So one of the things I am very Blessed to do in my spare time is sponsor people who are going through #eatingdisorder recovery. I am in no way a professional, a doctor, nor can I take the place (obviously) of any medical personnel.

What I DO do, though, is sponsorship, and this is something that opened up for me after I was in recovery for two and a half years for an eating disorder that I had for 17 years.

I think that one of the toughest things about having an eating disorder is coming out and telling someone else, and especially the fact that I was modeling and doing work publicly really scared the heck out of me to admit to my #ED.

However, I realized after working for a couple of years with my own #sponsor and gaining strong recovery that I would be doing a huge disservice to not speak out and at least try to help one other person.

I believe now that the greatest joy comes in helping others and getting our minds off ourselves. This is how I keep my recovery and how I have truly changed my entire life perspective in every single area. To see another person come from a very dark place of despair, and work through the 12 steps of recovery, push through in spite of all of the emotional, physical and spiritual challenges that an #EDrecovery brings, and come out a #Victorious person, is the most rewarding feeling I have ever felt!

Want to know more about what a sponsor IS and IS NOT?

What is a sponsor?

A sponsor is someone who, like myself, has had strong recovery and who is willing and able to share that recovery with a fellow sufferer. A sponsor is someone who dedicates their time to help another recover based on a program that the two people agree on, basically. And the sponsor does this by sharing their own #ESH, which is Experience, Strength and Hope. I work with my sponsees (the people I sponsor) based on the tried and true 12 step program.

What is a sponsor NOT?

A sponsor should never be someone who TELLS another person what to do, only suggest by their own ESH (Experience, Strength and Hope). A sponsor acts as a guide, not as an authority. Recovery is something that you have to want, you have to do the legwork and no body can do it for you. A sponsor should never make you feel bad about yourself, guilty, condemned, ashamed, only the opposite; they should be like your supporter, always cheering you on and picking you back up when you stumble, like we all do.

So, I thought that I would start a “Q&A” Section where I share some typical questions I get almost daily from my sponsees and share my answers. These are subjects that I really hope you can relate to and will help you if you are reading this and are struggling with an eating disorder. Also, I will leave the forum open to submit a question and I will do my very best to answer in a timely manner 🙂

I have “The Hope Diary” on my website, http://thenikkidubose.com/category/point-of-youth/beauty/ and that’s kind of where I started to share about #EDRecovery. So I will pass the torch here and title this section of my tumblr “The Hope Diary”.

Never stop believing for all of your dreams to come to pass. Start seeing yourself as #Healed, #Restored, #Prosperous, #Healthy, and living the #life you’ve always imagined. I try to always repeat those affirmations throughout the day if you feel myself getting discouraged. Get rid of the negative thoughts…right now 🙂

I hope you are as excited as I am to share in recovery. The world is such a bright and beautiful place for those who #believe 🙂

I will start posting the Q&A tomorrow, until then…

Peace, Love and Health

Nikki DuBose <3 “You are beautiful just the way you are!”