How to Balance Eating Disorder Treatment with Other Commitments
Seeking eating disorder treatment is a significant and courageous step toward recovery. However, many individuals face a common challenge: balancing the demands of treatment with other priorities in their lives, such as work, school, family obligations, and social activities. It’s not uncommon for people to worry that taking time for treatment might interfere with these aspects of life. The key to navigating this challenge lies in prioritizing recovery while maintaining a sense of balance and integration with other commitments.
This process is an ongoing one, but with some thoughtful strategies, you can make space for both recovery and the important aspects of your life. Here are three helpful tips for finding that balance.
1. Reach Out for Help and Utilize Your Support System
One of the first steps in balancing eating disorder treatment with life’s other responsibilities is to reach out for help. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to juggle work, school, family, and recovery. But remember, you don’t have to do it all alone. By tapping into the support system around you, you can lighten your load and ensure that treatment stays your primary focus.
If you’re a parent with kids at home, consider asking family members or friends for assistance with tasks such as school pick-ups, running errands, or taking children to extracurricular activities. This not only helps you create the time needed for treatment but also ensures your family’s needs are met while you’re dedicating time to your recovery.
Additionally, don’t hesitate to reach out to your treatment team for advice on time management. They can help you develop strategies to balance work, social commitments, and your treatment schedule. It might be helpful to ask your treatment providers for assistance in navigating the practical aspects of your recovery, such as adjusting your appointment times to accommodate work or school, or planning meals and snacks around your schedule.
2. Make Self-Care a Priority
Self-care is often one of the first things to be pushed aside when life gets busy, but during treatment, it is more important than ever. Recovery from an eating disorder is not only physical work but also emotional and mental work, which can be exhausting. It’s essential to take care of your emotional well-being to ensure that you don’t experience burnout and become overwhelmed by the demands of treatment and daily life.
You don’t necessarily have to carve out large blocks of time for self-care. It’s about finding small moments throughout your day that help you recharge and stay grounded. For example, you might schedule five minutes in the morning to meditate before you start your day or take a walk after work to clear your mind. Even leaving work 10 minutes early to enjoy the sunshine or taking a break to read or listen to music can be restorative. These moments of self-care help you reset, preventing feelings of burnout and allowing you to approach both treatment and life responsibilities with greater focus and resilience.
It’s also important to have fun and enjoy time with loved ones. If you’re feeling caught up in treatment, work, and other obligations, it’s easy to forget that enjoying life is part of the healing process. Whether it’s watching a movie with friends, spending time with family, or engaging in a hobby, make sure that you’re allowing yourself space to connect with others in positive, nurturing ways.
3. Set Boundaries Outside of Treatment
As you dive deeper into treatment, it’s natural for eating disorder recovery to take up a significant portion of your thoughts. However, spending every waking moment thinking about recovery can lead to “treatment fatigue,” and might even make it harder to stay motivated in the long run. Setting boundaries between treatment time and personal time is crucial to maintaining a healthy balance.
Another important step is setting non-negotiables. These are things that you absolutely must prioritize and commit to, even when life gets hectic. For example, attending your treatment program, whether it’s in-person or virtual, should be a priority. Even if you’re juggling other responsibilities, maintaining your treatment schedule is crucial for long-term recovery. Additionally, you might set a boundary of reaching out to a trusted support person or your treatment team at least once or twice a week to check in or discuss any challenges you’re facing.
Setting these non-negotiable boundaries will help you stay grounded in your recovery, while also providing some space to manage other commitments in a more balanced way. It’s about recognizing that both recovery and other aspects of life are important and deserve attention but finding a way to ensure neither is neglected.
Recovery is a Lifelong Journey
Balancing eating disorder treatment with other life priorities is challenging, but it’s far from impossible. Recovery is a journey, and it requires you to prioritize yourself and your healing process. However, this doesn’t mean sacrificing the other important areas of your life. With a solid support system, a commitment to self-care, and clear boundaries, you can successfully balance treatment with your work, school, and personal life.
It’s essential to remember that recovery is a long-term process, and making space for your treatment today will allow you to lead a healthier, more fulfilling life tomorrow. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by balancing treatment and other commitments, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Your treatment team is there to support you every step of the way, and with the right tools and strategies, you’ll be able to thrive both in recovery and in life.
Monte Nido is here should you or someone you love need help. With in-person programs in 14 states and virtual options in 28 states, our compassionate team is ready to provide the support they need. To connect with a member of our admissions team, click here.