How amazing is this tree? I mean, check out those roots. They go deep. Creating stability, they anchor the tree. They bring water, nutrients, and minerals in from the soil, helping the tree live and grow. These roots are essential to the tree’s health. And I’d argue disordered eating and diet recovery also require strong roots.
Often we can’t see the roots under a tree. We admire the leaves as they change colors in the fall. And enjoy the blossoms and sweet smells in the spring. Sometimes we watch as the branches sway in the wind. Or as beautiful icicles dangle from them in the winter months.
We usually only notice the parts above ground. But without everything going on underground- the tree wouldn’t grow. It couldn’t evolve. Or withstand the wind and the rain. It wouldn’t even be able to stand up. Roots are essential to a tree’s sustainability.
The very same thing is true when it comes to food and body recovery.
Recovery from dieting and disordered eating requires deep roots.
In recovery, so much must happen underneath the surface in order to sustain it. So much that no one else sees.
Underneath the Surface of Disordered Eating and Diet Recovery
Disordered eating and diet recovery require internal work. We have to learn to challenge and confront our fears. Channeling our inner strength, we learn through experience that we’re stronger than we give ourselves credit for.
Learning to sit with difficult feelings helps us grow deep roots.
Challenging the status quo of our diet and weight obsessed culture shoots our roots down deep into the rich soil. Struggling through a meal and choosing to do the hard thing grows those roots thicker. Resisting the urge to weigh yourself, count calories, or compare your body to someone else’s all builds your diet recovery roots. Every time your remind yourself your purpose is NOT to control your body size, your roots go deeper.
When you commit to caring for your body with kindness and compassion, the roots grow. Honoring and cherishing the body that carries your soul through life helps your roots entwine. Solidifying the sturdy base for your recovery.
Weathering the Storms of Diet Culture and Life
These strong, interconnected, deep roots allow you to weather the stormy winds and rain of diet culture. Everywhere we turn, the lie that our body size determines our worth rages against us.
When our diet recovery roots go deep, we can withstand the elements of living in a world that mistakes body size as a way to measure our worth and lovability.
It’s also important to have strong roots to weather the other storms of life. No one lives a life with out struggle, loss, grief, pain and stress. But what strong recovery roots do is give us the ability to bend with the winds, while staying upright.
Growing Strong Roots for Disordered Eating and Diet Recovery
It takes consistency and persistence to grow roots on this journey. And just like with trees… it takes nourishment. Meaning, we must feed our bodies consistently and regularly.
We ALL need enough nourishment.
Every single time you listen to your body and give her what she needs, you’re strengthening a recovery root.
Every time you make a recovery choice, your roots grow. And the more time you spend growing roots, making recovery choices no one else sees, the stronger your recovery will become. Until eventually you can withstand the winds and storms that life and living in diet culture inevitably bring.
So dig deep today.
Strengthen those recovery roots.
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