Does it get better?

The "professionals" may argue this point, but I firmly believe that once you develop an Eating Disorder it stays with you in some form for the rest of your life.

That doesn't mean that you have to feel like a prisoner trapped in your own skin though. How WE feel about ourselves is governed by so many factors and certainly too many to list here. What I try to remember is that I have control over some of these and those are the ones which I try to focus on.

When I talk to someone who has an ED it takes me back to a place and time within my own life where I was feeling particularly vulnerable. Rather than feeling sad though, I try to recall how I was able to break free from my "monster" (a term common to most who have ED) and muster the strength to defeat those negative thoughts about myself.

It's our ability to recall these times that will build our own inner strength. Then, when we are faced with emotional situations we hopefully won't turn to a binge/purge sequence to deal with these issues. Winning these battles the majority of the time is all that we can ask for. The problem is that many people with ED only focus on the negative situations and forget about all the success they have had. It's easy to fall prey to negative thoughts and emotions and then feel guilty about the poor choices we made. Why not celebrate the times where a good choice was made? It becomes harder and harder to remember them when all we focus on is the negative. We give far too much power to that which is negative but it's our choice to do that.

I talk with my clients constantly about keeping that positive wheel going. The wheel starts with how we feel about ourselves and that leads to making positive choices which reinforces those positive feelings. For example, when you work out you feel great and this usually results in making healthier food choices.

When it comes to ED it's so easy to keep everything we do as a secret so I know that speaking freely about my own battles with ED has helped others. It continues to impact my life to this day but I have much better control over it than I did in the past. I still have good and bad days but the good days far outweigh the bad ones.

Having a good support system is so important and though it has taken me some time, I'm thankful that I have now built up my own support system. Most of the time just knowing that you have someone to talk to when you need it can make all the difference.

Don't let your ED control you! Remember that you have the strength to succeed and you can overcome any obstacle that is put in front of you.