Hi Survivor,
I guess for me the journey to recovery involved me having some of those long term effects, and realising that ultimately there is only so much the body can take, and years of semi-starvation and starvation as well as recovery from it can take its toll.
I also got sectioned in a very horrible hospital (my opinion) and the thought of that makes me think twice about going down that route again.
I also had to really get to the root causes of my issues, for me I had another disorder which kind of pre-disposed me to anorexia which needed to be treated, as well as therapy for dealing with life events past and present.
I also had to admit to myself that it is easier to look back on things and not think they were as bad as they were, than remember the horrible reality. I did this with my anorexia and still do sometimes. I remember the good points and gloss over the bad. I have to do reality checks with myself when it happens. I have written down when in a healthy frame of mind the real horrible bits about my ED and why I don't ever want to go back down that road again, and read it when the temptation arises to weigh myself or something.
I am not perfect, it has been in my life a long time, and it is hard to give something like anorexia up completely, but I manage now, have a healthy life and do have the occassional day where it does not cross my mind, and they are increasing.
In times when it is a struggle I try these techniques to pick myself up;
1) I go back to timed meal times ie Breakfast 9am, Snack 10.30, Lunch 12, Snack etc etc, whatever times fit into my life best.
2) Go back to menu planning, have a menu for the week, put it on my fridge like a prescription.
3) I would try to do something fun with food if I could manage, go out for a nice meal, cook together with someone, I would try to remember that food is enjoyable and needn't be full of stresses.
4) If I needed to weigh myself I would work on reducing it day by day as with any other ED behaviors
5) I would tell people I was struggling, my anorexia fed off my silence.
I also talk on here, it helps me when I am having a wobbly moment.
I'm not sure if this helps, but I hope you manage to keep safe.
Sapphire
I can see the absurdity of this but still do it. This sounds obssesive but once I do it I don't dwell on it. I have bipolar disorder which is the thing which causes me pain now but I feel for you as I do remember how anorexia took over my whole life. Just don't give up as life is so much better being non anorexic. Take care
