--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote in my journal about how good I…" description: "\"“I wrote in my journal about how good I felt when I was not living under Ed’s control. Then, when I really felt like giving up, I read these pages and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/jenni-schaefer-22271_eating-disorder_i-wrote-in-my-journal-about-how-good-i-f_1556736.jpg" --- # I wrote in my journal about how good I felt when I was not… ![“I wrote in my journal about how good I felt when I was not living under Ed’s control. Then, when I really felt like giving up, I read these pages and realized that I was striving for in recovery was a real possibility. I thought about these experiences and used them as encouragement to keep moving…” quote by Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/jenni-schaefer-22271_eating-disorder_i-wrote-in-my-journal-about-how-good-i-f_1556736.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/jenni-schaefer-22271_eating-disorder_i-wrote-in-my-journal-about-how-good-i-f_1556736.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/jenni-schaefer-22271_eating-disorder_i-wrote-in-my-journal-about-how-good-i-f_1556736.jpg) > ““I wrote in my journal about how good I felt when I was not living under Ed’s control. Then, when I really felt like giving up, I read these pages and realized that I was striving for in recovery was a real possibility. I thought about these experiences and used them as encouragement to keep moving forward. Even one minute of freedom was proof that I was getting better. At first, these times were few and far between. Now, these moments are connected; they are my life”” [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes how personal writing helped recognize small gains in freedom, turning fleeting moments into sustained progress toward recovery. **In simple terms:** Writing highlighted tiny victories, showing recovery is possible. Key Takeaway Notice and celebrate each small freedom. Themes recovery resilience self‑reflection hope growth Mood reflective hopeful determined Type personal motivational inspirational When to use this quote - addiction counseling - personal journaling - support groups - daily mindfulness Key Concepts Narrative therapy self‑efficacy incremental change Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn brief relief into lasting habit? - What supports help you notice small wins? A Different Perspective Progress can feel slow and setbacks may erode confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eating disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-disorder/) [Encouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Getting better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-better/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Moving forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-forward/) [Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery/) ## Related quotes > [Mr. Speaker, as a grateful recovering alcoholic of 24 years myself, I am living proof that treatment does work and that recovery is real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ramstad/mr-speaker-as-a-grateful-recovering-alcoholic-of-24-years-myself-i-am/) [Jim Ramstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ramstad/) > [“Recovery is real. It's not a luck-of-the-draw deal where you put your name in a hat and hope to be chosen. It's a grueling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-burgunder/recovery-is-real-it-s-not-a-luck-of-the-draw-deal-where-you-put-your/) [Brittany Burgunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-burgunder/) > [“The snail had been a true mentor; its tiny existence had sustained me. Late one winter night I wrote in my journal: A last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/the-snail-had-been-a-true-mentor-its-tiny-existence-had-sustained-me/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [Every day I wrote in my journal: "How am I going to win today?" So that when the guys are talking about water-boarding I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/every-day-i-wrote-in-my-journal-how-am-i-going-to-win-today-so-that/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Well, I always wanted to write from the time I was very little, and my mother encouraged me. She wrote a journal from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/well-i-always-wanted-to-write-from-the-time-i-was-very-little-and-my/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [“Studied all year and wrote in my journal like a nun works a Rosary, dog with a new bone, bee in his hive’s back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/studied-all-year-and-wrote-in-my-journal-like-a-nun-works-a-rosary/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [I wrote songs when I was little, and I wrote a journal, but I don't think I knew how to let that truth come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/i-wrote-songs-when-i-was-little-and-i-wrote-a-journal-but-i-don-t/) [Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/) > [“Sometimes, what people choose to write down on paper is more important than what they say." Caleb didn't know what Sarah meant. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-maclachlan/sometimes-what-people-choose-to-write-down-on-paper-is-more-important/) [Patricia MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-maclachlan/) > [“Life is amazingly simplified,” she wrote in her journal, “now that the recalcitrant forsythia has at last decided to come and blurt out springtime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-winder/life-is-amazingly-simplified-she-wrote-in-her-journal-now-that-the/) [Elizabeth Winder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-winder/) > [I think early on I avoided singing because it was so personal and I didn't know how to sit in that intimacy. I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/i-think-early-on-i-avoided-singing-because-it-was-so-personal-and-i/) [Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/) > [“Real hope combined with real action has always pulled me through difficult times. Real hope combined with doing nothing has never pulled me