Healing is hard work. I always heard the phrase "healing isn't linear, and it is a journey", but it has taken longer than I care to admit for that to be truly understood.
Layer by layer, you peel back parts of you, to explore and shine light into. And, right there waiting, is another layer. Whether you're looking for one or not. Sometimes it's exhausting. Motivation will ebb and flow - so how can you maintain your journey, your recovery, when you are not feeling motivated?

1. Don't be too hard on yourself: talking down to yourself is not going to improve the situation. Try to show yourself the same patience and compassion you would show to another. If this is hard, try to imagine what you would say to someone you love in the same situation.

2. Reach out: don't shut down or isolate. Practice reaching out to people instead of your ED when times are hard. Over time, we become accustomed to leaning on our disorder to "solve" our problems, however, your eating disorder will only ever provide "solutions" that benefit its needs, not yours. When we practice reaching out to other people, we begin to rely less on the disorder, and also have the opportunity of more rational, sustainable strategies being suggested.

3. Remind yourself of your WHY: recovery is hard, and having a well-formulated picture of what you want, or why you want recovery, can help in moments of struggle. When you are having a good day, or feeling really committed to your recovery, write a letter to your future self. Remind them why you are doing this. Paint a clear picture of what you want out of recovery, and out of a life free from disorder. Let your future self be reminded that there is a reason for the struggle, that is bigger than how you might be feeling today.

4. Don't get ahead of yourself - take it moment by moment: we so often get caught up in the overwhelming notion of the entire recovery process. Try to remember to take it one day, one moment at a time, to keep the journey feeling manageable.

5. Do something kind for yourself: When you least like yourself, do something kind and gentle for yourself. Learning to show yourself compassion when you don't feel like you deserve it will slowly start to change the combative relationship with self to a collaborative one.

6. Check your expectations: Rome wasn't built in a day; neither was your ED. Healing takes time, a long time, and is not linear. Often, we feel worse before we start to feel better, and that is part of the process.

7. Follow your meal plan, always: There is no shortcut to this step. While Eating Disorders are not about the food, recovery has to be about the food. We have to learn to nourish our bodies properly, and there is no full recovery without an improvement in the relationship with food.

8. Remind yourself that this will pass: Emotions fade, even the difficult ones. Remind yourself that all feelings are temporary, and this will pass.

9. Practice opposite action: Doing the opposite of what our emotion, or ED is telling us to do can help to shift outcomes. For example, if my E.D. voice tells me to be quiet, and keep everything I'm thinking and feeling to myself, I could go and talk to someone. We get trapped in our disorder through doing what IT tells us to do - every time we do the opposite we are empowering our healthy self to be in charge of the situation.

10. It's ok to lean on external motivation: we all need help sometimes, and when intrinsic motivation wanes, it is perfectly ok to use external factors (such as rewards) to get you through a difficult time.

And last, if you are struggling, it does not mean recovery is not for you. This is hard, and you are a warrior!!