Step 2: Know Thy Self

Step 2: Know Thy Self

Sometimes it's surprisingly hard to be honest with one's self. Most of us Pro-Ana bloggers are pretty honest or working hard on it... anonymously at the very least. You don't have to tell the whole world, but you do have to be very real with yourself about your patterns.

When you are Pro-Ana Optimal, you know you may not be able to change yourself. In fact, you probably don't want to. What you can do is play to your strengths though. Be the best you that you can without needing to lose yourself or hate yourself (as much... teehee).

What we know usually is that we don't want to eat, but eventually we do. Eventually we have to. Often that becomes a binge that hurts us, followed by compensating... which also hurts us. What do you do? How do you feel? Where do your strengths fail? What failures can you turn into a strength?

Start by purging, yes purging, your kitchen, home, or little nook you live in. If you did or are doing Step 1, you probably already got rid of most carb heavy stuff around you. That's good. This isn't a food step though. Step 2 is a lifestyle step. There is more purging to do than just with food.

You need to purge your life of unhealthy contributing factors. Fat isn't something that just collects in your body, it collects in your home. If you are a packrat, you are fat at heart. If the walls of your home or room are cluttered, your house is fat. These things distract you, they block up the flow of your life. They pad you and insulate you from the growing pains of living a healthier and happier life. They are causing the walls to close in on you.

Don't believe me? Box them for a while. You'll feel so much better. Often we even forget what was in the boxes.

Here is a simple list how to slim your life so you can slim your body:

1. Remove all obvious trash from your living space. Go through your house/room with a trash bag. Start at one end and systematically go through every drawer, closet, nook, or flat surface, and just get the garbage out.

2. Remove all obvious trash from your social/personal life. Avoid talking to or spending time with anyone who makes you feel more self destructive, who is abusive, or simply contrary to your healthy goals. This may mean avoiding anyone who isn't Pro-Ana Optimal or just thin and Optimal... because anyone who isn't is likely either fat with terrible eating habits, or Ana with terrible eating habits. Stay away from both if you can at least until you are secure enough in your new Pro-Ana Optimal lifestyle that you can be a positive influence rather than fall back down to their level. This will free your time to make new friends with harmonious lifestyles. Keep an eye out for people involved in Raw Food, Raw Living, or Vegan communities. Many of them are effortlessly living your dream, super skinny, and beautifully healthy.

3. Remove unnecessary responsibilities. Volunteer for too many things? Have lots of unfinished projects laying around? If you can, scrap them. You don't need the extra stress or worry in your life. They all drag on you at least a bit subconsciously or completely consciously. You don't need that.

4. Go to bed earlier. Sleep helps health, keeps you looking younger, and also makes your body thinner. It will help your mind, body, and soul to sleep earlier. More on this in Step 3.

5. Back to your living space, now remove anything that isn't either beautiful, useful, or both. We don't want useless or ugly things taking up space. It's really easy for this to happen. Sometimes its hard to be objective about it because you're used to the knicknacks and other stuff piling up over time. If you need perspective, look online or in magazines for decor that you like. Stop trying to work with what you have only because it's all you have. Keep things that contribute to your vision, remove what doesn't. If you don't buy the 5 cheap things you kinda liked, you'd be able to afford the amazing thing you really wanted. It may be necessary to keep useful things that aren't so pretty, but you can make a mental note that they are waiting for an upgrade.

There you go. A life detox. Just like a physical detox, it can be painful or emotional, but wow we feel so much better after. This will make your dietary lifestyle easier too. I have done this and witnessed others do it, and it works miracles. Fat house, fat life, fat body, lots of guilt, lots of feeling bad, lots of baggage, lots of sleepless nights. It doesn't have to be that way. You can optimize and do much, much better. :)