The truth about quasi-recovery
Quasi-recovery is a term that describes recovery that maintains the behavior of not escalating but avoiding active recovery. Active recovery is facing your rigid rules and behaviors and working through them. Some may feel more intense and pop up out of nowhere. When you avoid something for so long, it feels like it has power over you.
Examples and scenarios:
Like stop weighing yourself and feel like you gained weight to your body had changed
Your recovery body feels foreign and alien to you
Disordered eating habits and thoughts show up and feel strong
Sensitivity to body and food comments including social media news
Feeling healthy yet missing the disordered behaviors that once gave you a sense of control
Cravings and lack of rules feel like a loss of control
Limiting food intake to the bare minimum for minimal bodily function and sustenance
Struggling to accept the body you are living in
Exercise may trigger the urge to change your body or burn calories
Missing maladaptive behaviors that can be self-destructive or self-sabotaging to recovery
The good news it passes with the right support and tools to help you navigate this change. The words “ relapse” and “ slip up” can trigger a sense of anxiety as the person fears that behaviors are getting worse and fears hitting rock bottom. Hitting rock bottom puts you in a place of powerlessness and fear of the worst-case scenario. The feelings are there to pass as are temporary. If you feel that it is concerning you, contact your therapist, counselor, or someone on your support team.
How do you work through this phase of recovery?
Address it to your treatment team (therapist, nutritionist/dietitian etc.)
Continue facing your recovery daily even though it gets uncomfortable
Find an outlet to move this emotion in a healthy way
Be aware of the behaviors that indicate slipping back to old behaviors and habits
Commit to recovery even though it can be challenging
If you have any questions, reach out to me at @embracing_wellbeing on Instagram or click on contact me via email at sarah@embracingwellbeing.com
If you are interested in booking a free health history consultation, click on this link.