Being honest with our recovery team is one of the most important things during recovery. Without honesty, our team cannot accurately assess how we are doing and cannot provide us with the support we need.
If our recovery team doesn’t know we are struggling, how are they supposed to help us stay on track?
Being honest seems like a simple thing to do. You just need to tell the truth right? But the truth isn’t always as clear cut as it seems. Honesty not only means not telling lies, it also means disclosing expected information without being specifically asked. This is especially true during recovery from an eating disorder.
When we meet with our recovery team, it is very important we not only answer questions truthfully, but also that we mention things we have been struggling with, even when not asked directly.
Of course this makes perfect sense, but actually doing it isn’t so simple. I know from personal experience it is easy to gloss over a struggle I have been having, telling myself that I can resolve it on my own without my team. The reasons for this vary, but I oftn did to avoid what I saw as negative consequences.
Sometimes it felt as though when I was honest with my struggles I was punished with extra restrictions on exercise or an increased meal plan. For example, if I was struggling with exercising more than I was allowed to, I would tell myself that I could stop on my own in order to avoid having my meal plan increased to compensate. Looking back at it, I know that I wasn’t able to do that.
But no matter how many times I failed, I still thought I could do better the next time.
So how do we do this in our daily lives? It’s easy in theory, but following through can be quite challenging. The best advice I can give is to remind yourself your support team is there to help. Each time, remind yourself that being completely honest with them helps them help you in the best way possible.
Remember when they ask you if you’ve been struggling with your meal plan, they are also asking if you have been struggling with your meal plan, over-exercising, anxiety, etc. This is your opportunity to get help, not an opportunity for your team to punish you.
I challenge you to be extra honest during your next sessions with your recovery team.
When your nutritionist asks how your meals have been going, don’t neglect to mention that your snacks have been less than adequate. And when your therapist asks how you’ve been feeling lately, don’t forget to tell them about the struggles you have had, no matter how small they might seem.
It isn’t always easy, but being honest during our recovery benefits us greatly in the long run, even when it seems like it makes things more difficult in the present.
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