Ways to rewind, relax, and let go

I don't know about you, but I am constantly worrying, over thinking, having my thoughts consumed by my eating disorder or depression etc. I can't seem to find an escape from it, it's horrible.

I am also a perfectionist and I stress about everything. I can't sleep at night and when I do, my dreams are related to my eating disorder more often than not!

So I thought I'd write a quick list of ways of relaxing and just switching off- find which one's right for you.
This isn't specific to eating disorders or depression- just see what works for you!

1) Immerse yourself in a book
2) Listen to calming music, or the sound of the sea etc.
3) Light a scented candle or burn instance
4) Have a hot bubble bath and pamper yourself
5) Paint your nails
6) Listen to an audiobook/ story
7) Draw, doodle or colour in
8) Do puzzles
9) Practice mindfulness
10) Do meditation or yoga

Well, that's just 10 ideas, but there are loads more! You could watch a film or even just lay in bed for a bit browsing YouTube- anything!
You could even do multiple items from the list at once, e.g. Read a book with a candle burning too
(Obviously you can't so some like painting your nails, reading, doing puzzles and having a bath all at the same time- unless you are really great at multitasking! Haha)

It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it relaxes you and takes your mind off your worries.

Even if it's just for 10 minutes a day, it is definitely worth making time for.

You can't be productive all the time, and if you never have a break and your mind is always working, it might actually hinder you and stop you from achieving the best possible results for you. So just try to find your way to relax and chill.

Hope you found this useful :)

Hannah xox

Image via here.

You will get there.

"Hold on and keep fighting, 

because you will get there in the end."

Hannah xox 

Quotes from my diary #1

Reading back through my diary, and I thought I could post any bits I've written which have helped me at times when I was struggling.
Shoot me down in flames if it's a bad idea! Or comment if you want me to do more.

8/10/13
Feeling guilty and fat and all the rest of it, but you know what? I'm so sick of not being able to do things I love. I want my life back, so it's time to snatch it away from that bitch Ana and FIGHT!
You can get through anything if you believe you can an you fight hard enough.
You have to WANT to do it. You need to WANT to get better.
And I do. I really do.

Hannah xox

How to be confident: A quick summary

It is a pretty well-known fact that many people suffering from mental health issues and eating disorders also have low self esteem and low confidence - I am definitely one of these! But I've decided enough is enough; it's time to change.

So today I thought I would share with you 5 quick tips for improving your confidence. If you begin acting and feeling more confident, over time your self esteem will gradually increase and you will start feeling more happy within yourself. At least, that's what I believe and hope!

Image via here.

• Learn to love yourself •
You cannot truly love others or appreciate and live life to the full if you don't first love yourself. Accept your flaws and remember that appearance doesn't matter- it's what's on the inside that counts.

• Believe in the confidence you were born with •
I feel it’s something that is always there, something you’re born with that gets lost along the way, or stolen by others. Sometimes you have to dig deep to find it again. ~Amy Lee Tempest


• Learn your strengths and weaknesses •
Accept that while you can't be perfect at everything, you can strive to achieve and be a wonderful person. Our imperfections make us who we are ~


• Embrace the unknown •

Image via here.

Life is an adventure.Eexplore. You might not always like where you end up, but you'll always manage to find your way back to where you love, no matter how long it takes or many obstacles you may come across along the way ~

• Take risks •
If you spend your life playing safe, you might never get to where you want to be in life. Taking risks is scary, but in order to live your life to the full you need to take chances and live ~


I found this website called Tiny Budda (this article) which I found really helpful - I got a few of my 5 points from there, and if you want to read a slightly longer article about building confidence, I definitely recommend it.

***

If you liked this post please tell me, and I will do a continuation of it in another post!
This one was short, but also important in my opinion, and I have far more things I could say and tips if you want them!

Hannah xox

Growing strength.

"Perhaps strength doesn’t reside

in never having been broken, 

but in the courage  

required to grow strong in the broken places."

- Anon                

Hannah xox 

LET'S BEAT THIS.

