Breaking Free from the Eating Disorder Voice

While I struggled with my eating disorder, I often wondered whether I would ever able to silence this toxic voice in my head, which was telling me I was not worthy, I was not beautiful, I was fat, to punish myself. It was like a non-stop negative tape recorder in my head.

And for years, I had mistaken this voice for my own true self. I thought they were one and the same---that I was the eating disorder.

Then I started my path to recovery.

I learned that the eating disorder takes on its own personified identity and then tries to convince you that the disorder is you. It can be difficult to see where one starts and one ends.

With lots of work, patience and persistence, I learned how to separate my own true self from the eating disorder voice. It was difficult, especially in the beginning, because my own voice was so small that I had trouble hearing it. The eating disorder was so loud and dominant.

I started to pay more and more attention to my own voice. Even when I was not able to do what it told me, I did my best to acknowledge it, and was thankful whenever I heard it was still there. I also slowly started to talk back to the eating disorder voice. I didn't want to be a slave to it any longer.

I found that the eating disorder voice started to grow weaker over time from neglect. The less I paid attention to it and more to my own voice, the stranger the eating disorder voice became. Over time, this toxic presence felt "sick", and out of place. And eventually, it faded away. Today, the eating disorder voice is gone.

The same can happen for you.

In the meantime, it is important to nurture your true you, your real voice. In the begnning, it can be difficult to tell these two voices apart -- yours and the eating disorder one. That's why it is important that whenever you hear your own voice speaking, to embrace it, celebrate it, trust it and give it room to grow.

It took time to develop the eating disorder, and it takes time to break free from it. But the important thing to remember is that breaking free from the eating disorder IS possible.

It's one day at a time. One step at a time. But these small steps add up to making a HUGE difference. Each of these baby steps brings us closer to recovery and a life free of ED (your eating disorder).

All the best and take good care of yourself,

Andrea

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PS. For more information about my recovery and to get in touch with me, visit www.youarenotalonebook.com

Andrea Roe
Author - Speaker - Eating Disorder Survivor
RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE!
www.youarenotalonebook.com