5 Tips to Help When You’re Struggling with Recovery

Recovery is a never-ending journey and it’s natural to have bumps in the road along the way. First and foremost, know that it’s not about being perfect. It’s about your overall intention and dedication to recovery and your health and well-being.

Still, some days are better than others. In those moments when you are struggling with your recovery, remember these five tips…

Tip #1: Come to a Place of Acceptance.

The mind’s number one job is to ensure survival, which means we are literally programmed to avoid anything that hurts us or puts us in “danger,” like pain and struggle. This is why acceptance is so important – you first need to acknowledge and accept that something is going on in order to overcome it. Acceptance creates traction for transformation and progress. If you are currently struggling with recovery, ask yourself: “Where am I at right now? Can I accept it? And if not, what do I need to do to truly accept where I am?”

Tip #2: Be Honest with Yourself.

Be honest with where you’re at. We are so good at lying to ourselves. How many times have you followed up a binge with a thought like, “Well I just love food!” or “I just fell off the recovery wagon for a few weeks!”? Instead of making excuses, get super honest about your current experience. You need to be honest with yourself to truly accept where you’re at so that you can enact transformation. Once you get real about what you’re struggling with, you will gain insight and clarity on what needs to change and the steps you can take to get there. You can then set the intention for what you want moving forward.

Tip #3: Remember – it has Nothing to do with Food.

Binge eating has nothing to do with food. It’s an emotional issue, which means the work is internal, not external. It’s not about restricting food, cutting back your calories, or finding the “right diet.” If you find yourself again turning to diets or calorie counting, figure out what is fueling that need. What has shifted in your recovery that is making you revert to old beliefs and behaviors? What pain are you trying to numb? What wounds do you need to heal? Has something changed in your life that may have triggered your current struggle? You need to get really clear on what is going on in your internal landscape, because the issue is not the food.

Tip #4: Slow the Heck Down.

We live in the age of hustling for our worth. All of us are constantly go, go, going and trying to achieve the next goal or hit the next life milestone. What you really need, especially when you’re struggling with your recovery, is to slow the heck down. Slowing down gives you presence and allows for clarity of your experience. If you find yourself struggling with food once again, slowing down will allow you to better discern between emotional vs. physical hunger cues and sensations. Your body is constantly trying to speak to you and give you wisdom, you just need to slow down to access to it. If you find yourself falling off the recovery bandwagon, slow down and get clear on what is really going on.

Tip #5: Connection is Key.

Connecting mind and body, head and heart is key to binge eating recovery. It’s easy to become disconnected from ourselves, our body, and our intention when we are living up in our minds 24/7 and coming from a place of logic vs. feeling. However, you cannot think your way through recovery, it goes deeper than that. You need to FEEL. You need to be aware of pain, struggle, and sensations. The only way to breed this kind of awareness is through connection. So often when we struggle with binge eating or maintaining recovery, it’s because we are completely disconnected from our bodies. So get back into your body, and if this isn’t “natural” for you, create practices that will help you do this, such as meditation, breathwork, yoga, etc.

Conclusion: When Struggling with Recovery…

When you’re struggling with recovery, you may find yourself reverting to old ways of living, like binge eating and fad dieting. First, know that it’s okay. Recovery is a long road that requires constant dedication, commitment, and patience. You need to show yourself grace and compassion. We all make mistakes, and we all struggle from time to time. Take your recovery one day at a time, and in the moments when you are struggling most, remember these tips to help ease your struggle and get back into alignment with your recovery.

“We may stumble and fall but shall rise again.” – Mahatma Gandhi