An objective listener is a godsend. A non-judgemental pair of ears makes all the difference.
Eating disorders thrive on secrecy: just by sitting and listening, you’ve got one over on it.
Just by offering a different perspective, you’re challenging its supremacy.
You don’t need to do anything. You don’t need to make it all better – just listen, please.
It’s easier to make sense of things when all the cards are on the table. You can work out the answers when you stop being scared of talking about the problem. It’s easier to move away from it all when you start getting your own voice back –
Just listen, please.
I get that it’s difficult to know where to start; that it’s hard to work out whether the hostility is worth the effort. I know that it’s hard to lend a willing ear to stony silence or spitting anger.
They’ll come around.
I know it’s a big ask. I imagine that it’s frustrating and exhausting and confusing and difficult and thankless; but, if you’re asking me what helped, if you want to know what made the difference –
A few good listeners and a few objective ears.
Honesty without judgement; acceptance without dismissal.
Speaking – without being told what to say and how to say it.
An open space; a little reassurance – and a great big lifeline.
Tags: Friends and Family
