seeking help

it’s extremely difficult and mentally exhausting to recover on your own. for many people it’s difficult to recover unless forced or strongly encouraged. if you’ve made the decision that you want to recover or are considering recovery this thread is abt how to seek help to recover

also disclaimer i am not a mental health professional, these are things that worked for me/ive researched abt so pls keep that in mind!

first of all im so proud of you for deciding to recover or consider recovery. this is the first step to getting healthy again, to getting your life back, to fixing your relationships with food and the people in your life, to improving your mental and physical health.

- recognizing that you do have an ed and that you want to recover. if you’re feeling invalid it’s important to recognize that you are valid and truly deserve recovery. you need to truly and honestly telling yourself that you WANT to get better. that you WANT to live a life

without an ed is the first step to recovering. it’s rlly helpful to find your “why”. your reasons for recovery. make lists, journal abt it. you could write abt your life without an ed, what your ed has taken away from you, things you want to experience in recovery/recovered.

anything that’s going to motivate you to keep going, even when it gets hard.

- tell someone you can trust, someone who makes you feel safe. id usually suggest going to a parent/family member bc they truly want the best for you and can give you the help you truly need. if you’re afraid to tell your relatives bc you think they won’t take you seriously tell

a friend! if you can’t be held accountable by a family member, or you feel more comfortable with telling a friend first do it! as long as the person is trustworthy and wants the best for you it’s safe to tell them. also if you’re anxious abt telling a family member pls know that

there is someone out there who wants the best for you, whether it’s your parents or not there WILL be someone who wants to help you and help you get better. if you truly have nobody go to a counselor at school, call a mental health helpline, help is everywhere you just need to go

for it. if it’s difficult for you to sit and pour out your emotions to someone write a letter or message to them. just always remember that you aren’t a burden. you didn’t choose to develop an ed and you are deserving and worthy of help, honestly and truly.

- if possible, consider seeing a therapist/psychologist. eds can’t just be fixed by eating more, there’s so much mental damage and trauma caused before and after eds that you truly truly need to deal with in order to get better. therapy is expensive however and not everyone can

access it so it’s also important to talk to people you trust! don’t keep it all in, if you’re feeling like restricting, tell someone. if you’re feeling guilty, tell someone, get a distraction. if you’re going to a therapist try and find one who specifically deals with eds

- if possible see a nutritionist or dietician. again, ik this isnt an option for everyone but if you can i highly recommend you go to one. whilst you think you might be eating enough in recovery you probably won’t be, especially if you’re in control. your views and perception of

what your body truly needs is inaccurate and probably dangerous. you’ll probably need a lot of assistance in order to gain a normal, healthy relationship with food again. if you can’t see a nutritionist i suggest do lots of research on the amount of calories you truly need,

if you’re underweight or have lost your period you’re probably going to have to gain weight so look into that too, then make yourself a meal plan. something manageable at first and then slowly start introducing fear foods and challenges. with the meal plan you can also have

someone holding you accountable. try and have meals prepared by other people so you don’t have to worry about restricting. ik it probably seems so difficult but it is possible!

- if you’re not able to help yourself and nothings working, and your treatment team suggests inpatient, residential or outpatient treatment i highly suggest you go. it’s probably one of the most difficult things to do, to willingly lose control over many things that you usually

would have control over but the treatment programs truly truly help. they focus on family, mental health and physical health. some programs are better than others but generally they’re really helpful thru recovery.

- don’t isolate yourself! try and be as open as possible, and just be honest, with yourself and others. eds thrive off isolation, they thrive off of having control and being alone. to truly seek help you need to be honest and open, even when your ed is screaming at you not to.

i truly truly urge you to seek help before it’s too late. you are not any less valid if you decide to get help for yourself, or if you decide you want to recover without hitting rock bottom of your lowest point. the earlier the better, and the closer you are to getting your life

back. recovery is difficult and scary, it’s srlsy not an easy thing to do alone. you are deserving and worthy of help, no matter your stats or how long you’ve had an ed or how sick you think you are. you’re worthy of recovery bc you deserve to have a healthy relationships with

food, you deserve to be able to live a full life of freedom and happiness. your ed strips you of all of that. surround yourself with people who’ll truly help you and will truly want the best for you. seeking help is one of the best decisions you could ever make.

i honestly can’t stress this enough but you’re only going to be able to get help if you truly want to be helped. if you truly want to recover. if you truly want to seek help. bc someone could put you into an inpatient program a billion times, they could force feed you, they could

do whatever they wanted, but if you don’t want to be helped or get better you’ll do your best to fight it. you deserve to recover, you deserve to get better and you deserve to live a life full of happiness. you are not your ed and you are worthy of help <3