One of the biggest barriers to change is motivation. Even when it’s the change we know we need to make, making the effort requires focus, time, and energy that can lose steam over time. Keeping your eating disorder recovery motivation alive can be a challenge, but it’s always possible. To start digging your motivational well to draw from, you need to first start on a personal journey of looking inward and unearthing your reasons to recover.
What really fuels your eating disorder recovery motivation is finding your “why.” This “why” can come from external pressures or rewards, or it can come from deep within you. Both kinds of motivations are important as they help you push through that initial resistance to change and keep you moving forward.
When you’re in eating disorder recovery, it’s not just about healing your body—it’s about tending to your emotional and mental well-being too. If you’ve started down this path, you already know that recovery goes beyond just changing certain behaviors. It’s really about transforming how you see yourself, how you relate to your body, and how you connect with the world around you.
The Role of Extrinsic Motivation in Initial Recovery
Extrinsic motivations are those outside influences that can spark your initial drive to recover. An eating disorder recovery motivation example could be wanting to prove to your loved ones that you can get better and heal in a healthy manner where food doesn’t take the front seat in your mind. Another example could be wanting to get your concentration and work ethic back to do better in school or at work.
Or, it could be a very simple yet important extrinsic reason to recover: gaining your health back and avoiding serious health consequences. Maybe you’d like to avoid the potential hospital visits and other medical interventions that come into account when you’re fighting an eating disorder. Whatever the cause, these extrinsic reasons are often the motivators that kick-start your recovery journey.
These external factors can be incredibly powerful, especially in the early stages when recovery feels really overwhelming and hard to grasp. However, while extrinsic motivations can provide the necessary push to begin recovery, they often aren’t enough to sustain long-term change.
This is where intrinsic motivation comes in—a deeper, more personal commitment to your own well-being that is essential for enduring recovery.
The Power of Intrinsic Motivation Over Time
Intrinsic motivation comes from within. It’s driven by personal values, beliefs, and desires that ring true to you. These are the motivations that align with your inner self and what you intrinsically and inherently want out of life. Harnessing these intrinsic reasons for eating disorder recovery motivation can transform the way you approach your healing process.
However, a big problem many in recovery run into is locating this intrinsic motivation. Eating disorders tend to rob you of your mental, emotional, and spiritual energy, leaving little room to uncover and explore your real passions. When you spend so much brain power devoted to feeding your eating disorder and maintaining a toxic regimen of control, fear, and anxiety, intrinsic motivations can take a huge hit.
But don’t be dissuaded; that passion and hope are still within you. You have a purpose and a reason to be so much more than your eating disorder. And once you locate and dedicate time to fuelling your passions, your motivation to recover and thrive in life is made all the more clear.
Examples of “Whys” That Will Drive You
Some common intrinsic reasons that can support your eating disorder recovery motivations might include:
- Reconnecting with Your Body: Eating disorders disconnect or turn you away from your body, and building up that wall means treating your own self more like an enemy than a friend. Rebuilding a respectful and compassionate relationship with your body is how you learn to treat it and yourself with kindness.
- Aspiration to Live Authentically: Eating disorders often mask who you really are, forcing you into a cycle of behaviors and thoughts that don’t reflect your true self. You might be motivated by the desire to rediscover your authentic self, to live a life that’s true to who you are, rather than one dictated by an eating disorder.
- Mental and Emotional Freedom: Being constantly consumed by thoughts about food, body image, and weight can be mentally draining to say the least. Breaking out of this toxic cycle of thoughts to finally achieve mental peace will also help you find the freedom to focus on other passions and interests in your life.
- Forming Self-Care and Self-Respect: A big part of recovery for so many is processing the months or years of low self-worth and lack of self-care and learning how to love themselves again. This means taking the time to nourish your body, getting enough rest, and doing things that make you feel good instead of doing things that make your eating disorder feel good.
- Reconnecting in Relationships: Wanting to connect more deeply with others might seem like an external motivation, but as people we have a genuine and intrinsic need for closeness and community. When your eating disorder isn’t standing in the way, your relationships can become so much more closer and meaningful.
How to Remind Yourself of Your Intrinsic Motivators
As you identify your intrinsic motivations, it’s essential to keep them at the forefront of your recovery journey. Start by jotting down all the reasons you want to recover. Think of this list as your go-to reminder, something you can keep handy in a journal or on your phone for those tough moments. Having your motivations clearly laid out can be a powerful way to remind yourself why you’re putting in all this effort.
Along with that, creating some visual reminders can really help keep you focused. A vision board with pictures, quotes, or symbols that reflect the life you want can keep your goals front and center. Put it somewhere you’ll see every day, so it’s a constant nudge toward what you’re working for.
Surrounding yourself with a support team who understands and encourages you can make a huge difference, too. Whether it’s friends, family, therapists, or support groups, talking about your reasons for recovery with others can really reinforce your commitment.
Remember to Celebrate and Uplift Yourself
Another helpful practice is to spend some time imagining what your life will look like in recovery. Picture the activities you’ll enjoy, the relationships you’ll build, and the peace of mind you’ll have. Thinking about your future like this can make your motivations feel more real and within reach.
It’s also a good idea to regularly take a step back and reflect on your progress and the reasons driving your recovery. Whether it’s through journaling, meditation, or during therapy, this regular check-in helps you stay connected to your motivations and gives you a chance to adjust them if needed.
Lastly, don’t forget to celebrate the small wins along the way. Recovery is a journey full of little milestones, and giving yourself credit for even the tiniest progress can be a great way to affirm your motivations are working.
Be patient with yourself, too. Recovery isn’t a straight path, and setbacks are part of the process. When things get tough, take a moment to revisit your reasons for recovery and remind yourself of the bigger picture. Being kind to yourself in those moments can help you keep moving forward.
Making Your Eating Disorder Recovery Motivation Last
While extrinsic motivations may get you started on the path to recovery, it’s the intrinsic motivations that will sustain you through the inevitable ups and downs. These deeply personal reasons connect you to your core values and desires, giving you a core of “whys” that can propel you in even the toughest times.
By identifying and nurturing your intrinsic motivations, you create a solid foundation for your recovery. These motivations remind you of what you’re truly working towards—freedom, authenticity, connection, and self-respect. They are the guiding lights that will help you navigate the challenges and setbacks that are part of any recovery journey.
Maintaining eating disorder recovery motivation is a lifelong process, but by focusing on what truly matters to you, you can find the strength and resilience to continue moving forward. Recovery is not just about getting rid of your harmful behaviors; it’s about reclaiming your life and living it fully and authentically. And that, in itself, is the most powerful motivation of all.
