Men and women who have struggled through life with an eating disorder and have gone to treatment face a peculiar challenge when it comes to living in recovery. Unlike their recovery counterparts who may be practicing abstinence from drugs and alcohol, individuals with eating disorders cannot practice abstinence from food. Food is a vital part of survival, a critical ingredient for good health, and a way to enjoy life. Living in eating disorder recovery can include living with various healthy restrictions when it comes to food, like avoiding food types which inspire harmful binges. Otherwise, eating disorder recovery is largely encouraged to be inclusive in eating behaviors, exercising behaviors, personal behaviors, and mindset. When something that is an intricate part of everyday life is the source of your mental anguish, recovery can be difficult. When a topic of discussion like weight, fitness, and appearance, is so commonplace that people talk about it senselessly, living in eating disorder can feel like a challenge. Hearing “normal” yet harmful phrases about weight, appearance, food, and exercise, can be extremely triggering for those in recovery from an eating disorder. Trying to eat normally, ignore internal narratives, and please concerned family members can also be difficult. Too often, the stress of trying to manage eating disorder recovery results in a relapse to old, damaging behaviors. Services like monitoring programs can be helpful in supporting eating disorder recovery to be as successful as possible.
There is a difference between someone who might occasionally skip a meal in an ill-perceived attempt to lose weight and someone who, if they skip one meal, might end up skipping thirteen meals and torturing themselves not to eat. Many people have what are called disordered eating behaviors, but few fully develop the symptoms of living with an eating disorder. Once returned home, community support is essential for those in eating disorder recovery. Monitoring programs like the ones we offer at O’Connor Professional Group create customized tools for addressing each of a client’s needs. We coordinate community based support, transitional living opportunities, and carefully tend to relationships with trusted nutritionists.
Learning to live in eating disorder recovery can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. With the right support and guidance, your loved one will maintain the accountability needed to make healthy choices in food, body, exercise, and behavior.
Eating disorder recovery requires careful planning, transition, and monitoring. O’Connor Professional Group offers you a menu of concierge style custom services to support your family in eating disorder recovery so you can focus on healing. We’ll handle the details. Call us today for information: (617) 910-3940
