An eating disorder diagnosis is overwhelming and challenging. It is common for those with eating disorders also to have other mental health disorders. Anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are mental health disorders that often co-occur with eating disorders.

For those in eating disorder recovery, returning to life again means reclaiming your identity from the illness. Separating the eating disorder from your long-buried sense of self is a gradual and strenuous process but a profound step toward healing. Saying goodbye to an eating disorder can feel like letting go of a sense of self-control, which leaves many people feeling vulnerable, as they can no longer use their eating disorder to cope with difficult emotions.