Many of us were unsure if spring would actually arrive this year; if you live in New England you know it has been a long, snowy winter.
Now that it truly feels like spring, it’s finally time for a fresh start — in life and in recovery.
So, let’s look at the words “Spring Cleaning” both literally and figuratively. Literally, how can we de-clutter our homes of possessions that no longer serve us? Dust off those bookshelves inside and what do you find? We might find that man who has not picked up his guitar in years, but remembered feeling such freedom when he used to play. Or that woman who desperately wants to play basketball again, but the eating disorder thoughts tell her, ‘you can’t play basketball – you’re not good enough, thin enough, fast enough, ANYTHING enough.’
Albert Einstein once said: “Out of clutter find simplicity; from discord find harmony; in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Spring cleaning from the outside-in and the inside-out. These practices are crucial to recovery from an eating disorder. So often in recovery we are 100% focused on treatment, and with good reason – our health is in jeopardy. But in focusing on recovery, we can often times neglect our true selves.
For those of you with eating disorders, it’s time to clean out those closets – are your ‘sick clothes’ serving you any longer? What are those motivators for recovery?
For everyone. what part of yourself needs some spring cleaning? How are you compassionately reconnecting with yourself?
We’d love to hear from you. Let’s chat in the comments section below.
About the Author:
Kate Rosenblatt, MA LPC is a clinician specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. She strongly believes that recovery is possible at any age and actively strives to build a world where fewer people suffer from eating disorders. Kate works in both the partial hospitalization program and the intensive outpatient program at Walden Behavioral Care in South Windsor, CT. She received her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University, where she specialized in Holistic Studies. A coffee enthusiast, Kate is on a constant, cross-country search for the best mocha latte, as documented in her online journal Del Mocha Vista.http://delmochavista.wordpress.com/
