It’s a New Year, Find your values: Empowering Eating Disorder Recovery
As we enter 2025, consider thinking about how you want to live your life and who you want to be. When you do this, you’re accessing your values.
As the New Year approaches, many people turn to the familiar tradition of setting resolutions. These resolutions often focus on measurable outcomes—whether it’s advancing at work, quitting smoking or committing to a new hobby. We're conditioned to focus on success that can be quantified: things we can earn, possess, or accomplish.
But what if, instead of focusing only on what you want to achieve, you embraced a different approach this year—one that’s grounded in something deeper, more enduring, and more empowering? What if the New Year became an opportunity to live by your values, especially in the context of eating disorder recovery?
Rather than centering your attention on a specific goal, try shifting your focus to how you want to live. Think about what you stand for and what truly matters to you—not just in terms of your appearance or your body, but in terms of your overall well-being and the kind of person you aspire to be. This is the power of living according to your values.
What Are Values, and Why Do They Matter in Eating Disorder Recovery?
Values are your inner compass. They are the principles and qualities that guide your actions and decisions, reflecting what matters most to you. Unlike specific resolutions, which focus on measurable achievements, values are flexible, abstract, and deeply personal. They’re about how you want to show up in the world and in your own life—especially when it comes to things like health, self-worth, and relationships.
In the context of eating disorder recovery, living by your values can be transformative. Eating disorders often thrive in environments of shame, self-criticism, and perfectionism. They distort how we view our bodies, food, and worth, causing us to lose touch with what truly nourishes us—physically, emotionally, and mentally.
By reconnecting with your core values—such as self-compassion, balance, health, and authenticity—you can start to rebuild a sense of self-worth that is not contingent on the number on the scale, the foods you eat, or the appearance of your body. Instead, your recovery becomes about learning to live in alignment with the person you want to be, regardless of how your body looks or how much food you consume.
Living by Your Values vs. Traditional Resolutions
Traditional New Year’s resolutions are often centered around achieving specific outcomes, like going to the gym or eating healthier. While these resolutions may seem motivating at first, they tend to focus on external measures of success—things you can measure, count, or quantify. But they can also be a source of stress, shame, and frustration if those outcomes aren’t achieved as planned.
In contrast, living by values focuses on how you want to approach life, regardless of what external outcomes occur. It’s not about perfection or reaching a particular destination; it’s about showing up as the person you want to be, each and every day. In the context of eating disorder recovery, this means taking small, consistent actions that honor your values—not the demands of diet culture or body standards.
For example:
Instead of focusing on a weight goal, you might embrace the value of self-compassion, which encourages you to treat your body with kindness and patience, regardless of its size or shape.
Rather than fixating on restrictive eating habits, you might focus on the value of balance, allowing yourself to nourish your body in a way that feels nurturing, flexible, and sustainable.
If perfectionism has played a role in your eating disorder, the value of authenticity can help you embrace who you are, imperfections and all, without the need for constant self-judgment.
Living by these values makes recovery about embracing who you are—not what you look like or what others think of you.
Why Values Are More Powerful Than Resolutions in Recovery
Living by your values is especially powerful in eating disorder recovery because it focuses on what’s within your control, rather than external goals or outcomes. While resolutions are often tied to external factors, values provide a flexible, resilient foundation for navigating setbacks and challenges. When recovery gets difficult, returning to your values—like self-compassion or health—helps you stay grounded and continue moving forward, even in the face of obstacles. Ultimately, living by values shifts your sense of self-worth from appearance-based ideals to deeper qualities like authenticity and courage, fostering lasting self-esteem built on your actions and principles.
How to Start Living by Your Values in the New Year
This New Year, rather than setting a traditional resolution focused on external outcomes, try setting intentions based on your values. Here's how you can begin:
Clarify Core Values: Reflect on what truly matters to you. What do you want to stand for in your recovery and in life? Values like self-compassion, balance, freedom, and health might resonate with you.
Set Intentions, Not Goals: Instead of aiming for a specific weight or body type, set intentions based on your values. For example, if self-compassion is a value, your intention might be to speak kindly to yourself when faced with difficult eating moments. If health is a value, your intention might be to focus on nourishing your body, rather than focusing on calorie counting.
Take Small, Value-Driven Actions: Start each day by taking small steps that align with your values. This could mean eating meals with mindfulness, practicing gratitude for your body, or engaging in gentle movement that feels good rather than punishing. Each small step reinforces your commitment to living authentically.
Embrace Flexibility and Self-Compassion: Remember, living by your values doesn’t mean being perfect. It means being kind to yourself through every part of the process. If you stumble or have a hard day, practice self-compassion and return to your values the next day.
Regularly Revisit Your Values: Life changes, and so do your values. Periodically reflect on whether your actions are still in alignment with what you truly care about. Reconnect with your values when you face challenges or when life feels overwhelming.
The Power of Living By Your Values in Recovery
Living by your values is a transformative way to approach eating disorder recovery. Instead of focusing on external outcomes like appearance or weight, you focus on becoming the person you want to be—someone who values health, self-compassion, authenticity, and balance.
As you approach the New Year, let this be the time when you shift your focus from restrictive goals to living in alignment with your truest self. In doing so, you will foster resilience, self-love, and a deeper sense of fulfillment—not just in recovery, but in every aspect of your life.
Therapy to Support Your Value-Driven Recovery
At Columbus Park, we help individuals connect with their core values and create lives that reflect those values. Whether you’re recovering from an eating disorder or simply looking to live with more authenticity, we can support you in discovering and living by the principles that matter most to you. If you're ready to take the first step toward a meaningful, value-driven life this New Year, reach out to us today.
