Maintaining Motivation During Eating Disorder Recovery
Recovery itself is hard, and the road to recovery is not always linear. However, this can cause those in recovery from eating disorders to lose motivation and become complacent or ambivalent towards treatment. It is important to stay motivated during eating discovery recovery, and there are many methods and tricks to keep motivated throughout the journey.
By: Anna Capetola
When speaking about the motivation for eating disorder treatment, it’s only natural to touch upon the ambivalence associated with recovery, as the two often coincide. Someone who is ambivalent about eating disorder recovery may experience feelings of uncertainty, fear, or shame about pursuing treatment. They might question the need for treatment despite all signs pointing to it. If you are experiencing mixed thoughts about eating disorder treatment, know that you are not alone and this is common. Stepping out of that ambivalent headspace can be extremely challenging. It’s not easy to open up and be vulnerable, but once you take that leap of faith and reach out for support, it can lead to an incredible, life-altering, mental, emotional, and physical journey. Additionally, discovering your motivation(s) for treatment could be the start of a more harmonious relationship with food and your body.
There are many tips to help start your recovery motivation:
Recognize your ambivalence: As previously stated, having mixed feelings about recovery is almost to be expected. It’s okay to give yourself the space to explore your thoughts and feelings before making a decision. Don’t be so hard on yourself!
Uncover your motivation: This one may seem a bit more complex, but just remember the process doesn’t have to be perfect. You might want to start off by making a list of pros and cons for pursuing treatment. Sometimes clearly seeing our thoughts on paper can help us connect the dots more efficiently and clear up any confusion. By doing this, you might start to tap into the history of your eating disorder and how things have been going for you. From there, you might start to branch off and think about where you want to be and what some of your life goals are. If you are having trouble uncovering intrinsic motivation, try to explore your extrinsic motivations. This will look different for everyone, but it could include things like school, family, friends, hobbies and more.
Identify barriers: Bringing awareness to the barriers that could be interfering with treatment can be a helpful way to better understand how to overcome them. For example, perhaps a barrier for someone is the fear of change. Change can be intimidating and uncomfortable sometimes. If this is something you’re experiencing, ask yourself if you’ve come across another time where you were afraid of change and things ended up working out. How did that feel for you? How did you push through that fear? You can also think about this from another perspective. For instance, maybe there was a time when things didn’t work out for you. Ask yourself, how did you cope with what was going on? How would you have liked to have been supported during that time? What feelings were you experiencing then? These questions can aid in the exploration of our barriers and help to deconstruct them.
Remember you are not at fault: An eating disorder is an illness, meaning it’s not a choice. You are not at fault here. Don’t be afraid to reach out to supportive loved ones or certified professionals.
Get support: Explore your options and see what resources are available to you. You are not alone in this and you deserve to be supported!
Recognize your wins: Recognize ALL of your wins! Even the ones that may seem small. There are going to be ups and downs throughout your journey, so having wins to fall back on can help with motivation.
Keep moving forward: Some days are going to be harder than others, and relapses are a part of the journey. When that happens, remind yourself of your goals, go back to the pros list you made in the beginning, lean into your supports, and keep showing up for yourself because you are worth it!
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, we offer a variety of virtual programs, groups, and individual services personalized to meet each client’s needs. Our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our virtual programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Social Work Intern, Anna Capetola.
Anna is a second-year graduate student at New York University pursuing her Master’s in Social Work. She completed her undergraduate education at Quinnipiac University, majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology. She previously worked for Vibrant Emotional Health, formerly known as The Mental Health Association of NYC, where she conducted assessments, provided short-term counseling, and offered crisis intervention services to individuals who were struggling with an array of mental health and substance use concerns. Anna also has experience working with the Traumatic Brain Injury population, as well as individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is devoted to learning about the mind-body connection, health, and overall wellness. She is deeply passionate about eating disorder awareness and recovery. Anna believes everyone has the right to feel supported, accepted, understood, valued, and cared for.