What Did I Do? I Took My Medicine...

I often hear from people struggling with eating disorders: I want to get better but....I don't want to go to therapy, I do not want to be on a meal plan, I do not want to take X or Y medicine, I don't want to tell my support system about what has been going on with me, etc., etc. etc...

I used to think that way too, when I was sick...I remember I even told a therapist when I did an admissions interview at Renfrew..."I want to get better but I do not want to gain any weight"....sound familiar?

So what did I do to get better? I (literally and figuratively) Took My Medicine...I did what I knew I had to do, even though I didn't want to...

This was "My Medicine":
I...
1. went to therapy
2. went to a support group at Renfrew
2. saw a psychiatrist
3. took anti-depressants
4. consulted with a nutritionist
5. kept a food journal
6. followed a meal plan to help the structure relieve my anxiety and break the addiction
6. kept a personal journal
7. stopped exercising until I felt comfortable that I could do it for the right reasons
8. was honest and reached out to my support system - professionals, family and friends (figured if ED did not want me to share something, that was the first thing I had to talk about - still do that with my therapist to this day)
9. re-evaluated relationships in my life and my career choice, both big causes of stress, and made some changes.
10. read a lot about recovery, personal growth, self-esteem, etc.

I did all these things even though at times, I did not want to...Did I stumble? Of course! I did, but I just got back up and kept on going...sometimes took longer to get back up than others but that is ok.

So I took my medicine, that is how I got better.

What is your Medicine? What are some things you have to do to recover even though you may not want to, be it short term or long term?

See you this Sunday, September 23rd, 2007 at 7:00PM at our usual meeting place...

Lily