4 Ways to Overcome an Eating Disorder Relapse

Recovery from an eating disorder is not linear, and there is no one set way to recovery for anyone.

Overall, the journey to building a positive relationship with food and your body takes a very personal journey and support from your treatment team. Bumps along the way are VERY normal and expected with an eating disorder. If you are struggling along your recovery path here are a few tips that might help you to turn back on the path.

Ask for Help

The hardest thing to do when you are struggling and probably the most effective thing you can do when you are in the middle of a relapse is ask for help. You were not meant to go through recovery alone and I do hope you have a team of providers to help you along the way. If not, we are happy to help you find a team. If you do have a team but have not worked with them in a while, I promise, if you reached out to anyone one of your providers and shared how you are needing help, they would be there for you.

Get Support

Just like asking for help, adding in support can be just as difficult and just as much of a pain. Remember support doesn’t mean heading back to treatment, and yet it could mean heading back to treatment. Support is very individualized and very specific to what you might be struggling with at the moment. Always a good place to start is NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association).

Know Your Why

Why in the world are you working so hard on your recovery? Why do you want a life without your Eating Disorder? Take some time right now to think about this and write it out for the millionth time. We can get out of focus on our overarching why for any BIG goal, and taking time to refocus can help you to get back on track with your recovery journey.

Learn from Your Relapse

There is a reason you relapse. You might not understand it when you are in the middle of it and it might take time to understand what kicked you into your Eating Disorder behaviors. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn from yourself, once you are further past the relapse. The reason is it might happen again in the future and we want to be prepared and know what could prevent a relapse in the future.

Recovery IS possible for your Eating Disorder, and you deserve it! The process might be messy, but no one said it would be easy. We’re here for you.