While active in my binge eating disorder, I thought "Recovery isn't meant for me" because I could not imagine what a life free of my binge eating disorder could look like. Sometimes I think I didn't even want to. I thought my behaviors were keeping me sane, so why would I want to envision living in any other way? I was certain binge eating disorder recovery wasn't for me.

I've learned that finding your passion is critical in eating disorder recovery. Passion is what keeps us pushing through life, through the worst and the best of days it remains a driving force. While a prisoner of my eating disorder, I lost passion for any and all things this life had to offer. I realized during my eating disorder recovery journey that passion is something we need to reconnect with to find the strength to keep persevering in wellness.

Since being in eating disorder recovery and feeling well enough to start dating again, I have found that the dating scene can be difficult to navigate. Finding someone who understands what you are going/have gone through may seem like an impossible task. Here are some tips on getting back out there once you feel ready to date again in eating disorder recovery.

Some people don't understand this, but binge eating disorder combined with depression can make food your only friend.When binge eating ran my life, I also experienced major depression. I don't know which came first, the binge eating disorder or depression, but co-occurrence of depression is common among those with eating disorders (Depression and Eating Disorders: When Sadness Never Fades).

Secrecy in binge eating disorder is huge. I was once told that eating disorders were all about secrets and lies. As I ponder that thought, I cannot think of anything more accurate. When consumed by binge eating disorder, I did everything in secret, never letting anyone into the reality of my life. I snuck food, lied about what I was eating, and denied any comments about my behavior. I wish I would have known then that the secrecy of my binge eating disorder was only digging me deeper into my dark hole.

Many times binge eating and binge eating disorder (BED) is coupled with intense loneliness and people wonder if they are the only one who binge eats. It is time we who suffer realize we are not alone. There are millions of others who are right here, going through the same thing. If we can create a community and engage in conversation around our binge eating behaviors, we can start to free ourselves from the burden of shame along with our feeling of loneliness associated with BED.

When dealing with binge eating disorder you might still want to binge even when something good happens to you. It had never occurred to me that this would be the case until it happened a few days ago. To say I've been struggling to find steady employment after graduating with my undergraduate degree would be an understatement. I finally got exactly what I've wanted for the last eight years and suddenly, I couldn't handle that either.

After years of dealing with binge eating disorder my body image became damaged, but taking selfies helped my damaged body image. After believing my body was unacceptable and my eating was the direct cause of its shape and form, I had started a long campaign of self-hatred directed at my body. Now, I look at my body as capable of more than imperfection and taking selfies helped me with my body image journey.

You're in college and you have binge eating disorder. You might be wondering how you can take care of yourself when stress can play a huge part in your eating disorder. College is a fun and exciting time which can also be incredibly difficult and challenging. Amid the demands of school work, how do you find the time to practice binge eating disorder self care and eat on a regular schedule?

Binge eating disorder self-help articles rarely mention having a sanctuary. What's a binge eating disorder sanctuary? Good question. Sanctuary is defined as a a safe haven or a refuge. A binge eating disorder self-help sanctuary is a place where you can go to get away from your stressors and binge eating disorder triggers like winter weather binge eating and overeating due to the holidays. A binge eating disorder self-help sanctuary gives you a chance to breathe, enjoy yourself, and relax. This safe place can be somewhere where you feel spiritual or somewhere where you have good memories or just somewhere quiet where you can get your thoughts together when you're getting overwhelmed. Binge eating disorder self-help starts with a safe sanctuary.