Letters of Hope. Written by those who have lived with eating disorders
Dear (younger) Dave, I’m writing to you from the future...but don’t worry, that’s not as spooky as it sounds. You keep saying “I’ll get help when…”. But, that moment never comes mate. You’ll always shift the goal posts. Start now. Right now. Today. Read up about ‘eating disorders’ and realise that they are a spectrum rather than something you ‘have’ and ‘don’t have’, they are serious and it ain’t gonna give you the answers you’re looking for. I can’t tell you what’s coming ahead (I’ve seen Dr Who and all that sci-fi stuff and I know, if I begin to give you spoilers then it’ll rip the time/space continuum apart) but all I will say is...don’t let things get worse before you can get better. That is the thief of time mate, and you’ll only regret it. Dave
Dear friend, I heard you were struggling lately, and I know telling you it’s all going to be okay is something that you’ve probably heard many times before and something you may not even believe right now. I know you may think that I don’t know how it feels to have a constant battle in your mind over food, weight, and the way you look, or that I have never felt so hopeless of recovery, so I won’t try and convince you. Instead, I’ll tell you something else. You are strong. No one chooses to have an eating disorder, but you can choose recovery. There is strength in the choice you’ve made and your commitment to try. Despite the setbacks recently, with each breath you take and each foot forward to take a step, you will move forward and make it through today. That in itself is something you should be proud of. Your friend, Anjali
This letter is to you. The you that doesn’t feel worthy. The you that can’t bear to look in the mirror. The you that feels inadequate. The you that blames yourself for everything that goes wrong. I see you; I feel your pain, I have sat in the darkness where you are now, feeling completely alone. I understand your struggles. I understand that your eating disorder isn’t your choice. I know it convinces you that this is all you have. But I am here to tell you that you are enough. You aren’t broken, you are brave. I know it is scary, but you are strong. I know you are exhausted but today is not your forever. I am here to hold hope for you, in the times where you may not be able to hold it for yourself. I can reassure you that it does get better. You have time. You can recover. Recovery isn’t just the absence of the eating disorder. Recovery is finding meaning and joy again. Recovery is in the small moments and milestones.
These excerpts come from letters written by people who have lived with an eating disorder 💌.
They were adapted from Eating Disorders: The Basics. You can find the book here:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/103237957...
#Eatingdisordersawarenessweek #EDAW25 #FREEDfromED #PeerSupport
