When you are struggling with disordered eating thoughts or a diagnosed eating disorder, pull out your old photo albums. As we get older, it can be hard to tap into self love and compassion. We see ourselves as the adults that we are, so it’s easy to forget who we were as children. For this reason, the power of old photos cannot be overstated.
Tapping into Your Inner Child
The reason that tapping into our inner child is so important for eating disorder recovery is that it allows us to regard ourselves in a much gentler way. Imagining yourself as a kid is helpful. But taking time to look through old photos and videos really allows your brain to go back. You can go back to a time when you were vulnerable and needed someone to care for you. Now that you are an adult, YOU are that person who is charged with taking care of yourself.
But what happens when you aren’t taking care of yourself the way that you need to be taken care of? That’s how the power of old photos comes into play. It is a striking reminder of the fact that we still need care, and that we still deserve that same compassion that we needed as children.
As you look through old photos, think about how you needed to be treated when you were young. Think too about how you would have treated yourself if your young self was your own child, niece, or nephew. How would you want to nourish that person? Would you say mean things about how that little person’s body looked, or what that body was capable of doing? The answer is probably not. You wouldn’t value that young person based on their appearance. Rather, you would simply know their inherent value as a human. You would treat their body and their mind with kindness, something that we all deserve as people.
Turning the Power of Old Photos into Routine
This is an exercise that you can come back to regularly. And since the power of old photos is so strong, I’d recommend keeping them within eyeshot on a day to day basis. Go through photos from your childhood. Print and frame photos that resonate with you. Hand and keep them in parts of your home that you pass by frequently. If you can put one in your kitchen or in the area where you eat, it can serve as a potent reminder of how you want to treat yourself on a daily basis.
This, of course, is not the only way that you can tap into self compassion on your journey of eating disorder recovery. But because our brains love visuals, I find old photos to be a really good tool to keep in your toolbox.
For more on the power of old photos, check out this Psychology Today article. it details how looking at old pictures can help you tap into your self esteem and realize how far you have come in life. The author states that putting yourself back in the past can help to distance yourself from current problems, sadness, and feelings of hopelessness. It also allows you to consider the purpose of your life and to get a clear understanding of what matters.
