The eating disorder mindset is truly unique but involves a lot of thought patterns that are completely irrational yet common to most of us with this illness. One of these is the way that the eating disordered brain will cling onto what we did yesterday, or on the same day last week perhaps, in terms […]
Category: Fear & Anxiety In Recovery
There are many things common to most of us with an eating disorder but one of these is that we spend so much time (too much time!) seeking and let’s be honest, arguing over, the ‘right way’ to do recovery. Do we go ‘all in’ (I hate that term)? Do we follow a meal plan? […]
As humans, our brains are hardwired to dislike uncertainty in any aspect of our lives and I find this an interesting topic and particularly relevant here as the ability to tolerate uncertainty is key in eating disorder recovery. Every human brain loves certainty. Our basic survival brain perceives uncertainty as a danger and so it […]
***This is a general post aimed at absolutely anyone who owns a brain, not just people with eating disorders!!*** Having recently started a course on neuroscience and brain health – I may be writing a bit more on this in the coming weeks. I find the brain absolutely fascinating. It is the most important organ […]
A couple of days ago I wrote a post about the Covid-19 pandemic that is sweeping the globe and the impact it might be having on those with eating disorders. That post included my more general thoughts about how difficult this period of time can be for someone with an eating disorder but that it […]
Up until now I have resisted writing much about the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the world but it has reached a point that it is impacting on all of us across the globe and impossible to ignore. I actually feel lucky in many ways to have reached the stage of recovery I have as I know […]
I have recently made a really tough decision – perhaps idiotic, perhaps wise, maybe brave, possibly cowardly…. whatever it is, it was very very hard to make and then to put the necessary wheels into motion. And I want to share my current decision and situation, to be real and to show that recovery is […]
When I first became ill with anorexia nervosa, I was a 27 year old woman who had never had any form of disordered eating, history of dieting or weight manipulation and I was at a stage in my life where I felt happy and settled. Therefore finding myself with a severe eating disorder was a […]
How many times did I seek the magic answer to eating disorder recovery over my years of illness? How many times have I been asked the question or asked it myself of others, ‘…but HOW?!?’. “But HOW do I eat more / rest more / stop my weird and not so wonderful eating disorder behaviours […]
This morning I woke up to the best message ever in my inbox… a message from another woman, of a similar age to me, who has had anorexia for years, telling me, “Today is the day… I am doing it!!”. … Yes, after a turbulent few days of indecision she is taking the terrifying and […]
An eating disorder can keep us trapped for years and over those years we develop brains that are hard wired to think and make us act in certain ways… A brain that has developed disordered and often completely screwed up ways of thinking about food, exercise and weight. But also, often a brain that is […]
In recovery from an eating disorder, it takes constant vigilance to keep the momentum of recovery going. And when life starts to get more involved again after years of illness and takes over in other wonderful ways, it can be easy to take your eye off the recovery ball and not instantly notice that recovery […]
In my last post I wrote about the reflections that I had been making on my eating disorder recovery so far – where I was at the start of this journey and where I am now in recovery and life terms. And I suppose, the truth is that yes, I’ve come a bloody long way […]
“Christmas”…. one little word that can strike sheer terror and deep nostalgic sadness into the heart of anyone with an eating disorder. A time of year, those of us with eating disorders long to enjoy in the carefree and relaxed way people around us do and in the way we did before we became […]
When it comes to eating disorder recovery, it gets worse before it gets better. The side effects of recovery are often unpleasant, frequently distressing and at times just plain brutal! When I started out on this very determined and most definitely final recovery attempt a few months ago, I jumped into a process of eating […]