Podcast Episode 5: A Love Letter to You - UNTANGLED

Welcome to Untangled: Prioritizing Your Mental Health

Hello, hello, my wonderful and amazing, strong, and mindful, intelligent, and courageous warriors. I’m your host, Victoria, and welcome to Eating Disorder Solutions Podcast Untangled, where we’re dedicated to unraveling, decoding, and exploring growth within eating disorder and mental health recovery for life. I’m so happy to know that you’re here. I’m here and you’re ready to dive into the depths of eating disorder and other mental health issues in order to regain your power, which encompasses everything that you are, your body, soul, and mind.

As I always start or end my day with a positive quote, I’m going to do the same on each episode. I’m going to say the quote a couple of times so that you can really focus on it, allow yourself to kind of receive and prepare your mind and soul for the lesson on today’s episode. So here’s today’s quote.

Your mental health is everything. Prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does. Okay, I’m going to repeat that. Your mental health is everything, so please prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it truly does.

Reflecting on Your Mental Health Priorities

Thinking about that quote in itself, how can you apply this to you? And making use of helpful quotes in daily life, thinking about them and applying them to your life is a great mental health strategy. So if you’re able, pause the episode, write down your thoughts. How are you currently prioritizing your mental health?

Well, I can answer one of those for you real quick. You’re listening to this podcast. That is literally what prioritizing your mental health looks and sounds like. So that’s one step. You’ve already checked that off your checklist today. So good for you, honestly.

But to kind of back up a little bit, how are you? Take away the podcast right now. How are you currently prioritizing your mental health? And do you know what that even means? Do you know how to prioritize it? It’s easy for me to come on here and tell you how to do it or tell you what to do, but it does take time. It takes effort. It takes understanding, self-love, knowledge. And honestly, most of the times, if you’re trying to make a real genuine change, it does take professional help in order to get there.

The Challenge Behind “How Are You?”

As our journal prompt kind of naturally leads into the topic of the day, and the purpose of this one is honestly very straightforward and only comes from a place of love. I’m just checking in on you. So how are you?

And I’ve come to kind of have a little resentment towards this question when people ask, “How are you?” Because I feel like they’re the three most purposeless words in the world of communication. First, the person asking doesn’t really want to know. And second, the person responding really hardly tells the truth. So every time this exchange happens, every time this question comes up in passing, what really happens and unfolds is a lost opportunity and a meaningless exchange with zero connection.

So why do I drone on about how useless the question “how are you” is? Because you deserve to have someone genuinely care about how you are doing.

Checking In: How Are You Really Doing?

If you’re wondering what treatment or recovery is like and where to start, you’re in the right place. If you’re hoping to help a loved one transform the way of thinking and how they can perceive themselves in a better light, you’re in the right place.

So how are you? How are you feeling right now at this moment? What emotions are rampaging through your mind? Do you feel numb, a little confused, a little anxious? How are you dealing with everyday responsibilities? How are you managing your eating habits and taking care of your mental health?

I hope you take the time to possibly pause this right now, rewind and listen to those questions again, mull over them. Take a notepad out or even your phone and write down your answers, just in general in this podcast as a safe place, but especially at Eating Disorder Solutions, who I do this podcast with and for, we share a deep foundation of genuine concern for all of the new, the current and past clients.

Personal Experiences and the Reality of Eating Disorders

Even right now, I’m trying to reach someone, anyone who may be struggling with an eating disorder and whether or not your condition is newly developed, currently developing, or you might feel like you’re at rock bottom, we need you to know that you’re not stuck there.

Maybe you’ve heard the quote before, “We’re not trees. Our roots don’t attach to the soil that we decide to grow on.” You can uproot yourself at any time and begin a new journey.

Coming from a relatable or personal place, I have seen eating disorders in real time. I’ve seen my best friend look in a mirror for way too long. And not because she was having a vain moment, but because she was questioning her worth. I’ve found the laxatives in the same place, in the corner of her cabinet, even when she said she would get rid of them months ago. I’ve seen the happiness drain from her face when someone smaller or thinner walks by.

