Did you know that the word, “hope” in my business name, Hope Network, LLC stands for; “Healthy Options for Personal Education?” I know, I’d almost forgotten but it is the foundation for providing eating disorder family support for caregivers. Also, HOPE is something that caregivers of those with eating disorders are often severely lacking and need support finding.
Last week I recorded an Instagram Live conversation with the alumni coordinator for Timberline Knolls treatment center, Tee Kaa. Tee is a person in recovery who shared what worked and what didn’t serve recovery with family caregivers as she was working towards recovery. You can watch or listen to that conversation here from that IG live. We both hope that our conversation will bring hope to family who are looking for some hope for their loved one.
Family members often ask me if people ever recover. And I always say, “Yes, I know loads of people who are fully recovered from an eating disorder!” And yes, recovery and full recovery are nebulous terms that are still lacking a clear definition. And I still like this one best by eating disorder treatment pioneer Carolyn Costin, M.A., M.ED., MFT, “Being recovered to me is when the person can accept his or her natural body size and shape and no longer has a self destructive or unnatural relationship with food or exercise. When you are recovered, food and weight take a proper perspective in your life and what you weigh is not more important than who you are, in fact, actual numbers are of little or no importance at all. When recovered, you will not compromise your health or betray your soul to look a certain way, wear a certain size or reach a certain number on a scale.”
So, just for today, perhaps all family caregivers, loved ones who care about someone who is living with an eating disorder can hear Tee’s words and take one piece and shift that in your own parallel process to more effectively support your loved one in their recovery. Every single person’s recovery journey looks different, so our job is to love them where they are at and shine the light on what is on the other side of the eating disorder for them.
You can follow my IG here at coachbeckyhenry and listen to or watch the IG Live with Tee Kaa to find a sliver of hope to keep you going.
