Life after Eating Disorder Recovery

Life beyond eating disorder recovery can induce a full range of emotions. It can be scary, exciting, empowering, terrible, and amazing – all at the same time. A particularly vulnerable time for me was the transition between being “in recovery” to a life beyond the eating disorder.

The line between “in recovery” and “recovered” is a very vague one, and to be honest, I am not sure which side I stand on.

I do know when you are in this stage of recovery, it is very easy to relapse back into eating disorder thoughts, which quickly manifests itself in physical illness once again. This is why the time of transition is so incredibly important.

For me, Life beyond recovery has been a time in which I’ve been able to discover myself.

During my eating disorder, I was completely consumed by ED thoughts of food, weight, exercise, etc. Though it took a while, I have been able to discover more about myself with the time that used to be consumed with my eating disorder.

I didn’t struggle with any serious relapses during the course of my recovery, and I truly believe this is because I was immersing myself in positive, enjoyable activities that didn’t have any relation to the eating disorder.

For example, while I was sick, I lost interest in cars altogether, and through recovery I was able to rekindle my love for cars. This is totally because of my recovery. Even more importantly, I have been able to interact with others in a much more authentic way than I ever was able to with my eating disorder.

I also loved playing music; I was part of a jazz band, and played trumpet, trombone, and guitar. When my eating disorder got worse I became quickly uninterested and unable to focus on music even if I wanted to. I am just now beginning to bring music back into my life. I also took an interest in photography which became a great way for me to distract myself from negative eating disorder thoughts.

There comes a point in everyone’s recovery where food becomes less of an everyday battle.

You’ve worked through many challenges, have a meal plan in place that you can follow, and are at a stable weight. You have been through a lot and you should be proud.

In my opinion, this stage of your recovery is the most important.

This time of your recovery is the perfect time to explore your interests outside of the eating disorder and food realm.

Try some fun crafts or a board game. Spend time rekindling friendships that have grown weak because of your eating disorder.

Transitioning from being “in recovery” to “recovered” is a very emotional process. It is scary, exciting, confusing, but most of all – it is rewarding. The progress you make in this stage in your recovery is so important, and will strengthen the foundation for you to continue on a healthy path.

Take time during this phase in our recovery to pursue your passions, connect with loved ones and friends, and find what you enjoy.

Not only will it be fun, it will also strengthen your recovery tremendously, direct your focus in a much more positive direction, and help to prevent relapse.