How I Found Eating Disorder Recovery Through Helping Others
By: Evie Mills
For years, eating disorder recovery seemed like an impossible task. I was stuck in negative cycles and pushed everyone away, believing that the eating disorder was my best friend, and in turn, became isolated from my family and friends.
Things began to change when I started letting other people in. I stopped trying to do recovery on my own and started reaching out for help. Having peer support in recovery made more of a difference than I ever thought it would. Having the support of a recovery community gave me the strength to fight against my illness and overcome it for good. Once I felt stable enough, I wanted to give back this sense of community that had helped me. I started with small acts of kindness, and eventually decided to become a volunteer with the Eat Breathe Thrive Foundation.
When I first joined as a volunteer, I was nervous. I still felt fragile in my eating disorder recovery and wasn’t sure I had anything to give. What if I relapsed? What if I couldn’t relate to others? What if I really was all alone on this journey? I had so many doubts and questions, but I took a leap of faith, and none of my fears were true after all!
My role was small at first, helping with emails, joining community sessions, and greeting participants on Zoom. But even those small acts of service began to change how I saw myself. Instead of being someone who needed constant help, I was someone who could offer it.
Learning to Belong Again
Eating disorders thrive on shame and secrecy. Volunteering pulled me out of that space and helped me reconnect with a sense of purpose. I believe that a major motivator for recovery is building a life which you want to live, a life to get well for, and volunteering has done just that for me. Every week, I meet people who understand what it means to struggle with food, body image, and self-worth, and who are also working to live differently. Being part of a team with a shared purpose gives me something I hadn’t felt in years: belonging.
In eating disorder recovery, it’s easy to become focused on what you’ve lost (time, health, relationships, trust in your body). Service to the community helped me focus on what I could build. I’ve learned new skills, contributed ideas to an organization I care about, and connected with others who understand what it’s like to live with an eating disorder. Volunteering reminded me that I still had value, even when I didn’t fully believe it myself, and I was able to live a full life once again.
Helping Others, Healing Myself
Some people assume that volunteering is about self-sacrifice – giving your time, energy, or resources to an organization you care about. For me, it’s about much more than that. It’s a mutual relationship grounded in community: giving when you can, receiving when you need. Over time, I’ve stopped thinking of myself as “in eating disorder recovery” and started to see myself as part of a wider movement of people learning to live well, together. A united force, all fighting for the same thing and helping each other overcome each hurdle along the way.
Why I Give Back
I keep volunteering because it connects me to something bigger than my own story. Every message of thanks, every person who says “me too,” reminds me how important this work is. Eat Breathe Thrive helped me rebuild a life that feels worth living, and I want others to have that chance too.
This giving season, I’m asking you to support the charity that helped me, and so many others, recover not just from an eating disorder, but from disconnection and shame. Your donation helps more people access the same kind of community that changed my life.
If you can, please give today to the Eat Breathe Thrive Foundation for Eating Disorders. Together, we can make sure no one has to face recovery alone.
