Positive Affirmations

One of the things I really liked about the treatment center I was at for anorexia was that the bathroom mirror was covered in positive affirmations. Post-It notes of different colors were scattered across the surface, stating things such as "You are beautiful" and "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken." I even added my own tidbit to the collection, from Psalm 139:14 "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

As corny as this sounds, those positive affirmations helped so much. Typically I would go into a bathroom, and spend a few minutes body-checking. This is a ritual in which I examine different parts of my body. Is my belly too big? Why can't it be flat? Do I have love handles? And when did my thighs get so big? This ritual is a great way to make yourself feel like crap, as well as waste time that could be spent living and enjoying life. Add to that the fact that I have an extremely distorted body image, and...you get the idea.

So when I walked into that bathroom for the first time and saw all those Post-It notes, I was forced to let go of that body-checking ritual, at least for a little while. Instead of scrutinizing my body (and seeing things that weren't even really there) I was reading positive notes left by current and former treatment patients. It was a powerful thing!

Once I left treatment, I had the plan to completely cover my own bathroom mirror with positivity. In reality, I had to remember that this was not my own bathroom, nor was it in a treatment center. I didn't want to totally bombard my family, so I settled for creating a border of notes around the very large, rectangular bathroom mirror. Here are some of my favorite positive affirmations:

Eating is not a crime. It's normal. It just is.

Count your blessing - not the calories. Weigh your options - not your self-worth. Starve your self-hatred - not your body. Hate the disorder - not yourself.

This is a body hate-free zone. Every body is celebrated and loved here.

Don't be sad because sad spelled backwards is "das" and das not good! 

Having these daily reminders each day is one of the healthy coping skills I have adopted. I don't care if I have to cover my entire house with these things.