After a loved one is diagnosed with an eating disorder, it’s common to feel hopeless. Eating disorder research is making progress, although funding is very limited. Each day, at least 23 people die as a direct result of eating disorders, and millions more are affected by this mental health condition. Families are often wiped out emotionally and physically, not to mention financially.
Why You Should Have Hope
Still, as a caregiver, there is good reason to have hope — nine good reasons, in fact:
Hope shifts our energy in a positive direction.
Hope improves our mood and helps us make better decisions.
Hope allows us to model behavior that our loved one in treatment needs to see and practice in order to recover.
Hope helps us feel and act calmer.
Hope allows us to keep moving forward and not give up.
Hope helps us believe that a positive outcome is possible, allowing us to see new possibilities and try new things. If you need some new techniques and strategies to use in your own journey as a caregiver, grab a copy of Skills-based Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder: The New Maudsley Method by Janet Treasure, Grainne Smith, and Anna Crane.
Hope allows us to be more compassionate.
Hope gives us confidence.
Hope helps us cope in difficult moments.
How to Grow Hope During a Tough Time
So now that we know there’s reason to have hope, how do we grow this positive and helpful feeling? Here are seven ways to help you find hope when you’re feeling hopeless:
Practice gratitude daily.
Ask for help — and then accept it when it’s offered.
Find a community of others who understand the experience of caring for someone with an eating disorder.
Become educated about the illness and treatment options. Start by reading Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too by Jenni Schaefer.
Have a support system.
Practice self-care. As Becky Henry, founder of Hope Network, LLC and one of the Recovery Roadmap Specialists says, “When parents get their own oxygen masks on, they see their kids in recovery improve.”
Be present each and every day.
Know that you can have hope and also take decisive actions, hold firm boundaries, practice evidence-based protocols, consult with a team of experienced clinicians, and feel sad or scared. As you figure out your loved one’s best path to recovery, let hope be your guiding light.
If you need help as you navigate caring for a loved one with an eating disorder, consider purchasing the Recovery Roadmap Series. Contact us with any questions!
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