every day who aren’t yet ready to let go of their eating disorder, but who know that it is the right thing to do. Lets look at how to start recovery when you’re not ready…
It is a brave and courageous thing to reach out for help with an eating disorder. There can be such conflict between YOUR voice, that wants to get your life back, and the other part of you that is terrified of letting go of something that has previously helped you to feel so safe and in control. Your ED voice.
The truth is that there’ll never feel like a “right time” to recover – there’ll always be a number of excuses for why you could stay in the same situation, and the “voice” of the eating disorder might fight against any suggestion of help and support.
But choosing recovery is the right thing to do. In fact, many people start treatment feeling not ready to let go of their eating disorder, but hold onto that part of themselves that knows that they want their life back.
Recovery might feel like you’re diving in head first, but you can still take things slowly and start small. Start with reading my free ebook.
Then, book in a call with me. This is a safe space, where no judgements are made, no pressure is applied, but you get to talk with someone with real life experience of where you are and recovered.
In this way, you get the ball rolling without throwing yourself into the deep end where it may feel overwhelming or too much too soon.
You might feel frightened by the prospect challenging your eating disorder – particularly behaviours with food. This is normal and one of the main benefits of having a coach by your side. I'm here to have your back. To give you the confidence to disagree with your ED and to claim YOUR voice back.
Ask questions. Lots of them! There’s no such thing as a silly question.
You cannot live in harmony with an eating disorder. When things start to feel scary it might be tempting to back-pedal, so take a few moments to remember why you want to try and overcome this illness.
What are your motivations? What are your goals for recovery? Where are you noticing the eating disorder holding you back?
All of these are extremely valid and important questions to ask yourself You might want to note these things down (perhaps on your phone) and return to them as soon as you start to feel uneasy.
Use my future planner to remind yourself of your 'WHY'
Letting go may seem terrifying, but you're not alone on this journey.
Eating disorders are often characterised by loneliness and isolation – even if you’re surrounded by lots of people, holding onto such a big secret can keep you feeling at a distance from loved ones. It is a horrible place to be in, and no one should be struggling alone.
Recovery is not a race and it's never linear, so allow your loved ones in to support you as you navigate this journey.
Keep communicating with your family, friends and treatment team. People want to know how you are doing – warts and all – as it helps them to know how they can help you.
It’s important to know that recovery won’t be all unicorns and rainbows (at least, all of the time) and motivation will wane every now and then as you battle your illness. But by communicating the highs and lows, people will be able to walk alongside you through the process and remind you of why you chose recovery in the first place.
You've got this. I'ver got you!