I will resist anything that takes me off the chosen path of recovery.
Once we have decided that it is time for us to begin our process of recovery, it becomes evident that this is a choice we have to keep making every single day on this winding journey. Recovery is hard, and one of the hardest parts is learning new ways to live and navigate our lives without turning to our eating disorders for support or control. Learning to do things differently is scary and anxiety-inducing, and often the temptation to run back to our eating disorders, and the ways we used to do things, is very strong because at least we know what to expect, which offers us a temporary sense of safety and numbness.
These urges come daily and often during recovery, and this is where this affirmation is so helpful. Eating disorders are sneaky and will often suggest small deviations from our plans in recovery, telling us it's okay if we hold onto at least a few of our behaviors to protect and comfort ourselves. For example, my eating disorder often argues that it's no big deal if I skip a snack from my meal plan here and there, and, in the moment, I believe it. When I look back, however, I realize that by taking that one, small detour out of recovery, I have given power back to my eating disorder, and that as long as I continue handing power to my eating disorder by stepping away from recovery, I will never be able to fully recover and relinquish my dependence on my eating disorder.
So, it is in these moments of temptation, when we want so badly to just give into our eating disorders without at fight, that these words are so powerful, reminding us that nothing, not even the smallest deviation from our recovery plan, will be allowed to take us off our path of recovery. These words remind us that recovery is an important, full-time commitment, and that to get where we want to we must take back our power and say "no" to anything that will sabotage our progress.
This is by no means an easy endeavor, but we are all capable of tapping into our inner power and choosing recovery day in and day out. So, let us all choose recovery, and find strength in saying no to anything that tries to get in our way.
Wishing everyone strength in recovery,
Taylor
