It took a while, but my anxiety led to binge eating disorder (BED). It happened insidiously because I've always had a complicated relationship with food. I love to think, talk about, cook, eat, and share food. At times, I have treated it as my enemy, and at others, I have turned to it for comfort. I've always been an emotional eater, and whether I'm celebrating or commiserating, there's food for every occasion.

I've been in coronavirus confinement at home in Barcelona for over a month, and my binge eating cravings are driving me crazy. My body and mind feel like a battleground. I'm in a constant struggle with myself over food.

The coronavirus triggered binge eating for me. The binges were triggered for me because the outbreak of coronavirus in northern Italy directly impacted me. 

The focus on food during the holidays tends to cause a good deal of stress and anxiety when dealing with an eating disorder. In fact, when I think of the holiday season, three things come to mind: family, friends, and the big one, food. This year, let's stay present on what really matters instead of fixating on what, when, and how much we eat.

A restrictive diet in eating disorder recovery seems counter-intuitive but it can be necessary. Eating disorder recovery is a tough thing to stay on track with. It can become even more difficult when you have to restrict your diet. Here I share my experience of this and how I am managing to sustain recovery on a dairy-free restrictive diet.

Surrendering to life in eating disorder recovery is vitally important. To surrender from your eating disorder means giving up everything related to your illness. It also means fully embracing eating disorder recovery as an idea and a lifestyle.

I binged; now what should I do? I recently slipped on my eating disorder recovery and binged. It's a difficult thing to admit to the world, but I did. It can be extremely hard to bounce back after a binge. It can feel like a total failure and like it's the end of the world. Guess what, it's not. Here I share the lessons I've learned from my recent binge.

Eating disorder support keeps you from feeling alone in the world. Connecting with others who are experiencing or have experienced the same things as you is a great way to get through these feelings of loneliness caused by the eating disorder. Learn about how to find eating disorder support.

Remember this binge eating recovery tip for the new year: Take small steps every day. The dawning of the new year tends to make us feel that once midnight strikes we need to make big changes right away. The issue with this can be that it is all too much, too soon. This is the same when it comes to your binge eating disorder recovery. Small steps every day will help achieve the lasting changes you desire.

Have you thought to celebrate your binge eating disorder recovery over the holidays? Often times we become so entrenched with stress during the holidays that we forget to celebrate what's really important. When we get caught up in the superficial parts of the holiday season, we completely ignore what truly matters to us. Celebrating your binge eating disorder recovery, your body, and your progress is just as important as all the other good stuff this season has to offer.