My Recovery Bucket List…

So I thought this would be the perfect time to share my recovery bucket list, especially as discharge is now on the horizon. This consists of both challenges and goals to complete to help beat Anorexia….

I would advise anyone in recovery or just in general to create one of these because I’ve found it really helps with motivation! You could create one to help you get out and about more, overcome an illness or just for things you’d like to complete!

I have divided my list into both short-term, long-term and life goals. The short-term goals are of things I would like to complete this year in recovery and the long-term are of those I want to aim for.

Some of my bucket list might seem like everyday things to others but for someone suffering with Anorexia it can be hard to carry out these. For example if someone asked a person without an eating disorder if they wanted to go out for coffee or dinner, the only concern would be if they had time or what to wear. However ask this question to someone with an eating disorder it has a whole different effect consisting of overlapping intrusive thoughts…

“Too many calories”

“Your losing control”

“What will you eat?”

“It will make you feel worse”

“Fat”

“Restrict”

“Everyone will think your greedy”

“Fat!”

Yes, it sounds ridiculous written down but when this is stopping you from thinking straight and creating a hazy fog over your day, it can be quite distressing. But that’s why beating this illness is so important to help silence it.

So this how I am going to do it….

Short term goals

• To get physically healthy from anorexia

• Costa coffee
• Eat on my own
• Relax for a whole day without exercising
• Attend school for a full day
• Eat out with friends
• Make dinner and actually follow the ingredients list
• Spontaneously eat something without a pre plan
• Maintain my weight after discharge

• Order what I ACTUALLY want at a restaurant
• Have a picnic
• Give advice to others
• Take away
• milkshake out
• Popcorn at cinema
• Pick and Mix (one of my biggest fears)
• 99 flake from ice cream van
• Nandos (never been)
• Go camping (never been) and toast marshmallows
• Pass my driving test (missed my test in hospital)
• Swim (because who cares what you look like in a swimming costume!)
• Raise awareness
• Try a new food
• Waffle house
• Survive a full week at school
• Follow my meal plan for a month without skipping or restricting
• Help/ give advice someone else struggling
• Go to the gym without over doing it
• Stop unnecessary walking for a month
• Survive my Holiday to Zante
• Stop comparing myself to others
• Discharge from Huntercombe Hospital
• Run on my own without over doing it

 

Long term goals

• Finish my A-levels (had to retake the year because of hospital)
• Run in a charity race
• Intuitive eating
• Complete the colour run (I missed it in hospital this year)
• Skydive or bungee raising money for BEAT
• Run a 10k
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• Go to America Disney next year (I missed it also)
• Accept my body and myself
• Watch the new year countdown in London
• Take part in eating disorder awareness week

 

Life goals

• Fully recover from Anorexia and be finally at peace with myself

• Go to university
• Run a marathon
• Get married
• Start a family
• Become a doctor
• Help others

 

My goals  might change and some short-term might have to move to longer term. But at the end of it I still want  accomplish the same thing

“To have lived life to its fullest and not just EXISTED in the shadow of Anorexia…”