7 Days of Hope for Overcoming Eating DisordersSample

## Guard Your Heart > Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. —Proverbs 4:23 This verse is the essence of your healing journey from ED, and for good reason. To guard your heart is not an afterthought; rather, it needs to be what you do “above all else.” You cannot wait until you are in a compromising situation or faced with temptation. Instead, make this your first priority in order to protect yourself and guard your heart to the fullest extent possible. Guarding the heart looks different for everyone. We all have unique weaknesses. Our strategies to preserve our spiritual, mental, and emotional health must be tailored to our specific battles. In this world, diet culture is very real. It tells you to be different, to do this and definitely not that , to try this new thing and you will be better, more attractive, more desirable, and more valuable as a person. Nearly every direction you turn, you are faced with the world telling you’re inadequate for some reason. This is why you must have boundaries in place to guard your heart from the things that trigger you the most. But in order to do that, you must first identify your triggers . Maybe it’s time to stop watching award shows or reading fashion magazines that provoke negative feelings about your self-image. Or maybe it’s time for a social media cleanout: going through the accounts you follow and unfollowing or muting those that trap you in comparing your body with someone else’s. You may even consider limiting your exposure to accounts, blogs, programs, and other resources that have a high focus on health, fitness, food, and other topics associated with diet and exercise. Instead, work with God to grow in your understanding for what He wants for you in those areas of your life. It may seem extreme at first to create zero-tolerance rules about what you allow yourself to consume, but over time you will see how guarding your heart in this way has a massive impact on your thoughts and beliefs about who you are and what you are worth. Only you know what your triggers are. Take time today to reflect on the settings in which it has been more difficult for you to fight your battle against eating disorders. Ask yourself what could have prevented you from being in that vulnerable position. Create a list of triggers, and continually add to it as you discover what negatively impacts you. Then take action to inhibit those triggers from finding their way to you. Finding things to place into your life that fuel your overall well-being is equally important as removing triggers. Explore new books that inspire you. Find social media accounts that motivate you to be mindful. Watch whatever uplifts your spirit and sparks meaningful conversation with others. Guard your heart, and fuel it with the wonders that will bring you closer to your God.