Finding a Recovery Symbol for Eating Disorder Recovery

When you’re in recovery or trying to recover from an eating disorder, your thoughts can become preoccupied and scattered in so many directions. You may be worried you won’t be able to recover, stressed about your body changing, or anxious about giving up your comfort food and routines. You may not want to do the things you know you should to reach healthy goals and weight restoration. There’s more than enough worries to go around when it comes to radical recovery and radical change. 

When you’re feeling the burden of these anxieties and stressors, you might want to turn to something that reminds you why you’re doing this. Something that represents the significance of what you’re going through these fears for, knowing that once you’re through it, healing and recovery lie on the other side. One way many people support themselves on this difficult yet hopeful journey is through the use of recovery symbols for eating disorders. 

Symbols can serve as powerful reminders of the resilience within us and the importance of never giving up. Reminders help us keep up our beliefs, centering our thoughts around whatever goal that the memento has come to represent. Symbols are representations of who we want to be and what we want to do; it’s all about what they mean to us. 

Eating disorder recovery can benefit from the use of a symbol, a constant reminder that your efforts toward recovery are real, tangible, and nearby. There may be personal recovery symbols in your life you might have already thought of, but if you’re looking for more inspiration to find yours, here are a few ideas for you.

The NEDA Symbol

^{A recovery jewelry piece with the NEDA symbol by worthyofrecovery.}

A significant recovery symbol for eating disorder recovery comes from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). The NEDA symbol depicts a stylized, flowing heart or wave that can also be seen as an abstract body. This simple yet meaningful symbol combines the idea of love and self-compassion with the natural flow of life. The gentle curves symbolize self-acceptance as a continuous journey, a nonlinear path toward an eventual goal. 

As a major institution for information on eating disorders, the NEDA symbol has become widely recognized in the community as a mark of visibility and strength. Many people find comfort in using this symbol as a way to connect to a larger community of individuals who are also in eating disorder recovery. Whether seen in support groups or on recovery jewelry like the necklace pictured above, the symbol represents a promise to continue fighting for recovery.

A Butterfly Symbol

^{A butterfly necklace containing a cleverly placed NEDA symbol by JFHCs.}

If you’re looking for something a little more discreet that’s just as meaningful, look at the recovery symbol of the butterfly. The butterfly represents transformation, change, and beauty—something that begins in one stage of life and emerges into a completely new, brilliant form. In many ways, the butterfly mirrors the process of recovery. Starting from a place of fear, struggle, and self-doubt in eating disorder recovery can so radically transform into growth, healing, and self-love once you go through it. Even in the darkest moments of the process, change is happening within, even if it's not immediately visible.

Flowers Blooming Symbol

^{Flowers in the shape of the NEDA symbol from NEDA on X.}

Another symbol that in this case is shaped distinctly to represent a deliberate message is the symbol of flowers blooming. In nature, plants represent a clear purpose: to grow and thrive. The fruits of their labor are often beautiful blooms and flowers that bring peace, joy, and color to our landscape. 

Flowers and plants have a way of bringing beauty and calm into our lives, reminding us to pause, breathe, and appreciate the present moment on Earth and marvel at its beauty. Just as we nurture a garden and watch it flourish over time, the journey of eating disorder recovery is much the same. Flowers can become a powerful symbol of this growth, representing the care and love we need in order to grow into ourselves.

Why Recovery Symbols in Eating Disorder Recovery Matter

Recovery symbols for eating disorder recovery can be so important in the smallest ways. In part, it’s because they communicate something bigger than words. A symbol can encapsulate a feeling, a commitment, or a hope in a single, simple image. For those who are healing from eating disorders, recovery can sometimes feel abstract, and progress can be difficult to see on a day-to-day basis. Symbols provide tangible reminders that recovery is real and possible, even on the days when it feels distant.

Recovery symbols like butterflies and the NEDA symbol can be the reminders you need that anchor you in your commitment to healing. These symbols can be worn on your skin, traced into jewelry, or placed before you as a signal to stay strong against the urges or fears that may want to tear your journey down. They help remind you to keep going and to continue making choices that support your well-being and long-term recovery, even when those choices feel difficult.

Constant Reminders to Fuel Us

Carrying these symbols with us can be a source of comfort and motivation on tough days. When the urge to give up feels overwhelming, when it feels like recovery is taking too long, or when the steps forward seem so small that they hardly feel like progress at all, these symbols can serve as our homebase. They can help us remember why we began the journey in the first place, why recovery is worth fighting for, and that we are never alone in our struggles.

Recovery symbols for eating disorder recovery also offer a powerful reminder that healing doesn’t happen in a straight line. Much like the symbol of a butterfly, there are times when growth is happening beneath the surface, even when we can’t yet see it. There are moments when it feels like we’re going backward or standing still, but every day we choose recovery, we are making progress.

Never Give Up on ED Recovery

Symbols can serve as beacons of hope during times of struggle, offering small but profound reminders that recovery is not only about restoring physical health but also about reclaiming our minds, hearts, and spirits. 

As you carry these symbols through your life, you also carry a major commitment to yourself: to not give up. The NEDA symbol, the butterfly, the flowers, or whatever speaks to you, are reminders that the fight is worth it, even when it’s hard. They’re reminders that no matter how challenging the path may seem, change is possible. Recovery is possible. And most importantly, you are worth it.

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With Peace,

Whitney Chase

Whitney Chase is the Writer and Content Manager for Sarah Lee of Sarah Lee Recovery. She holds her degree in Psychology from Georgia State and has a strong passion for the mental health field, writing, and advocacy work.

Posted on August 26th, 2024.

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