October 2022 Recovery Story Spotlight
Elizabeth Beatty
Before we dive in, can you tell us when you were first introduced to EDF? How long ago did you start pursuing your recovery?
“I was first introduced to EDF in late 2018, when I started pursuing my recovery this time around.”
Can you summarize a bit on how your recovery journey has looked?
“I looked for eating disorder resources when I started getting sick again and had trouble finding any. I had struggled for many years as a teenager with an eating disorder and had about 5 years in recovery before struggling again. This time, I got in touch with the Eating Disorder Foundation and started going to their in-person groups in Boulder, CO. The groups were a helpful space to be understood, be allowed to take up space, and express what was going on for me during that time. Shortly after, I went to the eating disorder program at Johns Hopkins in Maryland for a few months, which I honestly believed saved my life. I did a short program upon my return and began going to EDF groups as well as an ED-specialized dietitian. I continued through the harder days, motivated by my desire to not fall back into this disease and with a lot of support from the network around me. Today, I no longer struggle with my eating disorder or what it used to incessantly tell me, and I am grateful for that every day.”
What is one thing you wish someone contemplating recovery knew?
“It will most definitely change your life. That prospect can also sometimes feel really scary. Let me specify that it will change your life for the better and you certainly are darn strong enough to take a step towards or in recovery.”
What are things that you, personally, have found most helpful in maintaining recovery?
“Remembering the ‘why’ to my recovery was such a huge part of me holding on and continuing. My ‘why’ was that I knew the misery and sickness that came with my eating disorder and I refused to let it take me and hold me there again. Also, finding and maintaining a support network for me in my eating disorder was important for me to have guidance, to have some accountability, some understanding and overall a part of my system that helped hold me up.”
What are your favorite things that have come out of you choosing recovery?
“What I love about choosing recovery is that I’ve been able to work on healing in other areas of my life and I get to love and take care of myself, which I’d never done before. I also have an opportunity for a future that I’d never have if I stayed in my eating disorder. I think my top favorite thing is that I don’t hate myself or my body. That does not take up any of my time anymore.”