3 Tips for Working On Separating Yourself From Your Eating Disorder
Eating disorders are incredibly manipulative conditions that play on your emotions. They can feel like an important coping mechanism and a toxic presence simultaneously. Often, eating disorders erode your sense of self and overwhelm your life and identity. When pursuing recovery, it can be challenging to separate yourself from your eating disorder, but it is more than possible with the right support.
Below are some tips to help you separate yourself from your eating disorder and help you reclaim your autonomy. This blog post is inspired by Life Without Ed by Jenni Schaefer, who uses her experience with an eating disorder to inspire others to pursue recovery.
Tip 1: Personify Your Eating Disorder And Separate It From Yourself
Personifying your eating disorder will help you recognize that it is separate from you and does not define who you are. Separating yourself from your eating disorder can include giving it an actual name, such as “Ed” (short for eating disorder), or labeling it as a villain, bully, or devil. Doing this will make it easier to differentiate between your thoughts and those of the eating disorder.
Tip 2: Practice Talking Back to Your Eating Disorder
Begin to pause and notice moments when your eating disorder voice becomes loud. It’s important to discern between your eating disorder thoughts and your authentic self-thoughts. This is not an easy process, so working with a care provider to separate yourself from your eating disorder can be helpful. Your treatment team can help you develop effective responses to your eating disorder voice.
Tip 3: Get Clear on Your Preferences to Reconnect with Yourself Separate from Your Eating Disorder.
Take stock of your goals, values, and interests. If it’s helpful, write these down somewhere where you can refer to them often. Make sure this list is specific and aligns with your authentic self, and use it to inspire recovery. It can also be helpful to share this with your treatment team to inform your care better.
Let this summer be the first of many without your eating disorder, robbing you of the fun, freedom, and memories you could have. Schedule a call with BALANCE’s admission team to learn more about accessing our Day Program this summer. This summer with BALANCE, reduce eating disorder thoughts and behaviors, gain tools to navigate all the pressures the summer months bring, foster community with specialized groups, get the support you deserve, and more. Learn more about our summer programming here.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below, or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Tori Barkosky (she/her).
Tori is currently a senior at St. Catherine University, pursuing a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Nutrition Science. Tori is passionate about all things related to intuitive eating, HAES, mental health, body respect, eating disorders, and disordered eating. She desires to become a holistic therapist or psychologist in the future and work with clients with eating disorders and help them recover and heal their broken relationship with food and body and find liberation from diet culture. Outside of classes and work, Tori enjoys yoga, being in nature, and consuming too much coffee.
