Work in Progress: Time Spent Living After an Eating Disorder

Coming out about my own mental health history is always something I struggle with as a therapist. Worried about blurring boundaries with my clients, with colleagues, with the public at large. In the same mindset, I’m a human, I have human problems and there is no shame in that. So I’ve been slowly working on something that I don’t know exactly what it will become, but its my story and my sole home of telling my story is that others will relate, grow, feel connected, and find hope. So I’ve taken a small excerpt of what I’ve written and wanted to share it. Even if it helps one person, thats enough.

“When I finally minimized the time I spent thinking about food, and my body size, I had time to think about so many other important, inspirational, creative and fulfilling things that simply didn't have space in my life before recovery. I don’t want to convey that I’m a pro at intuitive eating says, but I do my best and this is a huge part of how I recovered and why I had more free mental space.

Full disclosure: There are some days I notice myself being worried about my weight, or whether I will look good in an outfit, or I compare myself to someone else, I’m not perfect. So this is me being honest with myself. I live in this dialectic space of recovery by reminding myself the whole world is obsessed with these things, so if I think about it, that doesn't mean I am out of recovery. My progress has allowed me to not have food and my body be my primary focus in life, and realize that my worth as a human isn’t attached to my body size. I feel confident that I keep practicing honoring my body, trusting myself and keep morals out of food then I have made progress and I’m in love with that progress. “

Quater-Life Crisis

A "quarter-life crisis" is real, and incredibly common.

When you're 20-something its common to feel like "you need to have it all together". It becomes a conflict between "wanting it all" and still being able to have peace of mind. These feelings can create issues with self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. The comparison game that we play with ourselves can be so complex we don't always recognize we are doing it.

But, when you start to gain the skills and confidence needed to create a future you can begin to feel excited about. In other words you'll start feeling less stuck, and feel more heard, and challenged with growth.

Because most of time its our own beliefs that limit us, we put our own road blocks between ourselves and others. In going to counseling, and creating awareness of these blocks, we can help encourage and empower ourselves to change. To ultimately create a life worth living.