Some Homework Exercises To Move You Through Recovery

About two years ago I posted a blog all about my favourite eating disorder book. I am going to paste it below so you can see my original write up. What I wanted to add to this blog that I didn’t say in the last is that so often people only set so much time aside each week to focus on their recovery and yet can lose hours to focusing on their disorder. When they come into my office they report feeling stuck or unsure of what to do in between sessions. I get that when left to our own devices sometimes, we can get caught up in the familiar ways that we engage with ourselves. Doing so can make it difficult to catch all the ways our eating disorder shows up and ruins our lives and can lead to prolonged suffering sometimes without us even being aware. The 8 Keys book that I write about below I think can help change this. It gives us a place to go each week to continue to focus on understanding and undoing our eating disorder and replacing it with a healthier relationship with ourselves. So please, if there is anything recovery based that you can do for yourself this week it is to buy this book. Once you get it, set a goal to go through one Key a week as a way of actively participating in your recovery with intention and patience.

Check out my former blog below:

When we are trying to recover from an eating disorder there are so many resources out there that it is easy become overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn. This week’s blog is going to be about one book that I highly recommend. In the world of eating disorders there are many different books out there ranging from self-help to memoirs and everything in between. It can be hard to know what is healthy for you and what isn’t, especially given how reading other people’s stories or suggestions can be either incredibly triggering or really healing.

By no means have I read every book out there on eating disorders but I have read quite a few. While some I find rather interesting both being someone who has recovered and someone who works in the field, by far the best book I have read on eating disorders and recovery is Carolyn Costin and Gwen Schubert Grabb’s book called 8 Keys to Recovery From An Eating Disorder.

Not only is the book a great educational tool it also has lots of valuable personal stories woven throughout that help you realize that you aren’t alone in your journey. It can apply to anyone who struggles (though there are a few places where it seems to focus more on anorexia and bulimia than on binge eating) and is appropriate for any age. While there may be pieces in any book that you don’t love, the insight and understanding that this book has is invaluable.

Additionally, this book has a bunch of exercises that will help you gain clarity and understanding of what it is you are going through. I would recommend you get the book and slowly work your way through it. If you don’t do the exercises you won’t get nearly as much out of it, even though I know doing them can sometimes bring up feelings or memories that you may not want to experience.

My recommendation? As a recovery tool this is one of my favorites. Order the book from Amazon and use this as a tool to either help motivate you to recover or to continue along in your journey to wellness.