The New and Improved Ana Goddess

03/05/18, 11:44 pm

Do you guys remember the Goddess Ana? The evil, nasty goddess of anorexia who tortured her victims. I don't know exactly where she came from – just from some God forsaken place on the internet. Ana gave her victims "tips" on staying skinny and punished them for any "failure" to commit. She's the voice in an anorexic's head and she became all the more real thanks to proana sites and thinspiration blogs. Well I think it's time for a new Ana.

What if Ana could be the goddess of forgiveness and compassion and self love? What if she was there to stand by you and accept you as you vomit or rest from hunger pangs or poke at yourself in the mirror? What if she encouraged you to recover? I know it might sound a bit silly but she would be such a positive character!

I'm not saying that I have a great relationship with food or that I'm some role model for self acceptance. A lot of times I don't even think I'm doing a good job at recovering! I just wish there was more positive dialogue in the ED community – but I guess it's all part of the illness.

One thing that I'm trying to do is practice radical acceptance. Of what? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out. I need to fully accept that I am sick and that my body is worth loving and that I am worth loving, among other things. Trust me, it's not easy. Even thinking about trying to love my body and myself makes me anxious and panicky. Part of DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) crisis survival skills encourages you to reach out to some higher power for help. Wouldn't it be nice if Ana was there to help?