Full Recovery IS Possible by Andrea Roe

Recovery Roses and Learning to be Grateful

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature
is that all of us tend to put off living.
We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden
over the horizon – instead of enjoying the roses
blooming outside our windows today."

~ Dale Carnegie

That saying was very true for me during my struggles with eating disorders and depression. Now that I’m recovered (yes, full recovery IS possible!), I can look back and see that my life wasn’t “all bad” like I often believed. Rather, there were beautiful “roses blooming outside my window” that I just couldn't see. Roses I couldn't appreciate.

It's the "most" wonderful time.... Eating Disorders and the Holidays

The holiday season is just around the corner. It’s a time full of celebration, joy, happiness... and family dinners. However, for people who struggle with an eating disorder, the holidays can be a difficult time that brings stress, pressure, anxiety and depression.

When I struggled with eating disorders, holidays were always the most difficult time for me. I got nervous whenever a big holiday approached. I was scared of what would happen. I was scared of losing control. I was scared of all the food and what it would do to me.

Valuable Self-Worth Lesson

Yesterday, I cleaned out a few boxes and found some old diaries of mine. I spent a few minutes leafing through and came across a story I'd like to share with you today. It’s something that touched me and I hope it does the same for you...

How Long Does it Take to Recover from an Eating Disorder?

When I started my recovery process from eating disorders, I had no idea what to expect… I only knew that there were a lot of changes ahead for me. I was really scared of the unknown that the recovery process would bring. Yet, my desire to get my life back again was much stronger than my fear of change.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never get there.”

During my recovery from eating disorders, I learned that it’s critically important to:

• Have dreams and to set goals for yourself that keep you motivated.  
• Do something nice for yourself on a regular basis—especially during difficult times.

I’d like to share with you two things that helped me stay focused on my goals during my recovery and take care of myself, no matter whether I was having a “good” or a “bad” day.

My Biggest Recovery Aha-Moment

My recovery process was filled with many aha-moments. And recovery taught me lots of skills and lessons, some of them I had to learn several times until I really got them. My recovery taught me to be patient, persistent and kind to myself – skills that helped me break free of my eating disorder—skills and lessons I still use today in other areas of my life. It’s not just “recovery lessons/skills”, it’s really lessons/skills for life.

"Failure is an event, not a person"

My journey to full recovery from eating disorders and depression was filled with many ups and downs. I had many setbacks but, whenever I fell, I did my best to get back up again as fast as I could.

Sometimes I felt too weak to get back up all by myself – I was tired of the whole recovery process and ready to give up and give in to my eating disorders… and in moments like these, that’s where my recovery support team was especially important. They didn’t give up on me. They believed in me, no matter what.

Recovery from an Eating Disorder IS Possible

I’m excited to be a part of the EatingDisordersBlogs.com family and am looking forward to sharing with you my experiences with eating disorders, body image issues, and—most importantly—my recovery and what helped me and others overcome our struggles. It is my hope that my columns will help support you in your recovery and show you that you can get better too.