Most everyone has heard the phrase, “Recovery is hard” – and it’s no exaggeration. Think of anytime in your life when you had to make a change, even a small one. Recovery is that change, plus some – the fear of it, the uncertainty, the mental toil, the emotional confusion, the exhaustion from completely altering your lifestyle and reframing your thoughts.
This is why recovery can feel so tiring. It is a lot of work, on so many different levels. But that being said, when you have the right treatment team and personalized recovery plan guiding you, you can find the strength within to tackle even the hardest of those days.
What makes recovery from an eating disorder so tiring?
Change is hard, but change on both a physical, emotional and psychological level, all at the same time, is enough to exhaust anyone. This is the reason recovering from an eating disorder is so difficult: it takes any stability you might have perceived in your life and flips it on its head. This is why staying focused on the end goal – a healthy body and mind with knowledge of balanced nutrition – is important.
The more you understand about why recovery can feel so exhausting, the more you can remove the element of surprise. Consider some of the following:
- Physical exhaustion –– Recovery requires restoring the body’s nutritional balance, which can be physically exhausting as the body works hard to heal and repair damage done through restriction, purging or overeating;
- Emotional exhaustion –– Recovery involves dealing with intense emotions like guilt, shame, anxiety and frustration, and facing these emotions daily can be mentally and emotionally draining;
- Mental effort –– Recovery requires a lot of mental work, including unlearning disordered thoughts about food and body image, and learning healthier coping mechanisms. This constant mental engagement becomes fatiguing over time;
- Breaking habits — Changing habits and behaviors around eating and exercise requires sustained effort, often leading to fatigue;
- Resistance to change — Overcoming the internal resistance to change is tiring. Eating disorders often provide a false sense of control and letting this go can create significant mental conflict;
- Treatment — Attending therapy sessions, medical appointments and support groups requires time, energy and active participation, all of which can wipe you out;
- Social situations — Navigating social events involving food can be stressful and tiring, as it often requires explaining or defending your recovery boundaries;
- Thought reframing — Battling distorted thinking patterns, like black-and-white thinking about food, weight and self-worth, adds to an already heavy mental workload;
- Slow progress — Recovery moves slowly with gradual improvements rather than instant results, which can be demotivating and exhausting;
- Fearing relapse — The fear of slipping back into disordered behaviors can create constant vigilance, leading to anxiety and weariness;
- Isolation — Recovery may lead to feeling isolated from friends who don’t understand the disorder, possibly bring up emotions that are further challenges to address;
- Daily life element — Managing recovery while balancing other life responsibilities such as work, school or family often feels overwhelming;
- Nutritional changes — Reintroducing and adjusting to a regular eating pattern requires constant attention and effort;
- Appearance changes — Accepting and adapting to physical changes during recovery is tough, especially when they trigger distressing thoughts about body image;
- Advocating for yourself — Continuously advocating for your needs in different environments can be tiring, but it’s crucial for maintaining your boundaries and experiencing success in recovery.
This is a long list, but it is just further proof of why recovery is so tiring. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by it, hopefully you feel validated, knowing that the exhaustion you feel isn’t because you are “doing recovery wrong,” but because there are many factors at play. Rely on your support system and have honest conversations with your therapist when things start to feel particularly challenging or overwhelming.
How can I balance out this exhaustion and take care of myself?
During the harder days of recovery it is important that you continue to take care of yourself. By working on self-care strategies, you will hopefully be able to find motivation on the hard days or give yourself a little more love and attention when you have struggled through some of the harder obstacles. Consider some of the following to keep yourself as well-cared-for as possible during recovery.
- Drink water: The power of H2O is seriously underrated and can do anything from treating a headache to giving you energy to assisting with digestion. Buy yourself a new water bottle to get you excited and keep it close by to help you monitor intake;
- Maintain a healthy sleep pattern: Try to wake up and go to bed around the same time every day. Recovery is fatiguing and the power of enough sleep for healing your body should not be overlooked;
- Gentle exercise: Consider swimming laps, yoga, walking or stretching as beneficial, yet gentle ways to bump energy, move your body and increase mood-boosting hormones;
- Breathing: Breathing exercises, like box breathing or Wim Hof method, can help reregulate an anxious mind. Adding in meditation of gentle movement can further instill a sense of safety and calm;
- Celebration of progress: Recovery is not just about the challenges: it is deeply about the success that is achieved through your dedication. Make sure you celebrate every milestone, no matter how small it may seem.
Don’t be afraid to add to this list, either! However you find rest or whatever makes you feel rejuvenated, take the time to pursue it during recovery. The more you prioritize your self care, the better your recovery outcome will be.
To learn more
Reach out to Seeds of Hope by calling 610-795-9972 or by filling out an online contact form to get in touch with one of our counselors today.
