Whoever came up with the term “One day at a time” was clearly well into their recovery and had not been through a rough patch in a very long time. Do you know how long 24 hours is? ESPECIALLY for someone in early recovery or anyone in distress? Pain—whether it is mental or physical—can make time stand still. Seconds feel like minutes, minutes feel like hours, and hours feel like days. So you’re asking me to take it one full day? That is way too daunting.
In my very early eating disorder recovery, I told myself to take it 30 seconds at a time. That was the amount of time my brain would allow me to not even think about using eating disorder behaviors. Once those 30 seconds were up, I would reset the clock. As my recovery got stronger, the time extended, but when things got tough, I would return to my 30-second rule. Sometimes the rule shifted—during the start of lockdown, it was really difficult for me to eat, so I changed it to “one meal at a time” or “one snack at a time.” During the height of my treatment, it would be “one group at a time.” When I’ve lost important people in my life, it’s been “one cry at a time.”
I have gone through 8,754,891 sets of 30 seconds since the last time I used eating disorder behaviors. Let this be your reminder that a day is way too long, but I promise you that you can do it 30 seconds at a time.
This Week in Comfort
I saw the musician Rêve live two weeks ago. I have been having a dance party to all her music since then. Put on CTRL + ALT + DEL and start dancing!
It’s Pride Season, which means it’s time to bust out my most extra outfits. This has reminded me that nothing will put a smile on my face like getting in full glam and wearing my brightest outfits. Highly recommend doing the same!
This clip from “Silver Linings Playbook” has been circulating among my recovery friends. It is unbelievably relatable and accurate to many of our conversations.