Recovery Journal

Today I found one of my journals that I had written about my journey with an eating disorder.

The journal was the time that I spent in Melbourne with the Bronte Foundation.

There is something about keeping a journal and realising how far you have come and what you have achieved.

It is rare and it is honest.

It captures the moment

It is difficult to read and it brings up so much emotion, it takes me back to that time and what was going on for me.

I am encouraged by it though, I really am.

I know that nothing in our lives our wasted.

Nothing that we go through is ever wasted.

I am so grateful for the amazing staff at the Bronte Foundation, I really am.

There were so caring, kind and supportive.

They were so important in my recovery.

I love how I had sessions with the counsellor, the dietician and with doing worldly challenges.

I am so grateful how they invested in my journey and where so real.

It was also lovely to meet Bronte.

I was also so blessed to receive free accommodation from someone that said to Jan, if someone needs a place to stay, they are welcomed here.

The place was lovely, it had heated floors (which is really important in Melbourne) and Foxtel.  

It was so nice to know that I didn’t have to worry about paying for accommodation while I was receiving treatment.

Sometimes you need to step outside of your comfort zone to see who is there to support you and encourage you.

I am so grateful for the staff at Bronte Foundation you have impacted me and blessed me.

I am forever grateful for all that you have done.

Thank you

Yesterday I shared on my blog about an interview that I did for Recovered Living, it was about my journey with an eating disorder.

I am very grateful for Recovered Living and for the opportunity.

I really am.

I shared my journey and then I had the thought of, oh my goodness what have I done?

Should I have shared this?

What will people think?

Have I done the right thing?

I knew that when I was going through my eating disorder that I wanted to hear from someone that had recovered.

This was really important to me.

In the morning I woke up and thought, no this is the right thing to do.

I reflected on what I had shared.

I prayed and pressed into what God says about me.

God says I am a daughter of the king, I am loved, I am anointed, I am blessed, I am saved, I am valued, I am worthy.

I thought people need to hear that recovery is possible.

People need to know that everyone has a story.

I believe that.

We all have something that we can share to others.

I value stories, I value when people share their stories and their testimonies.

Be brave share you story.

Be brave and encourage one another.

We all have a story.

We all have a story that can impact someone.

I would love to hear from you.

I was so blessed to be interviewed by Recovered Voices last year about my journey with having an eating disorder.

My story has been featured this May and part two will be featured this month in June.

I will share part two soon.

I am so passionate about giving back and making a difference.

It also takes courage, it takes being vulnerable.

This is a vulnerable post for me.

It really is.

I am going to be brave and will share my journey.

When I was going through my journey I really wanted to hear from someone that had recovered and was living a full life.

I am so grateful for my journey and for all the amazing people that where involved.

I really am.

I am here if you need anything.

Today I have been thinking about being an encourager.

I have a Girl’s Group at one of my schools and today this is what we focused on.

We focused on encouraging words.

We looked at the word encourage.

We looked at what does it mean.

We looked at words of encouragement.

We shared with each other when we have encouraged others.

We shared with each other when someone has encouraged us and what that felt like.

We wrote down words that can encourage others.

We wrote down encouraging words in our journals and we wrote down who we were going to encourage this week.

We also encouraged each other.

We shared in our circle.

Words are powerful, they really are.

I am passionate about encouraging others, I really am.

We can make a difference in people’s lives about how we speak to them.

We can make a difference in others by being an encourager.

We can impact others in how we speak to them and about them.

Yes, words are powerful and words make a difference.

Who are you going to encourage this week?

What is it going to look like?

I would love to hear from you.

Let’s share what we do this week.

Let’s encourage one another.

You are amazing.

Yes, you are.

Be an encourager.

Each morning I read the YouVersion bible study, it is a really great app.

I love how they structure it and you are able to hear from amazing women and men of God. They are from around the world and I love how they speak into our lives.

They have amazing prayers that you can pray.

I also read my Spirit-Filled Woman’s Devotional Bible.

One of the amazing Bible’s that I own.

My Bible today is looking a little bit worn and torn, they say that this is a good sign.

I agree with this.

I am happy that my bible looks a bit worn and torn.

I really am.

A bit like my life.

It represents my adventure with God.

