From Anxiety to Serenity

In the eight months I have been in FA, I’ve learned a lot about myself and how to cope with life, but never in a million years did I know that God was preparing me for the Covid 19 pandemic. I was hearing bits and pieces of information about it, but I thought it would never affect me because it was in another country. Little did I know how rapidly the virus was moving, and in a matter of days it was in the good ol’ USA.

At first, panic set in and I headed to the grocery store. There were hundreds of shoppers who were filling their carts to capacity with flour and sugar. As I was searching for my abstinent food items, I had to stop momentarily and take a mental inventory of what I needed so that I didn’t have to make multiple trips. Then, anxiety took over and I was obsessing over cleaning everything in my house and not getting infected. This behavior went on for several days until I had to go to my Higher Power for help. Only God could calm my fears, allowing me to relax. This also helped me to stay on my food plan.

Without FA and God this would have never been my story. Before FA, food was slowly killing me. Food was the great love of my life. However, it was also my enemy. It slowed me down, stole my selfesteem, and destroyed my integrity. It owned me for such a long time. I refuse to return to that deep dark dungeon.

This is why I must keep my recovery at the forefront so that I don’t return to that dark place. FA has taught me to understand, one day at a time, our slogans, such as “Easy does it” or the acronym HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, or tired). FA provides me with enough strength and hope to successfully live one day at a time and trust God in all things.