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You mention you read a lot of books during your recovery that helped to inspire you. Would you mind sharing which ones? I'd love to read them. Thank you for being you :)

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Anonymous

Of course! If you are going through a recovery, please just make sure you are in a safe place mentally to read them. Because a lot of them are triggering. You really see the mind of a sick person. 

I loved Hungry by Crystal Renn, because I related to it so much (being obsessive, losing tons of weight to be a straight size model, gaining 70 pounds, reemerging as a plus model, etc). But since I really want to be in a positive state of mind today, I only re-read the second half of the book which talks about her acceptance and embrace of the new body (rather than the first half which digs into her sickness and rituals). 

One last thought: Books were definitely great for me in my recovery, but if you are still in that mindset, they can give you unhealthy ideas. There is definitely a balance, and you need to trust yourself with the information. But what helped me the most was not focusing so much on disorders, food, books and articles about it all, because what we focus on expands. I’d definitely recommend focusing more on healing your core, exploring some passions, and finding who you are first. The rest will follow :) 

P.S. Thanks for your support! xo

 “No matter what size I am, it’s OK, because I’m fine,” she says. “Health is the most important thing.” Renn goes on, “The thing is, I was recovering from anorexia. My body’s going to do some things that I don’t expect. It’s a learning process for me. The problem is when we start bashing and saying ‘Oh i think she’s not as pretty when she’s this thin’ or — I even read a comment where it said I was emaciated. I’ve been called fat a million times but when someone called me emaciated, I’ve got to be honest, I got really really angry. I am not emaciated. It’s funny because if I, for instance gained the weight because I was listening to them, I’d be doing the very same thing I was doing when I started out in this industry. I was listening to others to decide where my weight should be and who I should be in general. And I refuse to do that again. It would be more hypocritical.”

 “No matter what size I am, it’s OK, because I’m fine,” she says. “Health is the most important thing.” Renn goes on, “The thing is, I was recovering from anorexia. My body’s going to do some things that I don’t expect. It’s a learning process for me. The problem is when we start bashing and saying ‘Oh i think she’s not as pretty when she’s this thin’ or — I even read a comment where it said I was emaciated. I’ve been called fat a million times but when someone called me emaciated, I’ve got to be honest, I got really really angry. I am not emaciated. It’s funny because if I, for instance gained the weight because I was listening to them, I’d be doing the very same thing I was doing when I started out in this industry. I was listening to others to decide where my weight should be and who I should be in general. And I refuse to do that again. It would be more hypocritical.”

(via malindajane)