Taking Care Of Yourself Through Volunteering

As a person with an eating disorder who is in recovery, I amazed myself at just how much time, energy, money, resources, thoughts, and prayers were sacrificed at the alter of my eating disorder. I could consume entire hours thinking about what I would or wouldn’t eat the next day, whether I had exercised enough to compensate for the calories, or if I had truly thrown up every single speck of what I’ve eaten.
Healing from an eating disorder is a lengthy process, but one of the things we can do is look outside of ourselves and what we can do for other people. Now, obviously volunteering to counsel others with eating disorders isn’t a good idea, but there are plenty of other ways to reach out.
Consider what interests you. Maybe the local human society needs help loving on animals – from cuddling kittens to walking dogs –there are rarely enough hands on deck at most shelters. Of course, you’ll probably need to scoop poop, too.
If you aren’t sure where to begin, check out Volunteer Match. They make it easier for good people and good causes to connect. They have an extensive data base where you can type in your location and interests and available opportunities pop up. http://www.volunteermatch.org/about