An inspiring question that often helps a woman awaken to her eating disorder healing path is this:

"If I used all the time, energy, skills, planning and strategy skills, intellectual and emotional involvement I devote to my eating disorder for something else, what could I do in life?"

This is often a staggering question. You may be shocked at the answer that occurs to you.

Culture Bound in Eating Disorders

If you have an eating disorder, you are stuck in an eating disorder personal culture that governs your feelings, perceptions, behaviors and relationships (or lack of relationships).

Because an eating disorder exercises a thorough influence on every aspect of your life, you can't see it clearly. You only have eating disordered eyes to see. That makes you culture bound.

Self-Care Self-care is essential during these stressful and unpredictable times. For a woman with an eating disorder, self-care is difficult in the best of times. You may be experiencing more violent anxiety now as you and people and systems you’ve counted on to care for you are being strained by the current economic turbulence. Now more than ever, you need a trustworthy and caring system to keep yourself functional and safe. The first step is to awaken to your personal strengths.

Some guidelines for people who are already in some stage of eating disorder recovery

(If you are in recovery you can hear this. If you are not in recovery your eating disorder will probably block this information or discount it.)

The National Women's Health Information Center offers these suggestions as part of a program to help prevent osteoporosis.