I remember eagerly, yet timidly, beginning eating disorder recovery. Notebook in hand, I was terrified, ashamed, and I was oh-so-tired. I was ready to be done, or so I thought. I didn’t realize on day 1 that recovery would be a process and I wouldn’t get better with that one notebook. It turns out that I scribbled through dozens and dozens of journals before finding freedom. And throughout all of these journals I would often write, “I am hopeless. I can’t do this anymore.”
Here are seven keys that kept me going and that might help you, too:
- Get some hope holders. No, you can’t pick these up at your local grocery store. But these are actually pretty easy to find. Although, many of us—like me—will often use the excuse, “But I don’t have any of these.” Hope holders are people in our lives who hold onto our faith when we lose it. These are family members or friends. If you are isolated—as addictions and eating disorders like to keep us—the good news is twelve-step meetings exist that welcome everyone. In fact, these days there are twelve-step meetings on a wide array of topics, and at open meetings anyone can attend. And, if you live in a small town without many meeting options, no worries. If you have access to the Internet or a phone you can find a lot of free meeting options online. Like I said, hope holders are easy to find.
To continue reading, please click here for the original post on Recovery Connection’s blog.
eating disorder, PTSD, substance abuse