The Opposite of an Eating Disorder

If you are battling an eating disorder, you know how loud the noise can get. You spend a lot of time in your head with the goal of controlling your body. So much of life becomes micromanaged and measured. When people say things like, "Let it be", it sounds ludicrous to you. You may feel like the only way to stay safe is to never let go.

In your mind, recovery might seem like the place you get to when you have it all figured it out. But actually, the opposite of an eating disorder isn’t perfectly-balanced eating, or even a complete absence of body distress. The opposite of an eating disorder is trust.

Does trust seem completely foreign right now? Let's break it down. What kind of trust are we talking about?

Trust in Your Body

Eating disorders thrive in a space where the body is viewed as the enemy. You may feel like your body is unreliable or unsafe. You likely view it as something that needs constant control. But in recovery, you begin to rebuild a relationship with your body. You learn to trust it again — or maybe for the first time.

Trust that your body was born knowing what to do. Trust that your hunger cues mean something.Trust that your body knows how to digest, absorb, and use food. Trust that with appropriate nutrition, your body will settle at a weight that is healthy for you. Trust that your body is on your side.

This kind of trust isn’t built overnight. It is formed meal by meal, moment by moment. It’s shaky at first, like walking on legs you haven’t used in years. But over time, it gets steadier.

Trust in Your Emotions

Many people with eating disorders have learned to numb or override emotions. Often, the very function of an eating disorder is to silence overwhelming feelings. Recovery invites you to trust your emotional world again.

Recovery means trusting that feelings won’t destroy you; you can ride the wave of discomfort and come out on the other side. Recovery helps you internalize that your feelings are real, valid, and worthy of attention.

Eating disorders often fill the space where emotional needs have been ignored or denied, and in recovery, you learn that your needs aren’t weaknesses. Rather, they are guideposts toward living a fuller, more connected life.

Trust in the Process

How lovely it would be if recovery were linear! But it can actually be quite messy. It can totally be two steps forward, one step back. And that's why trust is such a necessary ingredient.

Trust your team and trust the part of you that is so tired of the eating disorder. Trust in the part of you that wants a better future, even if that part is just a sliver. that Trust that life on the other side is possible. Trust that the process is worth it.

Trust in Yourself

If you have negative voices in your head convincing you that you can never change, or that other people can trust their bodies, but there's something wrong with you that makes it impossible, listen up:

There is a part of you that already knows how to do this. Deep inside, you know how to eat, move, rest, and connect in a way that is respectful to yourself. That part of you is not gone. It's just been temporarily overpowered. You are worthy of this most basic requirement of life - sustenance - and even if it takes some relearning, trust that you can get there.

Recovery can feel so long and hard because it's more than just learning how to eat again; it's the slow, courageous process of returning to yourself. It can be so challenging, but it's so worth it. You won't regret it. Trust me.