I caught my reflection in the mirror. I quickly looked away, but the image was seared into my brain. Just like a horrible car crash, I couldn’t stop myself from taking a second peek. Then a third and a fourth and a fifth. I don’t know how many peeks I stole, but I know that they were never more than 5 seconds. I also know that I felt worse with each peek.
Setting boundaries and learning to say no is critically important during recovery. Being assertive, openly expressing yourself and setting boundaries takes away a lot of ED’s power.
One the most important habits I developed that helped me through the worst of my eating disorder and still helps me today is a small routine- a time during the day that I spend with myself, doing the things that are most important to my health and to my happiness.
It can be painful and difficult to watch someone in the throws of an eating disorder and you may feel compelled to help. However, approaching a friend or family member that may have an eating disorder is a delicate matter.
While there were many moments on my path to recovery that were significant, I find this one particularly important as I still come back to it today when life starts to become overwhelming.