{BLOG POST BY S}

This is the second blog post from this wonderful girl, she really is such an inspiration and I hope you find this post as helpful and inspiring to read as I did. 

Hi Guys!

I'm back again! I hope you liked my last post. I am so honored and chuffed to be involved in this blog. I think it is just super unreal and it's so nice to have this here for help and support and to know there are others out there like us - sometimes you just feel so alone and isolated and like nobody understands - but that's not true! So many people do!

So anyway today I had an epiphany.

I just realised how horrible and disgusting and awful I am Ana has made me appear. And no, it wasn't cause I felt fat. For once in my life it wasn't that, no- it was because I saw a bald spot on my head. Like, ew right?! And whose fault is that? It's Ana's. Yes it is. So thanks a lot Ana. At seventeen I'm losing my hair. That is just sick and super awful.

I thought if I got skinny I would get skinny and girls and boys would look at me and think, "Wow! She's gorgeous!"

However, when i saw that spot I realised that what people are probably saying is "eww she is so ugly" and boys probably look at me and think I am the ugliest creature they have ever seen. I'm not saying before Ana I was pretty but this eating disorder has made me uglier than I ever was, both inside and out. My insides are rotting away and on days when Ana is really strong I am a horrible grumpy person. 

[You are not a horrible and ugly person at all and I'm sure no one thinks that. No one could change how amazing you are, but Ana does everything in her power to try to take that away from you. But that's why we fight.]

So guys, can I please tell you something....which I'm sure you all know in the back of your minds but here it is... Ana is NOT cool. Ana is not glamorous. Ana is not VOGUE!

Ana is a monster!

Ana is ugly.

Ana is death. 

- Yes Ana is death.

Two in ten people with eating disorders die; one in five. That's a fact.
That's what this cow does-  but I am determined to change that but I need all your help.

Image via here.

We need to defeat the facts.

We need to beat the statistics.

We can beat Ana.

Let's make that 2 a 0. Whether you have ANA, MIA , BED or any other eating disorder, it's time to fight! Gather all your strength, go to battle with your Ed and lets beat this Statistic!

STAY STRONG
xoxo S
(Written 5/10/13)


If you would like to write a guest post, a series of posts, or be a permenant contributor/author, please email me at myjourneywithrecovery@gmail.com.

Goodbye ED, Hello LIFE.

"If you are brave enough to say goodbye to your ED,

life will reward you with a hello."

Hannah xox 

Food for Thought #1

This is going to be a new weekly installment to this blog!

Every week I'm going to upload a picture designed to make you think. It might be a quote, a drawing, a photo- that type of thing.

And Friday, food and thought all have that 'F' sound and it goes so well with this blogs theme so I figured it matches!

It's Friday and Fridays should be FUN! So I'll post some funny ones on here too - I want this blog to help people and make them happy, and making someone laugh couldn't be more perfect. The photo below is AMAZING.

Image via here.

I would love to include things sent in by blog readers- it can be an edit, artwork, a photo you've taken, or even something you've found on the internet (please also send me a link to where you got it from), or something even more creative I haven't thought of!

myjourneywithrecovery@yahoo.com

Just send me an email, with the title Food for Thought, your image, and your name/codename or whatever you want me to address you as on this blog - you can remain anonymous!
I will try to include it the next week with any luck!

I hope to receive some images in the future!

Hannah xox

Say NO to Pro-Ana/Mia

Be warned - I have VERY strong opinions on this matter.

Pro-Ana or Mia, or any form of disordered eating, is DISGUSTING.

Eating disorders are serious illnesses, not something to be aspired to!

There is no such thing as "pro-cancer" is there? It's plain wrong. You may not be able to help your eating disorder, but wishing it upon other people?! That's sick. What are these people thinking?! They may be brainwashed by this horrible illness themselves, but bringing others into the same mess and sharing "tips"? It just makes me so angry and saddened.

Someone could DIE from the influence of these Pro-Ana/Mia websites and forums.

Pro-Ana/Mia is pro DEATH.

