The Importance of Self-Care in Eating Disorder Recovery
What is self-care? Self-care is a relatively new phenomenon practiced by many to honor healing, renewal, and rest. Psychologists have defined and promoted it as a “multidimensional, multifaceted process of purposeful engagement in strategies that promote healthy functioning and enhance well-being.”¹
by: Imogen Bylinsky
The beauty of self-care is that it is accessible and personal. It can be implemented into your daily life by simply dedicating a few minutes a day to honor yourself and your needs. There is no uniform guide or method to self-care. Self-care can be tailored depending on your mood, needs, and emotional fit.
But the notion of self-care can seem difficult and intimidating; the question you might be wondering is: how do I start? Here are a few self-care methods that may seem beneficial to you during your recovery process, and hopefully, you find some healing and comfort within these practices.
Enjoy the Company of Others
Surrounding yourself with your friends and family can help recovery seem less isolating. Spending time with people you trust and love can also be beneficial and therapeutic. Some self-care activities that can be done with others can be seeing a movie, watching a performance, going to a park, or simply having a conversation.
Reflect On Yourself
Recovery can also be a period of self-discovery, where you learn a little more about yourself and your needs. Engaging in practices that allow you to learn more about your emotions and thought processes can be especially rewarding. Some ways to practice self-reflection include journaling, reading, or scrapbooking.
Pamper Yourself
It can be gratifying to dedicate time to pamper yourself and make yourself feel comforted. This can be a great way to honor your body and appreciate it. Examples may include relaxing while taking a bubble bath, doing a face mask, or painting your nails.
Self-care is a practice that can be extremely comforting and rewarding, especially during your recovery time. Recovery can be challenging, and it is important throughout the whole process, you take the necessary time to honor yourself and your needs.
You might learn to become more in tune with your needs during the self-care process. Self-care can be simplified to the act of putting yourself first and doing the necessary tasks to empower yourself throughout your day-to-day life. Self-care is a journey, an ongoing period of reflection, and a practice. Dedicating a few minutes a day to practicing self-care, in whatever form works best for you, can be extremely beneficial.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, 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 and body image issues. We offer a variety of programs and services targeted at helping clients overcome fear foods and develop a healthy relationship with food. In addition to our full-time Day Treatment Program and Weeknight Intensive Outpatient Program, we provide nutrition counseling with a licensed dietitian, meal support, and various other groups and resources to help those seeking help for food concerns.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our 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 blog intern, Imogen Bylinsky (she/her).
Imogen is a high school student from New York City with a passion for writing and speaking about mental health issues, specifically eating disorders. Growing up, she became increasingly aware of the stigma and hurtful stereotypes associated with eating disorders. She is interested in majoring in Psychology after taking an “abnormal child psychology” course at Brown University. Along with BALANCE, she volunteers with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and Project HEAL, an eating disorder organization. She specifically wants to address how eating disorders are portrayed in the media, pop culture, various races/ethnic groups, and gender. She is excited to be writing for the BALANCE blog!
References
Dorociak KE, Rupert PA, Bryant FB, Zahniser E. Development of a self-care assessment for psychologists. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2017;64(3):325-334. doi:10.1037/cou0000206https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000206