At Change Creates Change, we talk a lot about just that – change. More specifically, we talk about how your child can create change in eating disorder recovery. In this post, we will talk about how your child can push through the initial resistance that comes with change and how to build momentum.
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Creating Change
When folks begin with our team at Change Creates Change Eating Disorder Care, one of the very first things we talk about is creating change. Whether we are looking at changing our eating patterns, our self-talk, or eating disorder behaviours, it all begins with change.
The first step in eating disorder recovery is just that – creating change. At the beginning of recovery, there is usually a heavy feeling for both the child affected by the eating disorder and the parent of being ‘stuck’. Your child may even express that they feel comfortable in the eating disorder. This is valid. We are often comfortable in the “known”. Your child knows what to expect in the eating disorder, they know what the ‘day to day’ looks like. Recovery requires change, and change can be scary. And let’s not forget – eating disorder recovery is hard work.
Stages of Change in Eating Disorder Recovery
When we are in the beginning phases of eating disorder recovery, perhaps we have not yet made any changes in our daily lives. Your child’s recovery team is getting to know your child’s unique situation, and laying down a strong foundation for the road ahead.
In our practice, we talk a lot about inertia. Now – we are not physics majors and we don’t expect you to be either! Let’s walk through this together.
Inertia and Change
So – what does inertia mean in our practice? Inertia is the law of motion that says “what’s in motion will stay in motion, and what’s at rest will stay at rest”. At the very beginning of recovery we can think of the child as “at rest” in their recovery. And as we said above, what’s at rest will stay at rest. This is where we talk to our clients to ask how we can push through that initial inertia, or resistance to achieve early change.
What’s in motion will stay in motion, and what’s at rest will stay at rest.
The earlier we can achieve change, the stronger chances we have of achieving early recovery. If we can push through that initial feeling of being stuck, we can push through inertia and start to build momentum. It’s much easier to keep going with momentum than it is to get started.
At Change Creates Change, we want to make sure that both the child and the parent have all the support systems they need in place at the beginning of recovery to set themselves up for success. The beginning stages are so important to make sure both the child and the parent have all the tools necessary to be able to push through that resistance and start making change. Once we build that momentum, it is much easier to keep the changes going.
The recovery process is unique to every child living with an eating disorder and their parents. If you would like to learn more about how our expert team of dietitian nutritionists and therapists work with families affected by eating disorders, click the button below to enroll in our free, on-demand webinar hosted by our Clinical Director, Jillian Walsh, RD, RP.
