Relapse?
i had anorexia for about 2-3 years.. Last year i recovered on my own - no medical help whatsoever. I am scared to acknowledge the thought of possibly relapsing? I don't know if I am or not..
I just wanted to ask has anyone else ever recovered on their own? is that possible? now i feel bad I didnt get proper help and I know all the mental tendencies and behaviors are still there, which scares me.
I feel as though I am entering the early stages of relapse is what I really intended to say. I think its a feeling of a loss of control, which I don't have and am trying desperately to obtain again
I recovered mostly on my own, in that I wasn't seeing a therapist or nutritionist, but with a lot of support from a support group I went to regularly and some friends. While I do think it's possible, I will say that I think my life would have been MUCH easier if I'd gotten treatment rather than trying to do it myself.
At any rate, if you want to talk at all, I'm happy to chat. I am very familiar both with the recovery and the relapse pieces.
Stay strong, lovely, you can beat this and keep it gone! <3
What do people who have Anorexia do when they see signs of relapse?Soon talk therapy won't be an option for me, and neither will going to the doctors, as I am going to loose my insurance. I just want to hear some tips on how to work on stopping this before it gets bad again.
@reservedjellyfish - admitting to yourself that you're starting to slip is the first step. I'm so proud of you for having that awareness and for wanting to stop this early. Without insurance, you are definitely more limited in your options, but there still are ways to get support.
- Some therapists offer sliding scale treatment for those who cannot afford the standard rates. A bit of digging online will show you any in your area
- Support groups are a great and often free resource to get support from people who understand what you're going through. If you're in the US, anad.org has a list of available ones by state. If not, you should be able to find something online to tell you groups in your area
- Talking to a friend or family member and asking them to help keep you accountable is really helpful. It's a lot easier to talk yourself out of eating or into purging than it is to convince your accountability partner that it's a good idea. If you don't feel comfortable reaching out to someone in your life, you could also ask for that support on 7cups. I've done that for a couple people and would be happy to help, as would some other listeners.
- It sounds like you're currently in therapy - before you end, set some goals with your therapist and write down the self-care practices you've learned and continue to practice them even when you aren't seeing him/her.
Hope that helps! Feel free to reach out if I can support you in any way.
I was anorexic for about a year. The human body can do 3 weeks without food. I went 2 weeks of starving, then eat a snack, then repeat. But in December 2013, I was forced into recovery when I was sent to a mental hospital. I was slowly getting better, and it took me a year to get almost back to normal. I was eating almost every day, almost every meal, and I was going great. Then, in January 2015, I relapsed. I wouldn't eat for up to a week at a time, and my dad had to force me to eat. I'm a swimmer, and I'm in training. I got slower, and my times are slower and I become tired easily. I know what I'm doing is wrong. But I don't seem to know how to get out of it. Every time I put food in my mouth, I feel absolutely disgusted with myself. I am slowly getting better. Dad has gotten me to eat one meal a day, almost every day. But I still feel awful. I only eat because he threatens to take me out of swim. I need to be able to be okay with myself, before I am actually in real recovery. I don't remember how I got to be like that a year ago. I feel absolutely disgusted with myself every time I eat, and I don't know how to fix it.