How to Help Others With an Eating Disorder Even When You Are Still Suffering

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One of the strangest realizations for me is when I realize that people still think of “clean eating” when they think of me.

They don’t know what I’m up to these days, so when they see me after two years of not reading a single post of mine, or listening to a podcast, they say “Oh Maddy, don’t look at what I’m eating!! I promise, I’m normally really healthy and never, ever eat cheeseburgers! You’d be proud of me!”

Without holding anything back from you, here’s some full disclosure: these kinds of comments make me want to scream.

I cannot reverse the message I used to put out into the world when I was a competitor, but what I can do is be completely honest and straightforward here forth.

Your healthy habits don’t impress me. It’s your passion for life that excites me.

Generally after I hear a comment like this, I explain to the out-of-the-loop friend that my message is no longer about weight loss or dieting, and it’s actually about finding self worth and passion by abandoning these trivial concerns and chasing after purpose instead.

Their expression usually goes from interested to confused to understanding, and finally, excitement!

You see, people will very easily pick up what you’re putting down.

When they thought I was guiding others into the world of weight loss, paleo and dieting, people were interested and wanted to find out how they too could be a part of this world.

Now, as I share my much more spiritual and purpose-driven message, people are just as excited to listen in, but ten times more intrigued.

“I don’t have to lose weight?!”

“I don’t have to spend my days counting calories?”

People are looking for permission to be. Permission to live as they are, right now.

Whether or not you are still enduring body dysmorphia or disordered eating, you can be that light.

In my most recent podcast, I covered a topic that is very dear to me: the importance of journaling your recovery process publicly through a blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or some other medium.

I owe many of my own revelations to my blog, as it was a source to share my world, thoughts and struggles with others.

From there, many things happened.

I found my tribe.

I created art.

I created a passion.

I created a business.

I learned how to be a light even though I was still suffering.

This can be the same for you. Creating a blog is not that hard. In fact, it’s rather simple and you can have one set up by the end of the day just by building a free site off of WordPress.

If you really want to do this 110%, you can buy a domain right off the bat from GoDaddy.com and then link it to a wordpress site.

From there, you write. You talk about your story. You connect with other like minded individuals over Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. You share your link and you write about what recovery feels like.

Not only will you learn how to help others with an eating disorder even when you are still suffering but you will also become inspired by your own journey.

My blog is my biggest tool for my own recovery, but it’s also the biggest tool I have for helping others recover from their own disordered eating. I have been blogging since 2010 and it’s certainly been interesting to watch myself change over the years, but what’s even more enjoyable is to watch other people, such as my readers, change with me.

Now, when people approach me and make a comment about how impressed they are with my bodybuilding competitions, I can undo the ideas I may be responsible for putting in their mind about the purpose of our bodies, by referring them to my blog and podcast.

I am never upset if people don’t know what message I put out there today, but the least I can do is make sure they understand that bodybuilding, weight loss, and dieting are not beneficial to any human.

There are so many better purposes for living.

Interested in creating a blog? Here are more resources for this:

Do you journal your #eatingdisorder recovery journey in a blog? Share it here!

Disordered eating is tough enough alone, but as a whole, we grow together. If you have a blog where you share your own journey, comment below and leave the link! Connect with each other and become soul sisters.

Much love,

Maddy Moon

PS- Something happened this past week that I have got to share with y’all soon. I’m still trying to decide how (newsletter, video, podcast, or blog…) but I will share sometime this month. I’ve been humbled, but I believe in my mission so much that I’ve had to make this big decision. Stay tuned.

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