I'm sorry but there's no nicer way of putting it. There's no point sugar coating it and pretending things will be ok. Because in reality, if you constantly abuse your body, there is only a certain amount of it to take. We only have one body. There are no second chances.

I don't know about you, but I certainly don't judge people on how they look! I couldn't care less! It hasn't even crossed my mind! Thinking about it I have friends of all different shapes and sizes, but the fact I've never even thought about it before just shows how utterly irrelevant it is!
If we don't care what others look like, why do we all believe so strongly that being thin is important and attractive?! It's a load of rubbish!

Love your body. It's the only one you'll ever have.

Image via here.                      

Image via here.

It is horrific that these people glamorize eating disorders and treat them like this wonderful lifestyle that will bring you happiness and friends and help you achieve everything you want in life.

Because really what an eating disorder does is the complete opposite.

Do you ever see someone suffering from an eating disorder smiling, feeling confident about themselves, surrounded by crowds of friends all complimenting their unhealthy body? NO.
You'll see a hollow, scared, tired person. They'll look distracted and miserable, right down to the bone. They're likely to be alone, or with friends but not really joining in, feeling worthless and huge and like they don't fit in. People won't want to be around this ill and depressed person- their body is scary to look at, not 'beautiful' as Pro-Ana/Mia seem to describe.

They are pro-death, and it makes me wonder: do they know that?
It makes me so deeply sad, but also sickened and angry.
Putting yourself at risk is one thing, but putting people on the internet, even innocent kids who may land up on a site like that by accident, at risk of developing a life-destroying illness?
It's just wrong. So wrong. And it's disgusting.

I really hope one day whoever is in charge of the internet and what is on the world wide web shut down all of these sites. PRO-RECOVERY will take it's place.

Pro-recovery = Pro-LIFE

If you are reading this and you are one of those people sharing "Ana tips" or "Mia tips and tricks" or running a pro-ed website, consider what I'm saying. Anyone aught to know better than encourage and glamorize an illness, exposing the innocent to them and potentially causing serious harm.

There are no "tips" or "tricks" when it comes to eating disorders. You are only ever tricking yourself.
The tip I have? GET HELP AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

Choose recovery. Because at the end of the day it's choosing between happiness and chances in life, vs. pain and death. Don't throw away your life.

Hannah xox

Have faith

"Having faith in times of despair 

can be the most magical thing of all."

Hannah xox 

NEVER give up

"Don't you ever, EVER give up. 

Trust me when I say, recovery is worth it."

Hannah xox 

Thigh gaps: the truth

Thigh gaps are the latest trends which  young people are pushed to pursue, much to the worry of health officials.
All over social networking sites such as tumblr and instagram are photos of slim legs and the much desired 'thigh gap', often with captions such as "I'd kill to have these legs" etc.
Also along with this trend comes people posting pictures of their thighs and legs, saying "fat, fat, fat", "kill me now" and "time to start dieting for my thigh gap".
This fashion 'trend' as such is putting many young people at risk, as people push and push towards getting a thigh gap even though some people's bodies simply are not built for one.

This trend is causing thousands of young people using social networking sights to be at risk of developing an eating disorder by trying to acquire the thigh gap.
If you don't naturally have thin legs and a "thigh gap", then it is only possible to get one by extreme dieting and becoming malnourished.
As stated by Otago proffesor of anatomy Mark Stringer, "Only the malnourished or those with a slightly splayed pelvis [wide hips] will have a visible gap between their thighs."

Now I don't know about you, but don't you think loosing your periods, causing your internal organs damage, osteoporosis, feeling weak and cold, getting dizzy and even passing out- all of that, is too much of a high cost to just get some stupid gap between your legs?

Most people don't care what your legs look like! People shouldn't judge you on your appearance, and if they do then quite frankly they aren't worth having in your life.
It's your personality that matters, not a gap between your thighs!

