What are you afraid of?
Really. I want you to put it into words. Verbalize it.
What keeps you up at night?
During my anorexia and for some of much of recovery, I was afraid of the weight restoration. I was afraid of certain foods; that “all elusive” weight range; how my body was going to change. I was afraid of not being perfect; I was afraid of failing, being a disappointment, and letting other people down.
Maybe some of those are ringing true for you. Maybe you’re afraid of admitting you have an eating disorder, period? Been there! Perhaps you’re afraid of adding a supplement, or stopping your exercise addiction. Maybe you’re afraid of revealing to your loved ones that you’re struggling. Or maybe you’re afraid of feeling your feelings.
Whatever you’ve verbalized, I’m guessing it sounds a little bit like that.
When you were a little kid, remember how you had that one thing that made you feel safe? Maybe it was your blanket, or a stuffed animal. I was afraid of the dark, and I remember my sibling told me once that my bedsheet was like steel armor and nothing could hurt me underneath it. That was my “safe place.” I would always hide in my safe place whenever I was afraid.
An eating disorder capitalizes on your fears. It uses what scares you to manipulate you into self-destruction.
When you’re afraid of something, what do you do? How do you deal with that fear?
And I’m not just talking about “ED stuff” — I’m talking about anything in life.
You’re afraid of someone breaking into your house: so you get a security system. Or a big scary dog.
You’re afraid of getting mugged on the street: so you take self-defense classes, get a “rape whistle” and buy a thing of mace.
You’re afraid of X: so you do Y.
You enter what is called “Fear Mode,” where you go to your “safe place” and try to control the fear.
That’s the core of your eating disorder. You’re so terrified of the weight, or the food, or allowing yourself to be loved, that you try to control it. You go to your safe place — your ED behaviors. You’ve found that your ED behaviors — whether it be restricting, or purging or over-exercising, self-harm, whatever it is — it makes you feel safe and in control — and that is where you revert to when you’re scared: Because you don’t have to face those fears when you’re actively engaged in your eating disorder.
That’s what your ED behaviors are: they are a way to control the fear. Those destructive behaviors are what you turn to in order to control what terrifies you: They are both your “teddy bear” and your fighting sword.
And I want you to know — I’m not coming from a place of judgement. The Good Lord knows I have quite the “checkered past.”
So I get it. I get why we go there. And yes, we all have gone back to a behavior once or twice in recovery. That’s why it’s called recovery.
But here’s the thing about fear. And yes, I’m going #RealTalk on ya.
Fear is part of life.
We all are afraid of something. And it’s not what scares us, it’s how we respond to it.
We’ve all heard quotes and quips about fear. Gosh, without even consulting Google, I can think of, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” “The only way to overcome fear is to go through it.” Blah blah blah. They begin to lose their meaning, time after time after time.
So here’s a new one.
And it’s from my own life. So, take it as you will.
I’ve accepted that fear will always be a part of life. Even though I’m in recovery, I still have a lot of fears: Will I meet the man I’m supposed to marry? And if I do, will I let him love me and will I accept his love? Will I be successful in my career? Will I ever be able to 100% love myself? Will I be derailed again by an Ulcerative Colitis flare up?
Fear is everywhere.
So here’s my thing:
Fight fear less, and trust God more.
Instead of trying to control everything you’re afraid of — instead of trying to control your fears about weight restoration and a “blooming body,” — trust God more.
You don’t have to be fearless. You don’t have to be super brave and not fear anything anymore. It’s okay to be afraid. Just trust that God has a good plan for you and your life.
Now this might be really hard to conceptualize, and even harder to do. You might be thinking, “Sure, that sounds good…conceptually. But when it comes right down to it – when I see the numbers going up on the scale, when I am faced with an Ensure supplement increase, when I’m bloated, when I have a full plate of food in front of me — trusting God just isn’t going to cut it.”
And I know. I’ve been there. It is hard. They don’t call you a warrior for nothing.
But here’s what I invite you to think about. You don’t have to believe it. You don’t have to accept it. But just hear it. Read it. Don’t dismiss it just because it has to do with “God.”
When we fight our fears – when we try to control them by using ED behaviors, or whatever, we are not actually in control. We may feel like we’re in control. Like, “Oh yeah, well, I left 3 sips of Ensure at the bottom of the bottle.” Or, “I didn’t scrape the tablespoon clean when I was measuring my peanut butter.” No. Those little manipulations are like our “teddy bear” when we’re feeling afraid. They’re a little way for us to fight, and control our fear. But here’s the truth. Here’s the #RealTalk:
God is in control.
And I’m not going to get preachy, so I’m just going to end it with this:
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.
One of the things about this quote that I am often guilty of, and maybe you are too, is that when I read this, I think, “Oh awesome! Everything I have planned for myself is going to work out! Everything I have written in my “goal journal” is going to come to fruition! SAH-WEET!”
But that’s actually not the case.
Note: that it does not say, “For I know the plans you have for yourself.”
No. It says, “For I know the plans I have for you,”
His plans for us.
We are not in control. We can try and try as we want, but in the end, it is God who is the author of our lives. And if He is allowing us to endure this trial, then there is something we’re supposed to learn from it. And it will be used for good. To prosper us…it says so right there.
And this is the absolute last thing.
When we’re in that moment of fear, facing an increase, or an intense urge to purge, or a full plate of full-calorie pasta, remember:
You are not alone.