I’ve seen how co-occurring conditions like anxiety, depression, or trauma can latch onto someone and deplete them of their energy, their potential, their happiness. And the most alarming thing is that she doesn’t look like your stereotypical person who would have an eating disorder. And consequently, many, many people are falling through the cracks in the eyes of medicine because they don’t look a certain way to fit the standards of an eating disorder.

Let me tell you right now, there are no standards. There’s not a certain look. Eating disorders are reckless and they’re spineless. They take everything that they can. And just when you think that they’ve had enough, they somehow take more. And it’s not just your weight or your time or your money, this time it’s your family, your friends, your job. It’s your mindset telling you that you’re unworthy of getting better.

And you now believe this is just the way of life. You just believe this is what life is.

It’s not.

We know without a doubt that recovery is possible.

Facing Barriers and Embracing Acceptance

We often hear with conditions such as eating disorders, “I’m not sick enough. This isn’t that bad. I don’t have that much time to fix this.” But unfortunately, anyone’s biggest barrier to recovery is acceptance, especially with this disease that is so centered around self-loathing and not feeling worthy enough.

As I visited our center, because I do go in there to meet with our clients, to meet with our clinical staff, and I’ve gotten to have so many experiences and conversations with those people, heed some of these healing words from one of our really soulful recovery coaches:

“Some of you will think that you don’t really have a problem, and we’re not here to challenge that. If there is a part of you that understands that something that you’re going through is not right or healthy, the scariest thing is that the longer that you go without treating it, you start to lose muscle mass in the very, very critical areas of your body, like your heart and your brain. And it is really incredibly difficult to reverse those physical ailments.

So the earlier that you sit down with someone, or sit down with yourself, the easier and shorter your recovery will be. You owe it to yourself to at least ask, ‘Is this actually a problem?’ So that you can save yourself thousands of dollars in medical bills down the line. Because life is hard enough.”

Meeting with us or meeting with a professional will help you see that you’re worthy of sharing your story, digging deep and recovering from the depths of your worries, anxieties and suffering. And listening to those words, they feel healing within themselves.

Thousands of people are starting recovery at this very moment. They’re currently super deep within their healing process. Or they have fully recovered and are now on their way to work or to grab a coffee with a friend.

So why shouldn’t that be you?

Taking the First Step: What Holds You Back?

If you don’t have the time, ask yourself why. If you don’t have the time to invest in yourself and give yourself the power and the love of recovery, ask yourself why.

If you don’t have the money or insurance, Eating Disorder Solutions has options for that.

You get to be on this beautiful planet, but you choose who you’ll be. And no one else can do that for you. But we are here to support and bridge that gap between who you are now and who you want to be soon.

The Power of Self-Assessment and Self-Awareness

Whether or not you’re new to eating disorder challenges, possibly take a self-assessment. And that can aid in your self-awareness.

We kind of get a bad stigma when it comes to asking people to take self-assessments. Because people hear, “Why would I take a self-assessment? Like it’s just going to tell me I have a problem because these medical corporations, they just want to take my money.”

And honestly, we’ll be upfront and honest with you, some places do. That is very true. Some places are very clinical and white coat and not personalized in any type of way.

But the positives, even though it’s really hard to admit or think that you might need to take a self-assessment, you’re building your self-awareness up to what may be that you’re dealing with.

Sometimes you can be dealing with an eating disorder or a mental illness or a physical ailment in some way and not even be aware of it. Or you might be aware of it, but you don’t know what to do with it. And you might be surrounded by people who don’t know what to do with it either. And that’s no one’s fault. It’s definitely not your fault.

So if you’re up to it, try taking an eating disorder self-assessment or maybe a body dysmorphia self-assessment. And they are two very different conditions, but they can rapidly develop into life-threatening ones.

So please, please remember and believe that you deserve to live your life as irrationally happy as possible.

Whether you think that your disorder is fluctuating, stable, unstable, simple, insanely difficult, if that inner voice in your heart is quietly saying, something is wrong, we will help you tap into that. And we will help you heal that.

Giving Recovery a Chance

If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, give recovery a chance. Give recovery and the people who work there the opportunity to prove their effectiveness and their love for you.

Because you deserve to understand your brain, its patterns, and the sense of freedom that you’re going to experience when you take control of your mind and life.

Take the step, move forward, breathe and repeat. You’ve got this.