Freedom Is...........

- Allowing myself to eat when I am hungry
- Allowing myself to stop when I am full
- Recognizing that this is a work in progress
- Not putting labels on food as 'safe' or 'unsafe'
- Having a full and varied diet
- Not excluding certain food groups eg carbohydrates
Freedom is not over eating in the knowledge that I am going to purge
- Is not purging ie making myself sick, over exercising, using laxatives or enemas
- Is not keeping tight control on my weight
-And allowing my body to find it's set point naturally
 - Freedom is not weighing myself at any given opportunity
- And not measuring my worth in pounds and ounces
- Is feeling the fear and anxiety and doing it anyway
- Is taking my meds correctly
- Is knowing that these meds help me now, but I won't have them forever
-  Allowing myself to make mistakes
- And learning from setbacks
Freedom is knowing that there is no such thing as perfect
- And not trying to strive for it
It's allowing myself to exercise when I feel able and healthy
Not making myself exercise when I feel weak and tired
Freedom is throwing away old anorectic clothes (Working on that one)
It's saying Yes rather than No to invitations and opportunities
It's not punishing or treating myself with food
It's finding a purpose beyond my eating disorder
Realising that I am more than my eating disorder
It's throwing away  the scale, the measuring tape, skinny jeans, or anything that encourages me to  measure my worth in numbers
It's waking up in the morning and not dreading the day ahead
It's refraining from unhealthy comparisons
Freedom is deliberately avoiding things that I know will trigger me
It's being kind to myself
Not constantly berating myself and beating myself up for not having the body that I desire
It's surrounding myself with people who want me to be free too
It's letting go of those who don't
It's accepting that where ever I am, that's exactly where I should be
It's knowing that there is always room for growth and change
Freedom is knowing that I am more capable than I ever expected
And stronger than I ever knew
It's believing that I can and will recover
It's believing that recovery is possible for me
It's knowing that I am not a bad person
And am in fact a good person
Freedom is letting go of the perceived control that I have
It's living life on my terms
Freedom is accepting that I want to live more than I want to die
It's living rather than living a half life
It's realising that life is better without my eating disorder
What is freedom to you?