Psalm 121:1 He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber.
I invite you to take that little phrase, “He who watches over me will not slumber” and just reflect on it.
Its meaning can get lost in the “bible-talk-ness” of that phrase. Allow me to break it down: A) He is watching over me. B) He is watching over me at all times because He doesn’t sleep. Therefore, C) I am never alone.
You are not alone.
Fear can be paralyzing, if we let it. It can be destructive, if we let it.
But it can only control us if we let it.
Fight fear less, trust God more.
31 responses to “Fight Fear Less”
I keep that bible verse right next to my desk on my wall (: I also keep these two!
“When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.” -Isaiah 43:2
and
“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” -Hebrews 2:18
Oh my gosh I LOVE those. Thank you for sharing them with me 🙂 glad you stopped by love xoxo
No problem <3 I think I might do a blog post on some of my favorite bible verses/religion in recovery soon!
Fighting fear is exhausting; trusting in God is relieving. Thanks for the post 🙂
You’re so right. SO relieving. Thanks for stopping by! 🌷💛🌷💛🌷
I’m deathly afraid of gaining all of my weight back. I lost over 100 pounds 7 years ago, although it’s a huge source of pride I’m also terrified of gaining it all back. I eat clean, workout like a mad women and stay positive but it seems as if I’m always worry about it. I’m going to speak this truth and hopefully one day it will go away. <3
Wow what an accomplishment Mary! That is truly incredible. Worries are such monkeys on our backs and can keep us from living in true freedom. I have to remind myself that I am not in control all the time. Keep fighting the good fight, love. Thanks for stopping by. I believe in you xoxo
GREAT post. Most fear in regards to an eating disorder is irrational, but it takes a long time in order to fight it before we can realize how illogical it all is. 🙂 My own recovery has been ALL about challenging any fear in regards to food, calories, and weight. <2
Thanks Julia! You’re so right. Challenging ED and his lies are the name of the game:) thanks for stopping by! 😘
Fear is a reality for all of us – whether it takes the form of ED or something else. It is interesting that God’s plan for us allows us to go through certain things so that we can later be an encouragement to others. You have encouraged me today – thank you.
Thank you for that. You’re right. God uses everything for good. Thanks for stopping by!
Such a great post! We are confronted by our ED fears every day, but need to remember that God is also with us, all day, every day, and He can help us fight our fears to find comfort and relief. Thanks for writing! X
Thank you so much. There is a lot of comfort in knowing that. He is good and always with us. Thanks for stopping by! xoxo
Hi! I do not struggle with an eating disorder but I really enjoyed this entry! God is bigger than all of it, we miss that in the Christianese-Biblespeak. But it encourages me that He does not slumber. Thank you for the reminder and for liking my recent blogpost. I appreciate your breaking down of Bible verses and your outreach into the true feelings of your readers, it’s inspiring.
thank you so much. i really appreciate your encouragement and support. That’s so important to remember; God is bigger than it all! Thanks for stopping by!
“Fight fear less. Trust God more.” Beautiful! Well done!
So I go to my morning devotions, and what’s the verse? Matthew 6:25-34. The last verse is the best. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Oh my gosh! There’s God winking at you again! I live that verse. It brings so much comfort. To think that even in biblical time, people had to be reminded to relinquish control, let it go, and live in the moment. Thanks again for your readership, Jeffrey. It means more than you know. God bless ☺️
Thanks Jeffrey☺️☺️☺️🙏
I would say that it is imperative that we get this. We are not really in control, God is. His plans and purpose for us are what we need to look at. And, my favorite cliche or saying if you will about fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. We do all have fears, although mine have never been about eating. The concept though is to understand that no matter what our fears, when we give in to those fears nothing but destructive patterns of behavior develop as you so eloquently put it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much for this beautiful reflection. You speak the truth! I love that acronym: false evidence appearing real. I’ve never heard that but I really like it! And you’re right, God is in control, so we truly have nothing to fear. Thanks for stopping by! Hugs!
This was beautiful to read as the morning sun rises and casts its brilliance over the day–as our One True Author casts his brilliance into our lives. Thank you. And thank you for connecting. Your words are inspiring for all life challenges.
Thank you so much for this beautiful note of encouragement. God is good. Thanks For stopping by! Hugs and love to you xox
Reblogged this on Yael Eliyahu and commented:
As a woman who struggles with fear every day, this cannot describe a better solution.
It’s not just food; you have to trust God with your dreams…your future….your relationships…sometimes you just need to trust that He is going to help you run that extra mile or finish your homework.
It’s the greatest challenge that each warrior can face. But it is worth it.
Many thanks to the woman who had the courage to face her fears, and share this with all of us.
Fight fear less – trust God more. You can read it all day – my challenge for you is to try it.
Shalom. – Yael Eliyahu
Thank you so much for the reblog! Hugs and love xox
You are welcome! Fear has been/is my biggest struggle as a Christian, and your words mean a lot to me. I’m glad I get to share them with other people, too!
❤️❤️❤️
I love your transparency! It’s hard to admit a struggle, but know that you are encouraging so many people right now!
Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much! Oh my gosh that’s so kind of you to say. Big hugs xox
Wonderful message. May the Lord continue to inspire and bless you with your calling. You are calling out and people are listening. God bless
Thank you so much!! What a kind thing to say! Hugs and love xox