Holding Ourselves Accountable to our Recovery Team

Accountability is a huge part of the recovery process. We need to hold ourselves accountable for our own recovery because we are the only ones who can.

We also need to be accountable to our support team. Our support team’s goal is to get us back to health, and in order for them to be able to do that, we need to do what we say we are going to do.

Goals are set up by our recovery teams in order to advance our recovery, so it is in our best interest to hold ourselves accountable to these goals.

For me, it was hard to follow through with what I agreed to during therapy. For example, I had agreed to stay out of the kitchen while dinner was being prepared, in order to allow my meals to be prepared and portioned as my meal plan called for. However, it was extremely hard not to watch what was going on.

I also agreed on many occasions to set certain limits on my cycling, however, this didn’t always go as planned.

When I didn’t hold myself accountable to my support team, the common thread was that I slowed my progress towards my end goal of recovery. Each time I would end up having the same goal the following week, setting myself a week back.

So how do you keep yourself accountable to your support team?

First of all, it’s important to realize the goals our support team sets up for us are for our own good.

Yes, they are difficult to hold ourselves to, but that is exactly the point. If these goals weren’t difficult, they wouldn’t challenge us and they wouldn’t advance our recovery.

So I encourage you to take these challenges your support team sets for you seriously, realizing they are in your best interest. Hold yourself accountable and know by doing so you are going to advance your recovery.

Secondly, I think it is important to share your goals with people.

For example, telling my family my recovery goals for the week greatly helped me to stay accountable and make progress. The more people who know what you’re trying to do, the more likely you are going to be to accomplish your goals.

How do you go about this? I am not suggesting you go announcing to the world that your goal for lunch is to try a new dish, but if you are going out with a close friend, significant other, or family member, maybe consider sharing you are trying to challenge yourself by trying something new. Not only will it help you keep accountable, it will also allow those around you to help and support you in the best way they can.

So the next time your recovery team sets a goal for you, I hope you will keep in mind it is in your best interest and try your hardest to hold yourself accountable. By doing so you are giving your support team the best chance of helping you, and advancing your recovery.

Scott

Scott hopes to turn the negativity of his Anorexia into something positive by supporting other men and women who struggle with eating disorders in any way he can. He also hopes to raise awareness of eating disorders in men in order to get better treatment. His message is simple: recovery is possible, and you can achieve it. Some of his hobbies are coffee, cars, and bicycle racing. He is currently studying mechanical engineering and German.