The Importance of Consistency

#13 on our 30 learnings from over 30 years working with people with ED

We live in a culture driven by sensationalism, especially when it comes to the topic of eating distress and eating disorder (ED) recovery.

Media is saturated with stories highlighting how difficult, frightening, and challenging this process can be. While I'm not suggesting that this journey is easy, I do question the benefit of constantly emphasising these aspects. What we truly need is balance, and even more importantly, we need more motivation.

Yes, there are two types of motivation: one that focuses on moving toward what we want, and one that focuses on moving away from what we don't want. The more we see frightening images of people with ED, the more someone struggling might come to value these images. When someone is in the depths of this condition, it’s incredibly hard to see a way out, or to imagine a life beyond the hardship and the suffering.

Programmes, articles, and platforms that focus heavily on self-destructive behaviours offer very little motivation for recovery. We need to show people that recovery is worth it, and that they deserve a healthier, more fulfilling way to live.

The first step is focusing on strategies that make the recovery process easier. Often, a person with an ED can’t envision a better path for themselves because the destructive one is the only one they know. Believing that watching others' harmful behaviours will help them recover is an illusion which is not backed by experience.

In our 30 learnings over 30 years we are brining you different suggestions  on how to make your or your loved one’s recovery easier, lasting and as we mentioned before, you can even enjoy it.

One of the key aspects we would like to focus on today is consistency.

Consistency is one of the major factors in a person’s recovery process.

Recovery is often a long and complex journey. Destructive behaviours are deeply ingrained, and our thinking is often very distorted without even realising it. Being consistent in changing our thinking plays a major role, and make these changes much more sustainable.

It’s similar to when we are learning a new language. Consistency in learning and practice is key to mastering the language, and becoming fluent. The same applies to learning and practicing the "language and behaviours of freedom".

Procrastination, postponing, and making excuses are all part of the eating disorder’s strategy, and consistency is the opposite of these tendencies.

When we look back and learn from all the recovered people we have worked with, in all the years this is what we see:

• Consistency in learning

• Consistency in investing time in yourself

• Consistency in looking for solutions

• Consistency in asking ‘what can I do about it” instead of “why”

• Consistency in medical check ups

• Consistency in recovery sessions

What are the advantages of consistency in your recovery?:

• You will start to feel more energetic

• You will experience more motivation

• You will begin to see and feel more lightness

• It will be easier to nourish yourself regularly

• You will feel less anxious

• You experience more deeper connections with the people around you

• You will stop procrastinating

• Your fears will lessen, and you will be able to learn from them

• You will develop more flexibility in your thinking and behaviours

• You realise that comparing is a poison of joy

• You will understand that your body wants to work with you, not against you

• You will begin to trust and enjoy your body more

• You will be able to see the progress you are making

Through the years, nearly every awareness day, we are hearing what hasn’t been done and how little support there is for those struggling with ED.

But here is some good news for you!

We have more resources for recovery today than ever before in our history.

We need to be more consistent in learning how to use these resources, instead of always finding a reason to complain about them. We are living in wonderful times when we have the opportunity to connect with the world, hear inspiring stories, and learn about mental freedom from the people who have experienced it.

When we practice consistency, not only in learning from one another, but also in applying it to our own recovery, the process becomes much easier and more enjoyable. There’s so much more to say on this topic, but we like it keep it short and simple for now. More details to come in the future.

Let’s start practicing consistency today.

Thank you for taking the time to read our article, as always, we love to hear your thoughts and reflections below.