So, you’ve met consistently with your ED recovery team, followed the meal plan, did the exposures, practiced emotional tolerance and ultimately landed yourself firmly in eating disorder recovery. Maybe now you are navigating a “new normal” thought participating in school, sports and social activities. Congrats! Of course, not everyone’s path to recovery will be this linear, and that is okay! A common misconception about ED recovery is that once you do all the work, you are “cured” and can stop with recovery focused practices. ED recovery is a long-term process that requires continued care and maintenance. This “maintenance” likely will eb and flow and change over time. It will feel less involved as one continues through a recovery and then at other times may require further support. Everyone’s recovery journey is different. Here, I have outlined some key tips to keep in mind to continue to maintain eating disorder recovery.
1. View your treatment team as an open door
This could entail a full team consisting of a dietitian, therapist and psychiatrist or it could involve a mix of these providers. Over time, you likely will reduce the frequency of meeting with these providers as you continue to make strides in recovery. It is important to keep in touch with these providers. Keep in mind that it completely okay to reach back out if you have a rough patch or need a check-in. Checking back in with your providers does not mean that you relapsed of “failed” recovery. A true strength is reaching out for support when you need it.
2. Identify trusted supports
It can be helpful to identify trusted support that you can lean on when having challenges in ED recovery. Often, this would be parents or a guardian. A trusted support could also be a friend, extended family member, coach, or teacher. Identifying who you can call when times get hard will much such a difference when we find ourselves in a rough spot.
3. Continue to actively challenge yourself and take risks
It is important to continue to actively challenge yourself as you move through recovery. Often, when we do scary things in recovery, we think “Ok, this is enough now”. Unfortunately, this can keep us stagnant on recovery and keep us from living a full life. Continuing to take risks allows us to ensure that we are not staying complacent or getting into a “rut”. This can include trying new foods, wearing new clothes, engaging in new social situations, engaging in group/social meals. The more we challenge ourselves and take risks, the less scary they become.
4. Join a like-minded recovery community or support group
Look into joining a support group that is geared specifically for people who are further along in recovery. It can be so helpful to meet others who share a similar understanding of what it means to maintain recovery and the challenges that go along with it. It is validating to make connections with others who are going through similar challenges.
5. Pay attention to any “yellow flags” that may arise
Talk to your team about “yellow flags”. “Yellow flags” could be behaviors, warning signs, or avoidances that would indicate that one would need to explore more support. When identifying these “yellow flags” it can be helpful to also identify what further support would be needed.. Eating disorders can be sneaky, and have a way of showing up when we least expect it. Periodically checking in with providers and doing self-reflection prompts can help gauge where we are at in recovery.
6. Immerse yourself in pro-recovery messaging
Social media, such as Tiktok and Instagram, can show a lot of content that is not aligned with ED recovery. It is easy to find ourselves mindlessly scrolling. If one does decide to use social media, it is important to curate the media that you consume to be helpful and not triggering. When coming across harmful pro-ED content on social, one can also take an extra step and report this content. Here are a few recovery focused ED accounts on Instagram to check out!
7. Actively work to reject diet culture in daily life
Okay, this is a hard one. When in ED recovery we often find ourselves at odds with a world where diet culture is so normalized. We find diet culture and pro-ED messaging everywhere- advertising, commercials on TV, from friends and family, social media and even healthcare providers. It is important to recognize diet culture messaging when it arises and actively reframe or reject these thoughts and ideals. Often times, we may need to set boundaries with friends and family when they are using triggering language or bringing up topics that do not support your recovery.
Final Thoughts on 7 Tips For Maintaining Eating-Disorder Recovery
Eating disorder recovery is a long-term, ongoing process. Staying connected with your treatment team and having trusted support can help during difficult times. Continuously challenging yourself with new experiences keeps recovery from becoming stagnant. Joining recovery communities offers connection, while recognizing early signs of setbacks ensures you seek help when needed. Curating positive social media content and rejecting harmful diet culture messaging are crucial for maintaining progress.
Contact Us
Courage to Nourish is a group of eating disorder specialized dietitians. We have in person locations in Alexandria, Virginia, Columbia, Maryland and College Park, Maryland. We offer virtual services across the state of Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. We offer individual nutrition therapy. As well as support groups. We would love to guide you in building a better relationship with food.
Contact us for more information. And to schedule a discovery call. Also, sign up for our client or clinician newsletter!
Interested in a support group? Courage to Nourish offers a weekly virtual ED Recovery Support group. This group is free of charge! Email lauren.garcia@couragetonourish.com to find out more information!
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