Parts Work or Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. Dr. Schwartz has formerly served as a family therapist and he recognized a significant resemblance between the interpersonal dynamics relationships with family members and our own relationship we have with our internal personality parts.
Read MoreSticking with a new venture sometimes feels even harder than beginning one. A little of the newness dissipates and some of the shine seems slightly less lustrous. I recently heard a phrase, “familiarity breeds contempt.” And it stopped me in my tracks; it was the truest thing I’d heard in a long time. So how do we keep ourselves in motion once the initial energy burst has expired?
Read MoreBody checking is done to attempt to feel better about one’s body, more specifically about the parts one may wish were different. The belief is that body checking will provide us with some relief and help in decreasing the anxiety or worry we are feeling. However, body checking does the opposite and keeps you stuck in your eating disorder and/or body hatred.
Read MoreIf I could choose one word that best describes what helped me most in my recovery journey, it would be freedom. What helped push me to actually try recovery and give it a chance was the desire to have my life back and to lean into my core values.
Read MoreThe first, and most important, healing mechanism I would like to mention is: your mindset. When I was in the midst of my recovery, I was told a piece of advice that I still carry with me and spread to others to this day. If you want to get better, YOU have to make the choice. YOU have to help yourself. YOU have to push yourself.
Read MoreSlowly I broke down the rules I held around food and exercise and gave myself FULL PERMISSION to eat what I truly wanted without limits and move my body in a way that actually felt good instead of compulsive and self-punishing. Yes, it felt very scary at first. I definitely thought I was “messing up” and would never be able to “control” myself around the foods I deemed as “off limits,” but much to my surprise this didn’t happen.
Read MoreChanging my environment and finding a community that supported me (as I am) definitely helped me in the final stages of my recovery. This community included individuals on social media, in my workplace, in my personal life… but also me. I am the most important individual in the community that supports me.
Read MoreThis is my recovery journey. It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t easy, but it was one-hundred percent worth it. There were days when I just wanted to quit and there were days when I actually did. But the difference between recovering and not is making the conscious decision to listen to your true, authentic self or to your eating disorder, and this decision means everything.
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