Why You Shouldn't Sign Up to Reset & Recover (Yet) | Hanne Arts
Every year, I ruined Christmas.
And not because I didn't love Christmas. But because I thought restricting beforehand would make the day easier. That it would "allow" me to embrace the family meals more freely.
For 6 years, I'd hold back in the weeks leading up to December 25th, telling myself that if I ate less now, I could enjoy the festive food more later.
I genuinely believed that if I just white-knuckled my way through November and early December, Christmas Day would be the moment I'd finally felt free around food.
In addition, on a more subconscious level, December also just made me nervous, and my tried and tested way of dealing with anxiety was... well... restriction.
So, every single year, the same cycle would repeat itself: hold back, give in, feel guilty, repeat.
And every single year, I'd end up worse than the year before. The "freedom" I was waiting for never arrived. Instead, the eating disorder got louder and more demanding.
It took me 6 ruined Christmases to realise something that seems obvious now: giving into the eating disorder didn't "allow" me to enjoy the festive meals more. It only gave the ED more space to grow stronger and the food noise louder.
The freedom I was waiting for wasn't going to arrive on Christmas Day. Not if I didn't practice it year-round!
For a long time, I was stuck in my own version of the loop I see in almost every woman I work with today:
The "I'll start on Monday" loop.
It's the belief that the eating disorder will deliver on its promises (of better body image, greater confidence, a freer relationship with food...) if only you wait a little longer.
But the longer you wait, the stronger the eating disorder gets. And every day you tell yourself "I'll start tomorrow" or "I'll start at Christmas" or "I'll start when things calm down," you're giving it exactly what it wants: more time to entrench itself.
What I wish someone had told me about eating disorder recovery
I wish someone had told me that the freedom I was looking for wasn't something I'd find on the other side of restriction. (Sounds kinda logical, doesn't it?)
The freedom I was looking for was something I had to practice, imperfectly, every single day.
I wish someone had told me that waiting to feel ready is the eating disorder's way to delay. Indefinitely. Because you'll never feel 100% ready.
And I wish someone had told me that the discomfort of recovery isn't a sign that you're doing it wrong. It's a sign that you're doing it right. It's the sound of the eating disorder losing its grip.
If you've also been telling yourself "I'll start recovery after Christmas" — I get it. I've been there. The fear of letting go of the one thing that feels like control is enormous.
But it's okay if you're scared. It's okay if you don't "feel ready." You don't have to have it all figured out.
You just have to start.
What Reset & Recover is
Reset & Recover is a structured, evidence-based group program for women who are done waiting and ready to break the cycle.
It's not another meal plan.
It's not another "guide".
It's not a generic program that treats everyone the exact same.
Reset & Recover is a community of women who understand exactly what you're going through — because they're going through it too.
Inside the group, you get:
Fortnightly live group coaching where we work through real struggles in real time
Weekly private 1:1 coaching so you always have someone in your corner
Ongoing WhatsApp support for the moments when the ED gets loud between sessions
The complete 11-module Recovery Course to guide your journey
Monthly Q&As, challenges, and a community that actually gets it
... AND THE WAITLIST IS NOW OPEN! 🤩
The group starts October 5th.
5 spaces.
That's it.
I keep the group intentionally small because recovery coaching works best when it's personal. When I can give everyone the level of attention that this journey requires.
So if you're ready to stop living the same cycles
Don't let another Christmas go by wishing you'd started sooner. The best time to start recovery was years ago. The second best time is now.
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