To the girl…

To the girl that thinks life will never get better during an Eating Disorder: It can and it will. You have to choose recovery and make changes. There is no one way fits all. Everyones journey and recovery process is different. What works for one person might not work for you. Don’t be so hard on yourself and trust the process.

To the girl that thinks being skinny will make you happy: Think again. When I was at my skinniest I was also my unhappiest. Living a life thinking that you have to be skinny is not a happy one. There is no room for spontaneous ice cream trips or vacations. Trying to control the way your body looks and every piece of food you consume is a sure way to live a life that is mentally, physically, and emotionally draining.

To the girl that thinks having the perfect body will give you love and true friendships: False! People love you for who you are. If people judge you based on your looks those are not the people you want to be friends with. People are attracted to others who are full of life and radiate positivity. When I had the “prefect body” I was the loneliest. Once I started recovery I was able to rekindle relationships with people who I thought I had lost. I also started making new friends and branching out.

To the girl that is afraid to stop counting calories: Letting little numbers control your life is no way to live. There is so much more to life than the amount of calories in you froyo cup. You need calories to live, to have your organs function properly, and to breath! When you deprive yourself from these little pieces of magical energy your body takes a toll. You lose hair, your menstrual cycle, muscle, life, and not to mention friends. If calorie counting holds you back from social situations then there is a problem. Challenge yourself slowly. Try not tracking one meal or adding in a little bit of something more to a meal. Then go start with one day, one week, one month, etc.

To the girl that is afraid to stop running everyday of the week: If you are running everyday because its ED driven it will not give you your dream life or body. It will slowly break you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Over exercising and under eating do NOT go well together. I was out with an injury for over one and a half years due to this. Please do not do this to yourself. You do not need to do this. When you exercise do it because you enjoy it. Not because you feel like you have to.

To the girl that is afraid to go to to eat: Do it! I dare you! Once you do it enough you will realize that there is nothing to fear. That pizza will not make you gain 5 pounds. Eating out with friends late at night will not pack on pounds either. When I first let myself go out to eat and actually enjoy myself it felt so freeing. I also felt that I was not really in control, but that is part of the process. You have to learn to actually listen to your body again and what it is craving. After a long period of restriction this will happen to your body because it is craving the things it did not get for so long.

To the girl that thinks recovery is not worth it: Do you want a life full of adventures, fun, love, and happiness? Yes? Then recovery is worth it! Are you tired of living a life based on exercise, food, and obsession? Do you want to have kids and a family someday? Yes? Then it is worth it! There are so many reasons why recovery is worth it. Think about your dream life…is ED a part of that, probably not. Life is for living not for restriction.

I hope this helps some of you! As always, I am here for you if you have any questions. Keep going strong loves!

-Hayls