Rick Kilmer, Ph.D. Cognitive Therapy Group

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature...Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure," - Helen Keller.

We humans use many mental tricks to convince ourselves that we are not vulnerable.

People with eating disorders create SUPERSTITIONS to have an illusion of control or safety.
"If I do X... then I can avoid Y."
"If I lose weight...then no one will reject me."
"If I binge...then I won't notice my loneliness."

Think about the areas of your life where your eating disorder has created SUPERSTITIONS to give you the illusion of protection: with romance, social acceptance, family harmony, to cope with emotions, or with success. As you identify and say these SUPERSTITIONS out loud, how do they sound to you?

The truth is that life involves loss. But while pain is mandatory...misery is optional. Our efforts to avoid loss or pain end up creating misery. Our efforts to control, to avoid the risk of getting hurt...result in a compromised life. The more you use your SUPERSTITIONS to be safe, the more likely you are to lose what you love.

Just for today, choose to be less miserable. Release some control. Refuse to obey a rule or superstition of your eating disorder. Fear should be noticed, but not obeyed, when it keeps you from living.