Bonuses of NOT having a thigh gap:

• Your legs are nice and warm
• If you drop something in your lap (such as your phone) you can catch it without it falling through a gap in your legs
• You will be healthier and able to enjoy yourself more
• People will not stare at you for being sickly thin or abnormally skinny

And ask yourself this:

What are the bonuses of having a thigh gap?

When you really think about it, you'll find that the answer is that there are NONE.

Image via here.

So let's beat this cruel fashion trend. Let's put an end to encouraging eating disorders.

Say NO to thigh gaps. Say YES to health.

Hannah xox

Courage

"Hate is easy. 

Love takes courage."

Hannah xox 

Choose recovery NOW.

{BLOG POST BY S}

So today I want to introduce you to this amazing girl who will be a new contributor and "second author" to this blog. She is such a fighter and never fails to inspire me. I hope you will enjoy reading her posts as much as I do. I know she is going to fit into this blog just wonderfully.
She insisted on keeping the beginning bit about me, and I just want to say a huge thank you- it really is so sweet and kind!
So without further ado, let the blog post start!

Hi Guys!

I am a new contributor to Hannah's blog. I think it is absolutely fabulous and for a fifteen year old Hannah is simply incredible and inspirational.

I too am suffering and in recovery from anorexia. I have had it since summer 2010 but it only got really very bad at the start of 2012. I have been in recovery for a while now but am super determined now.
After all this time I have finally realised, as I have been told over and over again, that a life with anorexia is NOT living!

It really is not!

No matter how much you and anorexia try to deceive yourself, there is actually no way you can live a life with anorexia. She destroys you. She takes away you personality and leaves a wrecked, barely-alive person behind. I don't mean in the sense of you not being alive because you are underweight, you are not alive because anorexia has taken control and is living your life for you. You may be a perfectly healthy weight at the moment, but do not deceive yourself. You are sick. Ana is ruining your life and you need to get it back.

I know this is a very short post and I am sorry, I will do longer ones in the future.

Over time I will tell you my story, give encouragement etc. but today I want to leave you all with one instruction...

Start taking back control NOW! Don't leave it till tomorrow, or next week, or next month. Do it now. Just do one little thing that gives Ana a kick in the face and shows her who's boss.

WELL DONE :)
Stay Strong Lovelies
xoxo - S


If you would like to write a guest post, a series of posts, or be a permenant contributor/author, please email me at myjourneywithrecovery@gmail.com.

LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH. SMILE.

It says it all in the title >J<

Hannah xox

A great way to enjoy Weetabix!

Today I thought I'd share with you my ALL TIME FAVOURITE breakfast, and how to make it for yourself! I don't really like oats or porridge, and this is a great, healthy alternative!

Prep time:

5 minutes - it's quick, easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

Essentials:
2 x weetabix or oatabix biscuits
100ml milk of your choice

Possible toppings:
100ml yogurt - either plain yogurt or fruit, your choice!
5 large strawberries
1 chopped banana
Crushed nuts
Any type of berries
Pretty much any chopped fruits or nuts
Can add peanut butter, nutella or spread of some sort
Coca powder
Sugar or sweetener
Can even add chocolate chips

Method:

1. First of all get your two weetabix/oatabix and crush them up. You can do this using your hands and just crumbling them into a bowl
2. Add 100ml milk of your choice (this can be cows milk, soy milk, almond milk, goats milk - you get the picture), then using the back of a spoon, mix and stir the crumbled weetabix in with the milk. Press down with the back of your spoon on the weetabix to remove lumps. Leave this to soften while you prepare your toppings
3. Now for toppings there are a wide variety of choices; the list is almost endless! You can top your weetabix with fruit, spreads, coca powder, yogurt, anything! My favourite is adding yogurt and strawberries, so I'll tell you how to do that. it's pretty simple to make it up though- try out different combinations and see which you like!
4. Get 100ml of a yogurt of your choice (I like smooth strawberry or raspberry yogurts best), then scoop it out of the tub on top of your weetabix. Using the back of a spoon again, smooth the yogurt over the weetabix in a yogurt layer, before adding fruit. (you can stir in the yogurt if you prefer, I just like having the bottom layer of weetabix with a layer of yogurt on top)
5. Chop up whatever fruit you wish (personally I love strawberries - I usually have 5 large ones and chop them up first into quarters, then I half each of the quarters, so splitting the strawberry into 8).
6. Sprinkle your fruit on top of your weetabix (and yogurt) and you're done! Enjoy the yumminess to come!

