If you are like the vast majority of people who have experienced anorexia nervosa (in the past or present), I’d venture that there’s a good chance that you would use all or (at least) several of the following personality traits to describe yourself…

• Organized
• Hardworking
• Diligent
• Dependable
• Perfectionistic
• Intentional
• Empathetic
• … and Driven!

In general, many traits (including the ones listed above) can be good and fulfilling and helpful when they are channeled in the appropriate direction and with the appropriate intensity.

The same traits can also be harmful when channeled in the wrong direction and with too much or too little intensity.

Take being organized, for example. It can be a great quality to be an organized person, provided you aren’t completely obsessive with this to the point that it is negatively impacting your life and those around you, and that your organizational goals actually make sense.

We can channel our amazing organization skills towards keeping our home nice and tidy and staying on top of our household to-dos (while also being reasonably flexible with this). Or we can obsess over needing to organize the extra toiletries in our hallway closet for the third time this month.

There are two sides to every coin!

When it comes to drivenness, I think that being a driven person is a quality that can be AWESOME. I consider myself to be a very driven person and love to be inspired by the passion and intensity of other driven people.

But for all driven people, an important question to ask oneself is, where are am I driving?

And who is driving?

When it comes to anorexia nervosa, we are ferociously driving towards things like control of body size and food intake, and the suppression of distressing and uncomfortable emotions. Ultimately we are heading towards isolation, captivity, physical and emotional harm, and possibly even death.

It is our compulsions and fears who are in the driver’s seat, not our healthy, authentic selves, unhindered by suffocating grips of the anorexia.

In today’s blog post, I’m sharing 7 ways to channel your driven nature OTHER than your eating disorder.

If you are on your own anorexia healing journey, I encourage you not to try to “get rid of your drivenness,” but to consider where the healthy, true version of yourself wants to CHANNEL your drivenness, in order to live a full, meaningful life.

We each only get one life to drive our car. Where will you be at the end?

7 Ways to Channel Your Driven Nature OTHER Than Your Eating Disorder:

1. Getting healthier mentally and emotionally.

I consider this to be a lifelong pursuit, not something we ever “arrive” at. In my opinion, getting increasingly healthier from a mental and emotional health standpoint is one of the best and most important ways for anyone to channel their energy. While this is of course a broad topic and endeavor, it might include things like working with a therapist, exploring your family of origin and how that impacts your present, understanding and being more in tune with your emotions, and learning to manage your feelings in healthy, productive ways.

2. Being present with others.

Similar to the point above, focusing on being more present with others is one aspect of what it looks like to be a mentally and emotionally healthy person. When you talk to and interact with others, how often do you feel truly present with them? What might it look like to channel more of your drive towards focusing on really listening, asking good open-ended questions, and empathetically engaging in someone else’s emotional experience? Channeling our drive in this way is one way to be more fulfilled on a daily basis.

3. Being truly physically healthy.

Rather than fixating on eating “perfectly,” working out religiously, and overly trying to be or to maintain a certain body size, I recommend focusing on pursuing and driving towards actual HEALTH. This can look different for everyone, but in general includes focusing more on our health behaviors and how we are feeling (physically, mentally, and emotionally) instead of fixating on an indirect outcome like our body size or a number on the scale. Things to possibly direct your energy toward might include exercising in way you enjoy (and without obsession), eating a nutritious yet balanced diet, sleeping enough, and getting outside on a regular basis.

4. Untangling and unraveling aspects of what’s led to your eating disorder.

While I don’t think you *have* to dive deep into what’s led to your eating disorder in order to recover, I do think this is a helpful endeavor to pursue when it comes to diverting your drive and energy over time / post weight-restoration. Anorexia is a complicated and multifaceted illness, and gradually understanding, more and more over time, what led to you developing it is something that would serve you well from a physical/mental/emotional health, relational, and personal growth standpoint. This might look like diving into genetic predisposition, personality, micronutrient deficiencies, GI & hormonal imbalances, emotional wounds, emotional & psychological health, family & relational dynamics, maladaptive coping mechanisms, and more.

5. Being more flexible.

Most people with anorexia tend to fall on the — shall we call it — more “rigid” spectrum when it comes to rigidity and flexibility. Rigidity isn’t necessarily a bad thing all the time and in all scenarios, but it can — especially when clung to too tightly — feel overly constraining, limiting, and stressful, potentially harming our own mental health, life pursuits, and relationships with others. Are there areas of your life — food, exercise, and beyond — that you can consciously work towards being more flexible in? Whereas rigidity can feel like the walls are closing in on us, flexibility can feel more vast, expansive, and open, ready to receive what comes.

6. Pursuing goals unrelated to nutrition, physical health, or exercise.

While I’m all about pursuing physical health and exercise goals in a balanced/genuinely healthy way, I also encourage having a variety of pursuits that we are driving toward, outside of food and exercise. For me, a couple of areas of life I’m driving toward improvement in include my business/dietetic work, space and margin in the week for relaxing / doing things I enjoy, and investing in life-giving relationships. Are there other non-health-related areas of your life that you might benefit from directing some of your driven energy towards? Whatever resonates with you — this could be work/school/career, travel & adventure, family & friendships, hobbies, or something else entirely.

7. Living with intention. 

Above all, I encourage you to go back to our original questions — where are you driving, and who is driving? Channeling your driven nature toward a life of intention, presence, generosity, and meaning will lead to a life you look back on without despair or regret. When anorexia is driving, our life is increasingly smaller. When the REAL YOU is driving, a life of fulfillment and significance is waiting for you.

What might it look like for you to channel your bountiful, beautiful driven nature in a way that leads to a meaningful and emotionally-present life?