5 Reminders for People with Eating Disorders During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Article by Sam Dylan Finch, March 31, 2020
Your Heart Health
You aren’t failing at recovery, nor is your recovery doomed because things are challenging.
I can honestly say that nothing I learned in treatment really prepared me for a pandemic. And yet here I am, staring down empty grocery store shelves and self-isolation orders, wondering how I’m going to keep myself nourished when — truth be told — my anorexia seems all too eager to take the steering wheel and drive. I know where that road takes us, though. (Spoiler alert: total misery.) It’s not exactly a place I’m eager to return to. Having an eating disorder is hard enough on its own. And now that we’re in something of a global crisis? It can feel daunting to try to navigate recovery. If you’re having a hard time with food or body image at this time, I want you to know that you’re not alone. Here are some important reminders to hold on to in the weeks to come.
1. It’s understandable if you’re struggling right now. When my eating disorder made a rather loud reappearance during self-quarantine, I had this sinking feeling that I was failing at my recovery. And I felt guilty, too. Was I really going to obsess about food at a time like this? Eating disorders are mental illnesses, though. Which means when our routines are disrupted, we’re getting less sleep, encountering more stress, and are more isolated than before. It makes perfect sense that we’d struggle more than usual.
There’s also a lot of new obstacles for us to navigate. Food is now less accessible than it was before (and less varied), and most of us have less in-person meal support around us. This really is the equivalent of battling our eating disorders on “hard mode.” So, yes, if you’re having a hard time right now, that’s completely valid. You aren’t failing at recovery, nor is your recovery doomed because things are challenging. Instead, we just have to adjust our expectations