Other ways to prepare/eat your delicious breakfast:

Another fun and equally delicious way of making your weetabix combo breakfast is by making "Overnight Weetabix".
This consists of doing exactly the same thing, the same recipe, but instead of doing it in the morning, you can do it the day/night/evening before. This is great if you get up quickly in the minute and want a quick easy breakfast with no faff!
You can make these in a jar like in my picture on the left, or you can just do it in a bowl like before.

NOTE: If you do decide to use a jar, do step 1 (preparing the weetabix) in another bowl first, because it is more difficult to get it all mixed properly in a jar.

Feeling cold?

Why not heat up your milk in the microwave before you stir it in so that it's hot?

Or mix do steps 1 and 2 and then heat your milk and weetabix?

Or you could even go full out and stick your toppings in it first then heat it up

- it's up to you!

Try it a few different ways and see which you prefer!

And that's all I have to say!

Hope this is helpful and anyone who tries this enjoys it as much as me!

If you do decide to try it and want to send in a picture (if I recieve pictures I will add a "contributor's page" or an "emailed in" page to display them on), I would love to see them!
Email: myjourneywithrecovery@gmail.com

Hannah xox

Progress, not perfection

You must always remember that perfection doesn't exist in humans. We all have flaws and imperfections, but it's our imperfections that make us beautiful.

"Strive for progress, 

not perfection."

Hannah xox 

October Goals

Today is the 1st of October (well actually it's still the 30th September right now, but I'm pre-writing the post, hehe), which means it's the start of a new month, and a fresh start.

Why not start this month on a positive note and make some goals?

-Helpful, RECOVERY goals. Not Ed goals like "Loose weight" or anything like that. These are POSITIVE goals that are working towards building up your self esteem, making you feel better about yourself, proving to yourself that you can achieve and you are strong.

Ignore what happened yesterday or the day before. Ignore what the last week, month, year has been like. The past is gone now, and we can never change it. But we ARE in control of our future, and if thing look like they could go downhill, we can change that. Just start a fresh, learn from your mistakes and move past them.

"Don't let the sadness of your past and the fear of your future take away from the happiness of your present"

Image via here

Set yourself some goals for this month. What would you like to achieve? What have you been struggling with recently and how can you challenge that?

To give you an idea, I'll post my October goals below:

My October Goals:

• To get to the 80th percentile weight for height so that I can go back to school
• To challenge myself to at least one fear food a week this month, so that's FOUR fear foods
• To keep a short diary every day about how I'm feeling/ what I'm thinking about
• Write a positive fact about myself each day for a month! (I'm going to find this one so hard)
• Enjoy Halloween and don't let food spoil it- enjoy yourself and don't count calories. If you get upset you haven't failed, just try to relax. Try to eat at least one Halloween sweet or chocolate!

I know that I'm going to find each and every one of those a challenge for different reasons. But you know what? ALL of those goals are achievable, and I've given myself plenty of time to achieve them.

Now it's your turn!..

Make sure that the goals you write down aren't massive and scary to look at, make sure they are achievable goals that don't make you want to cry by looking at them. they should be designed to be a challenge, true, but they should also be designed to be reachable goals- NOT something that you feel you'll never be able to achieve! Though mine are hard I will try really, really hard and I think I can do it.

Giving yourself goals and something to work towards can be really helpful. Not only does it give you a sense of achievement and pride, but if you keep setting yourself small, reachable goals, gradually you will build up and over time you'll be able to look back and realise how far you've come. Small, steady steps in the right direction. There are no "quick fixes" to eating disorders or other mental health recovery, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. It just takes time.

Hannah xox