What is working in your recovery from anorexia…
Happy Spring! Buds are blooming, the sun is shining and bright colors are starting to pop up. The days are longer and people typically get a surge of energy and lightness in their step. With this energy they may tackle home projects or as we call them “Spring Cleaning.” Maybe you organize your closets and donate to Good Will, organize your garages or basements or start to dust off the patio furniture in order to enjoy the nice weather ahead.
In recovery from anorexia and other eating disorders it is important to take an inventory of what is working in your recovery and what is not working or even hurting your recovery. I call this “Spring Cleaning for Recovery.” The way I do this is to simply make a table and identify pro-recovery items in my life and items that be hurting my recovery. Here is an example of a recent list that I put together:
| Pro-recovery | Anti-recovery | ||
| • Practice mindfulness mediation daily
• Eat a variety of foods • Contributing to others |
• Work more hours without breaks to focus on my meal plan
• Less time dedicated to preparing food ahead of time • Reach out less to my support network |
Creating the list helps to increase your awareness of your recovery. This concrete skill leads you to be more mindful of your recovery efforts. It is about keeping it real and consistently checking in with yourself and where you are with your emotional, physical and spiritual health.
So what do you do with the inventory? First continue to do what is on the pro-recovery list. I practice mindfulness meditation daily individually and with my clients in individual and group settings. I eat a variety of foods so I do not get bored, or even worse, start to become ritualistic about my eating plan. I eat for the occasion. At Easter brunch I tried each one of the desserts. On St. Patrick’s Day I had a slice of Irish soda bread. And I add service to my life each day. Getting out of my own head and helping others–friends, family or clients– keeps me on a positive path.
Now what about the items on the anti-recovery list? Identify them, brainstorm, problem-solve and act! Over the past few months I have been busier with work and started to schedule appointments back-to-back, without a break for lunch. Now of course I would eat lunch because it is a vital part of my recovery, but it would be rushed in-between sessions. I also noticed that I was feeling really burnt out, more tired and less motivated. So what did I do? Right away I put in a lunch break into my schedule. Now I have time to dedicate to lunch and be able to regroup for the remainder of my day.
Lately I have been having less time to prepare meals ahead of time. I come home late from work and the last thing I want to do is prepare dinner. I bet some of you often feel the same. My solution is purchasing more prepared foods when I food shop and ordering out more at my favorite Vegan restaurant.
With this inventory skill, I noticed that I am reaching out less to my support network. Social support is crucial in recovery. You cannot recover on your own. My solution is to call my network at least once a week to get support.
So as you start to tackle those spring cleaning tasks, make time to sit down and make an inventory of where you are in your recovery. Repeat the positive behaviors daily. And find a solution to the behaviors that may be hurting your recovery. You will feel refreshed, more motivated and more fulfilled.
Serenity Always,
Meredith
