Gone are the days where mental health and medical professionals have the only say in what recovery may be like. And for good reason.
Hearing stories directly from those in eating disorder recovery — those experiencing the actual symptoms and navigating treatment, barriers and resources — has brought a wealth of understanding, knowledge and compassion to the field and discussions around mental health. I believe stories of people’s lived experience in eating disorder recovery provides hope to others that living a meaningful, values-driven life is possible and that recovery is achievable.
That is the intention of this blog. Seven years ago on a late Fall evening I made the biggest decision of my life. To take a year off to heal and recover from unresolved emotional pain I struggled with from childhood, an ongoing binge eating disorder and burnout in my life and business. I was feeling uninspired about my private marriage and family counseling practice (and to be honest... my life). I was stuck in rut. Not any old rut- I was emotionally stuck. I was simply going through the motions and settling into uninspired habits that was sabotaging my life and business. I noticed myself getting annoyed with clients and having an attitude with my husband because he had no idea how to show me the emotional support I needed. In his mind I could work through the anxiety and frustration I felt on my own. In a sense he was right, because it's not his job to make me happy or feel better. But I did at least expect him to show some type of empathy or concern. But growing up in his household they didn't express feelings or emotions that was a sign of weakness. Therefore, in his mind I was suppose to suppress the anxiety and keep it moving. I too was raised in a home that no one express emotions or taught me what to do with my feelings. So, I get how he felt in this situation when I allowed my emotions to take over. But today we are both emotionally stronger and more resilient. Although we both came from a family that were emotionally neglectful. Today I am celebrating that brave choice to heal. Not only am I in full remission but I have encourage thousands of women, college students, moms and business owners to begin their own journey of self care and healing.
Today who ever is reading this I want to inspire you to do the same. It's no surprise you reading this, it's fate. It's time to heal sabotaging mindset patterns and unhealthy behaviors. If the thought of sharing your story -- or even writing your story -- has been on your mind, you may have a lot of questions. We are here to help guide the way and make the process a little less intimidating. Contact us today.
You may be asking yourself, how do you decide if sharing your eating disorder recovery story is right for you? You may want to ask yourself: Will sharing my story add value to my healing journey? If you answered, “yes,” then go for it. That's exactly what I did and it helped me to stay on track with doing the work needed to heal everyday, as recovery is a lifetime journey you will need some kind of accountability or support to stay on track. Again we can help.
Sharing my eating disorder recovery story has helped me process what my life was like growing up, in my eating disorder, and as I’ve progressed in my recovery. Sharing has helped me accept what my story is, has helped me see the difference in my life before recovery and now as I live in solid recovery. It has been a way to see and focus on the things I’ve learned in recovery and want to pass on to others that may need to see that recovery is truly possible. Sharing my story has lessened the shame I have often felt with my story. It has helped me find my voice that I was so scared to use. That is my wish for you. To be able to speak your truth and reconnect to your authentic self while rebuilding your life.
ARE YOU LOOKING TO DIVE DEEPER INTO SELF-CARE?
I Can Help in Developing A Plan For Self Care
Do you want help developing a self care plan that works for your own busy schedule? Do you want accountability implementing a self care plan? If you or someone you love is struggling to maintain optimal mental and emotional health, consider reaching out to Spiced Life Conversation Art Wellness Studio and Botanica. We are a Metro Atlanta, Conyers Georgia area. We are a coaching and counseling practice with empathetic, skilled counselors and recovery coaches who can help you set goals, develop a self care routine and move forward to build a more fulfilling life. Our team would be happy to work with you either just for a couple of sessions to develop and implement a Self Care plan or longer term to work toward overall better mental health within our membership site or other programs.
About The Author:
Dr. Nikki LeToya White MSEd-TL, Ph.D. RHN is the founder, director and a full time board certified trauma-informed nutritionist, folk herbalist, and wellness consultant at Spiced Life Conversation Art Wellness Studio and Botanica. She created Spiced Life Conversation, LLC Art Wellness Studio and Botanica to provide the Metro Atlanta area with a counseling and coaching services where clients are carefully matched with the right program for healing abandonment and childhood emotional neglect trauma that cause codependency, emotional eating, financial stress, and imposter syndrome as it relates to fear of success and being abandon. We help you begin your emotional healing journey with ease. Recently, we have expanded to include online membership site so we now provide support to people living all over the world. All of our recovery coaches provide at least one evidence based treatment to assist in your recovery. Dr. White is a big proponent of self care and helping people live a fulfilling life! She has been in full remission with both codependency and emotional binge eating disorder since 2016. In live a life in recovery from sugar addiction. Loving her low sugar balance lifestyle.
Best Regard
Dr. Nikki LeToya White