He is there for me.

He is always there for me.

He never leaves me or forsakes me.

Today they spoke about Psalm 37:4 which I love.

Psalm 37:4 says-

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

When you read this scripture what does it say to you?

What does it mean to you?

I am grateful that when I pray to Him and express my desires that He hears me.

He really does.

What is your desire that you need to express to Him today?

Can you journal about it and then see how God answers you?

How exciting it this?

Be encouraged beautiful, brave warrior I believe in you and He believes in you.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mum’s, I hope that you have the most wonderful day and get so totally spoilt.

You deserve it.

You really do.

Today I will be celebrating my Mum with an afternoon tea at my sisters.

This will be lovely; I love buying presents.

What are you doing to celebrate with your Mum, I would love to know?

Mother’s Day for me is difficult, yes, I admit I do find it difficult.

You see I did not have the opportunity to become a Mum.

Insert vulnerable post here.

When I was younger my dream was to be a Mum.

It was all that I ever wanted, was to be a Mum.

It was my dream to have children.

When I was a young child, I imagined while holding my doll, that I was their Mum. I imagined being a Mum.

Even though I am not a Mum I am very grateful that I am an Aunty.

I love that I am an Aunty.

I have 3 beautiful nieces and a nephew.

As an Aunty I get to love on them and invest in them.

I love having them over, I love creating memories with them.

Being an Aunty is so important to me.

I am grateful that I am an Aunty.

There is something about being an Aunty, there really is.

I pray for anyone who is not a Mum on this day.

I pray for anyone who is feeling lost today.

I pray for anyone who finds this day difficult.

Beautiful one

Know that you are worthy, valued and loved.

Today I have been thinking about exploring a creative project.

I love being creative, I really do.

This weekend I have decided to encourage others.

A few years ago, I had a project where I sent encouraging messages.

I loved that project.

I sent encouraging messages around Australia and even overseas.

It was such a lovely project.

I would really love to encourage others and bless others.

I have been thinking about how I could encourage others and I would love to send encouraging messages.

I would love to give back and encourage others.

Do you need some encouragement?

Do you need to hear some encouraging words?

Would you like to receive something in the mail?

I love receiving things in the mail, I really do.

There is something about going to the letterbox and receiving something that is not a bill.

There is something about going to your letterbox and receiving something that encourages you, that something that builds you up.

I would love to hear from you.

What would you love to receive in your letterbox?

If you would love an encouraging message, please message me.

I am passionate about seeing the best in others.

 I really am.

I am passionate about encouraging others.

I really am.

I am passionate about encouraging others in what they are passionate about.

I really am.

How do you encourage others?

How do you support others?

I would love to hear from you.

I would love to hear how you support others.

I always want to invest in others and let them know that they are worthy, valued and loved.

I am passionate about investing in others.

This is my heart’s cry.

I love sending encouraging messages to others.

I really do.

Last year I had a project where I would send encouraging messages to others.

I posted them in the mail.

This was such a fun project.

It was an interesting project because I really did not know how much a stamp would cost.

So, today I am thinking would you like an encouraging message?

Please comment and let me know.

I would love to send you one.

Let’s encourage and support each other.

Let’s be someone’s cheerleader.

Let’s make a difference today.

A few years ago, a friend of mine and my mentor encouraged me to say yes to things.

She encouraged me to have a year of saying yes.

What!

Now I am not talking about being risky or doing anything dangerous, no not at all.

I am talking about saying yes to new opportunities, to new adventures, to trying something different.

I am saying yes, to changing how I do things, to learning new things.

I am saying yes to changing my routine, to being creative.

I am saying yes to things that I would say no to.

I want to say yes.

I want to Embrace Yes.

I loved that year that I said yes to things and I grew so much in that time.

It was a great time and it challenged me and I really needed it.

I did the opposite of everything that I would usually do

I have decided that for the next 11 weeks I am going to embrace Yes.

I don’t know what it is going to look like, I don’t know what I will be saying yes to or what I will be experiencing.

I do know that I will say yes.

I do know that I am excited about this.

I do know that I am up for the challenge of Yes.

I will be blogging every week about saying yes and letting you know what is happening.

I am excited about this.

Embrace Yes.

Let’s encourage one another.