Is it time to get rid of those “skinny” clothes?
Spring is here and with it comes a desire to clean. What better time to look through your closet and get rid of those clothes that don’t fit? Many people hang onto “skinny” clothes or even buy items a size too small because they think it will inspire them to lose weight. In my experience, this rarely works and in those rare cases when it does, the weight loss is short-term.
When it comes to recovering from an eating disorder, holding onto clothes that fit a smaller-than-natural body size can be particularly triggering. So, what do you do with these clothes? When I was working in a residential program, one patient cut all her old jeans into pieces and sewed them into a quilt. Once the quilt was complete, she filled it with words and quotes that represented her experience living in them. The process was therapeutic and the end result, extremely powerful. I imagine the same process would be helpful for anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight through recovery.
In this article, a clinician and individual who has recovered from an eating disorder discuss letting go of skinny clothes during the recovery process WellesleyWeston Online: Fitness & Health.
