When something truly means a lot to you, you must be willing to be patient in order to get it.
A lot of times, it is really difficult to be able to relax and let time take its course, especially when you are in recovery. Whether it is an eating disorder, depression, anxiety or any other issues, recovery is recovery.
Recovery from any issue has one major thing in common… the reality that it is a process that takes time and effort. It is a process that is emotional, scary, complex, but also rewarding and 100% worth the fight.
The recovery process can definitely seem lengthy and never ending, but it is so important to realize that you have to be willing to allow the journey to take its time. This is your life we are talking about here, and getting it back is worth all the time you put into the process.
I think most people experience those moments in which they question how long the recovery process is going to be. For me, it was really beneficial to be able to see that my journey was not a race and that I needed to embrace every moment of my recovery.
The phrases “embrace it” have actually become one of my favorite mottos, because I think it is so incredible powerful. If you are embracing recovery, it means you are looking at it as a whole and seeing the time you are spending to heal yourself as a growing and strengthening process.
Something I found really helpful was tracking the amount of days I was eating disorder behavior free. Once I accepted that the recovery process was not something that happened over night, I realized that I wanted to note my progress. Tracking each day gave me hope and reinforced that this was very much a process that I should be proud of myself for embracing.
I think sometimes people forget that even though I am in a really good place now, I still had to go through this fight. I am no different from anyone else going through the recovery process in that it was a lengthy and difficult process for me.
I was really ambivalent at first, because I knew that the road ahead of me was going to be a long one and I really wasn’t sure if the time I was going to put in would be worth it. I didn’t walk through the doors of treatment and feel an overwhelming sense of happiness or freedom; that is not how it works. Yes, I am happy and healthy now, but I did not always feel this way.
At times, I felt like recovery was so far off from where I was and that caused me anxiety because I wanted my life back so badly.
I say this, because I want you and others to see that although you may be struggling now, you can absolutely get to a better place. The idea of recovery being possible does not mean that tomorrow morning you are going to wake up feeling like an entirely different person. Day to day, I did not completely notice how I was changing, but when I look at my journey as a whole I can see where the shifts started to come into my life.
Now that I can look back on my journey, I see that it was worth all the time and energy I put in. There is so much beauty in the road I have traveled; to be able to see the time and work you put into recovery is one of the most rewarding feelings.
Simply because the journey to recovery takes time, it does not mean that it’s not worth it. In actuality, it is more than worth it. I believe that I am currently living the meaning of recovery and now I am able to see why my journey did not happen overnight. You are getting your life back, and to me there is no time limit for that. Stop and take a look around at all the incredible work you are doing. Embrace the process because there is nothing like it; it is truly a beautiful struggle.
“If it is worth having, it is worth waiting for. If it is worth attaining, it is worth fighting for. If it is worth experiencing, it is worth putting aside time for.” ~Jack London
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