Eating Recovery Day

Today is eating recovery day.  My FB feed has been filled with live broadcasts, sobering statistics, inspirational quotes, and personal stories. It's times like this that I don't feel alone or like "that women with an eating disorder".   Because I've always done out patient therapy I've never felt the support of being a part of the eating disorder community. But social media has changed that. 

Today, also thanks to social media, I got a flash back picture from several years ago. It was from a 5K I participated in with my sweet sister in law and two of our dear friends.  This was during a massive struggle with my eating disorder. As I looked at myself in the picture I immediately noticed how different I looked physically from the image in my mirror today. And of course, the negative thoughts and mental body shaming started almost at once.  

Lucky for me, I had a tool I learned in therapy recently ready to try out. I challenged those eating disordered thoughts right then in that moment. What that picture doesn't show is how very sick and mentally unwell I was on the inside.  So instead of focusing on how I looked I thought about how much better mentally I am today than I was in that picture. 

I'm still working towards recovery. It's not a quick fix but a process. Some days are easier than others. But today on the official Eating Recovery Day, I am grateful for the opportunity I had to use a tool from therapy to combat ED thinking. I'm also so grateful for my family, close friends, and therapists who have helped me on my recovery journey. One year I will proudly celebrate this day fully recovered and stronger than ever.