Leveraging Your Athletic Mind To Fight Your ED
As an athlete you develop a unique mindset based on the experiences you have.
Resilience
Determination
Strength
Execution
Discipline
These are a product of the schedule, workouts, and demands placed on you. In short, you develop a mental toughness that you can apply outside of your athletic world.
When a coach gives you a workout that makes your skin crawl you don’t walk away from practice. When you are pushing your body to its limit and everything inside you is screaming for you to stop, you keep going. When you lose a competition you don’t quit, you use it as motivation. When a challenge is placed in front of you, you don’t back down. You NEVER back down. You RISE to challenges. You OVERCOME them.
That sounds familiar right? You can relate to those situations, those experiences?
It is that same mental strength you need to tap into to battle your eating disorder. If you can re-frame your challenges in recovery, you can leverage that mindset.
For example:
My ED tells me that not working out and not working out hard enough are terrible sins. But I know that in order for my body/mind to recover from my eating disorder I can’t work out. That makes the athlete in me scream. But I can re-frame this challenge. Am I strong enough to make the right choice and skip my workout and endure the discomfort that will come along with it?
My ED tells me that I should only eat healthy food. But I know that in order for my body/mind to recover from my eating disorder I have to overcome my fear foods, eat a balanced diet and gain weight in the process. That makes the athlete in me feel like I am giving up my willpower and discipline, two qualities I hold in the highest regard. But I can re-frame this challenge. Can I choose a fear food, can I not let it derail the rest of my meals for the day, can I not let what I eat be dictated by how much I exercise? Am I strong enough to make those choices and endure the discomfort that will come along with it?
The answer to both of these and all of the other situations that arise when you have an eating disorder is:
YES, I CAN.
Because if this obstacle was placed in front of you on the track or in the pool or on a field I am confident that you would not back down. You have spent years developing your mental toughness by overcoming challenges and enduring discomfort. You just need to leverage that strength and apply it to your recovery.