Dear Body: The ED Recovery Letter I've Always Tried to Write

Last week in a counseling session, my therapist issued me an assignment: Write a "dear body" letter to myself. In the past, I have done similar exercises, like the goodbye letter I wrote to my eating disorder in 2018. But this undertaking feels much different.

As I consider how to formulate the unsung admiration and respect for this body of mine into words, another realization occurs. It's already within me—the dear body eating disorder recovery letter I have tried to write for years. Now all that remains is to share it with my body.    

A 'Dear Body' Letter Addressed to Me

Dear Body:

In all of our years together—two decades plus nine, I never said "thanks" for being constant, safe, and mine. You are a miraculous tangle of blood, skin, and bone. You are a shelter for my heart and a home for my soul. Your flesh can rupture and bruise but then heal. It's all part of the cycle that has taught me to feel.

I once loathed your imperfections, but now I marvel at your power. There is something ferocious within you that blazes like wildfire. You are a face streaked with laughter and tears unabated. You are a frame that's been tough yet also frail and berated. Sometimes you look vulnerable, but you are strong to endure this bittersweet journey of both stories and scars.

You stood resilient in the trenches of all my disdain when I marked you a traitor and the root of my shame. But you were the warrior who fought to keep me alive—you and that unconquerable desire in me to thrive. I wanted to tame you, and as we both know, I sure tried. I ached just to separate, to denounce you as mine.

But you, force of nature, are relentless to the core, so it's time I stop dissociating from this connection we have formed. I once made you the villain, but in truth, you protect and defend. So here it is, body—thanks for being my friend.      

Tips for Writing Your Own 'Dear Body' Letter 

As you might have noticed, the "dear body" letter I wrote is kind of lyrical in tone because I often use poetry as a creative funnel to sort through my emotions. However, this practice can take any format you choose—whatever feels the most authentic and healing to you as the writer. In this video below, I will share a few recommendations for how to craft your own "dear body" letter in eating disorder recovery.