If you want to recover from an eating disorder or any other self-destructive pattern of behaviour, it can be healpful to know why you started and kept doing it. That way, you can try to replace the harmful habits with better ones, which will make giving up the harmful ones a lot easier.
For example I got a feeling of accomplishment and achievement from my eating disorder at a time when I felt like I wasn’t “good enough”. For me, recovery wasn’t really possible until I started doing other things I could be proud of and forcing myself to recognise that they were good too. These weren’t giant changes or huge new tasks, just things I had let slip while my eating disorder was bad.
are you trying to feel like you’re doing something and achieving goals?
make a very achievable to-do list every day/week. It can just list things you usually do, maybe with the addition of one task you might not do otherwise but still enjoy.
grow some plants- whatever else you do, you will be responsible for them existing.
ask a trusted friend to say something encouraging if you do a certain task, like eating with your friends at the cafeteria. Sometimes it will take a while before you feel proud of yourself for doing that, and it can help to know that others are proud of you in the meantime.
are you trying to feel better about your body?
Put on some of your favourite music and dance in the privacy of your room.
Get rid of any clothing that is too smalll you are using to measure yourself against and focus on accessories that make you feel happy
Find people with a similar body type to yours and fous on positive things about how they look, either mentally throughout or day or by making lists when you’re alone.
are you trying to feel in control?
take control over your body in non-destructive ways. If you can and have wanted to for a while, dye or cut your hair or change your style
consider starting something like martial arts to feel in control of your body and feel less powerless in scary situations
start making things so you can decide and shape how they end up looking.
Of course, there are far more reasons people start and continue doing harmful behaviours and far more positive coping mechanisms you can use, but I hope these help someone.
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