Eating Disorder Recovery and Motivation: How to Keep Going When Motivation Fades
I tend to feel the most motivated to complete a project right when I start: the to-do list is made, my goal is clear, my energy is up. I’m ready to tackle the task head-on. If it’s a laborious task - like going through and getting rid of my old clothes, cleaning out the garage, or doing any other house project that takes a while, my motivation wanes relatively quickly after I start doing the work. Sometimes this lapse in motivation causes me to drop the project mid-task, and other times, I push through despite my lack of motivation.
When I think of the times I struggled with motivation to continue recovering from my eating disorder, tasks and projects that seem to require motivation in my life come to mind. Of course, completing a house, school, or work project is not the same as an eating disorder recovery journey. But there have been many moments in my recovery journey where I noticed some parallels to the way I felt when I engaged in other challenging tasks or initiatives: my drive to recover was low, the motivation had seemed to evaporate, and I was tempted to revert back into using the eating disorder behaviors that honestly felt like home because they were so familiar.
How Do We Move Forward?
So I have thought about this time and time again throughout my own recovery journey and when I listen to others’: how do you move forward when your motivation isn’t there? How do you continue on your recovery journey when it feels contrary to what your mind and body want at the time?
We’ve heard before that recovery journeys aren’t linear, and it’s worth noting, I think, that our motivation level falls into that truth. It’s helpful to know and remember that your motivation to stay in recovery will dwindle at times. Entering recovery is a courageous choice that is sometimes born out of motivation, sometimes out of desperation, and other times out of the imploring of someone who cares about us. Wherever your recovery journey starts, know that there will be times where it feels particularly fruitful and rewarding, and other times where staying the course goes against every grain of your being.
In those times where your motivation runs dry, consider the following things to help you to continue to choose recovery. It’s not easy, it doesn’t always feel worth it in the moment, but the long term results and benefits – physically and mentally – are worth pushing through when your motivation isn’t pushing for you.
5 Tips for When You Aren’t Feeling Motivated in Eating Disorder Recovery
1. Remember that feeling motivated is not a prerequisite for making progress
A decrease in or complete lack of motivation can feel discouraging, and it can quickly turn into a breeding ground for questioning if recovery is even worth it, if you’re capable of following through, and if it’s something you even want. One thing that has helped me is remembering that I don’t have to feel motivation to keep moving forward. I can continue in my recovery journey despite my lack of motivation. I can make choices that are independent of my emotions. It’s not always easy – who am I kidding? – It’s almost never easy, but it is allowed, and it is possible. Remembering can take the pressure off of you to feel motivated all the time. The reality is that you won’t, and that’s okay.
2. Set small, achievable goals
During low-motivation periods, setting smaller, manageable goals that you can achieve quickly can help you maintain momentum. These might be as simple as sticking to a meal plan on a given day, honoring your hunger with a snack one afternoon, or forgoing a workout on a day where working out feels obligatory rather than enjoyable. If you can focus on daily or weekly goals instead of recovery at large, you may find it to be easier to step forward into recovery when the steps you’re taking are small.
3. Track your motivation
Think about a time when you were feeling really motivated. What or who helped you get there? If you can remember, try writing it down and figuring out if there is something that or someone who you can connect to to help you feel motivated again.
4. Consider why you want to recover
If you aren’t feeling the desire to recover in this moment, consider why you wanted to recover when you started. Imagine what you want your life to look like at this time next year, five, and even 10 years in the future. What role do you want your eating disorder to play in this future you are imagining? Will your eating disorder add to or take away from the life you desire to have? Making a tangible list of why you want to recover and what you want your life to look like moving forward can end up being a helpful tool for this and any future periods where you are feeling stuck or unmotivated.
5. Connect with your recovery team
Feeling a lack of motivation in recovery is nothing to feel embarrassed or bad about. It does not mean you won't recover, it doesn’t mean you are wasting anyone’s time, it does not mean that you don’t deserve treatment and care. These are all thoughts I have battled in low-motivation periods: I would feel that I couldn’t tell people because I thought they may be frustrated or upset that I was “wasting their time” when I was really struggling to stay in recovery. Please don’t buy into this lie; your team of professionals (and even your team of loved ones) are there to support you along each part of the recovery journey. And that means they are there for setbacks, periods of low motivation, and periods where you need to be able to lean more heavily on external help to keep moving forward.
Recover from Your Eating Disorder: One Step at a Time
Struggling with motivation is – for many people – an inevitable part of the eating disorder recovery journey. Setbacks are a part of the journey, feeling stuck is part of the journey. None of these things mean you don’t deserve recovery, that you are “too far gone,” or that you are losing the progress you have made. Struggling with motivation is evidence that you are a human, one who is doing their best to face and triumph over an incredible challenge. Remember that you are worthy of this recovery – regardless of the internal battle you may face that tries to convince you otherwise. You can take your recovery one step at a time (even if some of those steps are a step in place or backwards); you’ve got this.
By: Erika Muller, Assistant for Wildflower Therapy LLC
All images via Unsplash
How Can Wildflower Therapy in Philadelphia, PA Help You?
If you’re looking for someone to come alongside you to help you unpack and approach the the complex set of experiences and emotions that come with having and healing from an eating disorder , our therapists in Pennsylvania are honored to help! In fact, you can get to know a little bit more about them here and book a free consultation here.
Other Mental Health Services Provided by Wildflower Therapy, Philadelphia, PA
Life is a unique and sometimes messy journey for each of us; we all have our own individual battles to fight. Our therapists know there is no one-size-fits-all approach to any of life’s challenges and because of that, we offer many unique perspectives and approaches to help meet you where you are with our Philadelphia, PA Therapy services.
With this in mind, we offer services for eating disorder therapy, services for anxiety, and depression, and have practitioners who specialize in perinatal mental health , maternal mental health, therapy for college students and athletes. As well as LGBTQIA+ Affirming Therapy. Accordingly, we have something to offer just about anyone in our Philadelphia, PA office. Reaching out is often the most difficult step you can take to improve your mental health. We look forward to partnering with you on this journey!
