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