Fear. This small word has a big impact. It is an emotion felt by everyone. We all have fears, some are rational, some irrational. In regards to eating disorders, and recovery, the fears almost everyone deals with are; fear of change, fear of success, fear of failure, and fear of judgement. They are often connected and feed off one another.

The fear of success and the fear of failure may seem contradicting, but they are both strongly correlated with perfectionism. The fear of change and fear of judgement tend to go hand in hand, especially when you’re on the path of recovery. But all these fears don’t exist anywhere except in your own mind and are the result of False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR).

We fear change because it is new and unknown, but change isn’t going to hurt us. We fear judgement because we think everyone is going to look down on us and dislike something about us, but it’s within us where we’re being judgmental. We fear success because we don’t know if we can handle the new situation or responsibility. This can lead to procrastination or even not trying in the first place because we are so afraid to fail.

Face the Fear, Find Professional Help in Your Area

All of these common, yet powerful fears can keep us from taking steps forward in recovery and from living the life we truly desire. In order to start living and find your path of recovery, these fears, and any others you may have must be faced. Find what scares you and face it! Don’t try to jump outside your comfort zone because you will likely become overwhelmed and jump right back in. Just take small steps toward the fear you are trying to overcome and build your way up.

Once you face what scares you, you will feel empowered and motivated. When you decide to accept a challenge without it creeping up on you or someone else telling you to face it, the feeling of achievement will be much greater.

Recovery takes a lot of courage and you have to overcome many challenges, a process which can be terrifying at times. As you continue to face your fears, challenge beliefs, and adjust behaviors, you will get stronger and things will get less scary over time. When something scares you, remember; FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real, and you can reveal the truth by facing those fears.

Recovery is possible if you continue to challenge yourself, seek out what scares you and face it, and don’t let fear hold you back.

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