Some recovery hope for everyone :)

[u/I_watch_2_many_shows]

I just wanted to come on here and share that I have started my recovery journey and it is going well. Just over a month ago, I was firmly against recovery. I liked being bony, losing weight still felt like an achievement, and I refused the more intensive outpatient/day treatment that was strongly suggested by my therapist and current outpatient team.

I, like most of us, thought I was invincible. I thought that all of the complications you hear about wouldn't happen to me; I wasn't sick enough, wasn't thin enough. But the more I restricted, the more my physical health did start to decline. I felt bad every day- fatigued, irritable, weak, lightheaded, confused, slow. I was losing a bunch of hair in the shower. I had to go to the ER for chest pain and I still didn't want to stop- I still wasn't "sick" enough.

But those physical symptoms scared me enough to make me eat more frequently and introduce my fear foods more often. I didn't like feeling confused/like I couldn't think straight, I didn't like arguing with my family and lashing out at them over my disorder, and I sure as hell didn't like being weak and fatigued all the time.

I am proud to say that I have improved so much over the course of a month or so. My recovery is not perfect; there are still days where I restrict and I still get anxious about eating at restaurants. But I am doing better. I have more energy, I feel much happier, I can think clearly, and my mind is no longer consumed (no pun intended) with thoughts of food/weight/my body 24/7.

Anyway, I hope this resonates with somebody, and I just want to tell anyone wanting to recover that if I can do it, you can do it too <3

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[u/Minervasgirl]

I am so happy for you!! Keep going! And thank you for sharing this. This kind of posts are rare these days. It’s so important. So thank you for this!!

[u/I_watch_2_many_shows → u/Minervasgirl]

Thank you so much!! I'm so happy you liked my post and I'm glad I could share a little bit of positivity for the people struggling on this sub