Recovery tool box

This recovery tool box is designed to help you try and challenge the negative thoughts and try to think of a more positive outlook on your future. Try focusing on one of these statements, questions and actions to see if it resonates with you.

• Do not be afraid to be who you are...
• We all have goals... yours can be to be remembered for the people you connect with, not the number you leave on the scales.
• It's ok to do it for others initially if you are not ready to do it for yourself.
• Don't give yourself too many choices.
• Let others help you... if you know wiggle space of an inch takes a mile, don't give
  yourself opportunities.
• Try properly for six months for recovery, you might find life is better when your eating disorder doesn't dictate everything.
• Think of people you admire who have left this world… were you fond of them
  because of their weight?
• Measure your happiness by your success, not by your number.
• Ask yourself... if you were given the trophy for the best Anorexic / Bulimic 2019... how would this better your life?
• Keep some structure and the safety of a meal plan if it helps you feel in control.
• Don't be afraid to stand up to your eating disorder... it is a bully.
• Have a vision, create a vision board.
• Acknowledge it's an illness, you don't choose to have it but you do choose how you deal with it... no excuses.
• Ask yourself, if the person you love the most started treating themselves the way
  you do, would you be happy?
• Treat yourself like you would treat your soul mate. Would you starve them / allow them to starve themselves?
• Expect but don't accept (secrets, deceit, lies and manipulative behaviours are all part of the illness but you don't have to let anorexia make you carry out these
  behaviours).
• Take one day at a time but don't wait for tomorrow as with anorexia, tomorrow
  never comes (you will understand what I mean when I say don't promise yourself you will eat that snack you missed today, tomorrow)
• Listen to your body... if you don't feel right physically, you are not right and need to get checked out by a medic. Palpitations, chest pain, feeling faint, blue nail beds, purple fingers or feet, blue lips, hair loss or yellowing skin is NOT normal!
• When you go to add extra calories to your families food (you know, the kind of meal you have asked to cook and you want to laden their portion with butter and leave yours bare), ask yourself, what are you doing?
• No need to hide from the world... there will always be that person at the bus stop
  thinner / fatter than you... stop comparing as it is never enough anyway.
• Finishing your food last doesn't make you a better anorexic. Finishing before
  someone else doesn’t mean you are greedy.
• Surround yourself with positive people.
• You want to be in control but remind yourself you are a passenger to your anorexia / bulimia if you listen to it. You can be the driver.

"Eat to live don't live to eat."

Keeping motivated in recovery from an eating disorder

Recovering from an eating disorder is a journey that is full of challenges, and the eating disorder will continue to fight you and try its hardest to stop you regaining back control of your life. keeping motivated in recovery is not always easy, as there are many times when recovering seems impossible and the eating disorder feels familiar and safe. I have written below some ideas that could help you keep motivated when you are finding recovery particularly challenging.

• Keeping a list of all the goals that you have, and all the goals that you have already achieved so far in recovery, can help keep you motivated. Being able to see clearly what you want to achieve from recovery, can help remind you of why you are fighting the eating disorder. And seeing what you have already achieved proves that despite the difficult times recovery provides many positives.

• The eating disorder will try to convince you that life was more manageable when you were listening to its demands. This is not true listening to the eating disorder can make things appear more manageable, but the reality is that when you are listening to the eating disorder you are numb and not able to enjoy life. It may make the bad times feel easier to manage but it takes away the possibility of enjoying the good times. It is important to remind yourself of this when the eating disorder is telling you that it can make your problems go away.

• Feeling your body physically changing can be one of the aspects of recovery that can affect your motivation. Physical changes can be difficult to deal with as it is a visual sign that your body is changing due to recovery. It is important to try to remind yourself that you are in control of these changes even though it may not feel this way. Weight restoration is an essential part of recovery. Making a list of all the things that your body can now do as it is healing can be helpful to keep you motivated. Try to focus on the positives of what your body does for you and how keeping your body healthy enables you to enjoy life. And how when you listened to the eating disorder you still never felt happy with the way you looked, and you also had no energy to enjoy life. recovery gives you the opportunity to start to enjoy your life and work on your relationship with your body.