Learning to lead a more mindful life has been crucial in my recovery process. I now know that I have to focus on being present, as well as aware, of what’s going on with me in the moment in regard to my thoughts and feelings. It’s not easy, but by being conscious of the triggers, both physical and mental, that contribute to my eating disorder I can thus try to stop them and address them instead of letting them linger.

Here are some mindful exercises I participate in and find extraordinarily helpful:

• Taking a leisurely walk with my love Brewster. When walking with Brewster I try to avoid stressing the exercise piece and focus purely on the scenery and our time together.

• Meditation/Taking a short nap. For me just putting myself in a dark room, lying down and taking some deep breathes is very soothing and calming. It helps me to recharge and clear my head.

• Everyday come up with 3 compliments for yourself. On rough days this can be hard, but there’s very little that’s more important than being kind and loving towards yourself. Once you are happy with yourself everything else will fall into place.