Natalie Hutson, LPC

Feelings are not distractions to avoid; they are internal signals that help us understand what we need. This post explores why emotions matter in eating disorder recovery, how avoiding them can keep us stuck, and how honoring the full range of feelings can support a richer, more connected life.

From what our culture, families, and eating disorders teach us about feelings, you’d think that they’re irrelevant or incidental to our well-being at best, that they have no valid function, and are merely annoying distractions. However, feelings actually do have a function—a crucial one—for everyone on the planet.   Hard-wired into us, they are an essential part of being human.