through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/real-hope-combined-with-real-action-has-always-pulled-me-through-2/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“When we feel like giving up, like we are beyond help, we must remember that we are never beyond hope. Holding on to hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/when-we-feel-like-giving-up-like-we-are-beyond-help-we-must-remember/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“Why couldn’t I find one action that would make the need to binge automatically disappear? Because there is no magic action to make that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/why-couldn-t-i-find-one-action-that-would-make-the-need-to-binge/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [Oftentimes, especially during my recovery, I didn't need to think about everything I was doing wrong; instead, I needed to focus more on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/oftentimes-especially-during-my-recovery-i-didn-t-need-to-think-about/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [Connect with supportive people who empower you. The more you jump into your life, the further away from Ed you can get. Don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/connect-with-supportive-people-who-empower-you-the-more-you-jump-into/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) ## More by Jenni Schaefer > [In the past, I was a perpetual victim; how I was doing in any given moment depended on what happened to me. Today I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/in-the-past-i-was-a-perpetual-victim-how-i-was-doing-in-any-given/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [Real hope combined with real action has always pulled me through difficult times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/real-hope-combined-with-real-action-has-always-pulled-me-through/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [Oftentimes, especially during my recovery, I didn't need to think about everything I was doing wrong; instead, I needed to focus more on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/oftentimes-especially-during-my-recovery-i-didn-t-need-to-think-about/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“Why couldn’t I find one action that would make the need to binge automatically disappear? Because there is no magic action to make that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/why-couldn-t-i-find-one-action-that-would-make-the-need-to-binge/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“When we feel like giving up, like we are beyond help, we must remember that we are never beyond hope. Holding on to hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/when-we-feel-like-giving-up-like-we-are-beyond-help-we-must-remember/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [Recovery is about making room for the real me to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/recovery-is-about-making-room-for-the-real-me-to-exist/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“Real hope combined with real action has always pulled me through difficult times. Real hope combined with doing nothing has never pulled me through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/real-hope-combined-with-real-action-has-always-pulled-me-through-2/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [Connect with supportive people who empower you. The more you jump into your life, the further away from Ed you can get. Don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/connect-with-supportive-people-who-empower-you-the-more-you-jump-into/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“In the past, my brain could only compute perfection or failure—nothing in between. So words like competent, acceptable, satisfactory, and good enough fell into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/in-the-past-my-brain-could-only-compute-perfection-or-failure-nothing/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“anxiety becomes high energy when taken to the light. For me, it worked like this: I used to live in a constant state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/anxiety-becomes-high-energy-when-taken-to-the-light-for-me-it-worked/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [I would not encourage you to go through the sweat, blood, and tears of the recovery process only to reach some kind of mediocre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/i-would-not-encourage-you-to-go-through-the-sweat-blood-and-tears-of/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“During the worst stages of my eating disorder, I was all-or-none with food—either bingeing or not eating. Much of my experience was, in fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/during-the-worst-stages-of-my-eating-disorder-i-was-all-or-none-with/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [Replace perfectionism with persistence. After all, in recovery and life, it's persistence that really pays off. Forget about perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/replace-perfectionism-with-persistence-after-all-in-recovery-and-life/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“When you feel like you would rather die than live another day with an eating disorder, know that I used to feel that way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/when-you-feel-like-you-would-rather-die-than-live-another-day-with-an/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) > [“Holding myself to perfectionistic standards, I used to think I had to become lifelong friends with everyone who entered my life. This was exhausting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-schaefer/holding-myself-to-perfectionistic-standards-i-used-to-think-i-had-to/) [Jenni Schaefer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) [Explore all 27 Jenni Schaefer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-schaefer/) ## More Eating disorder quotes > [“Anorexia is, without doubt, a serious eating disorder, but there is a hell of a lot of mainstream disordered eating going on out there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-woolf/anorexia-is-without-doubt-a-serious-eating-disorder-but-there-is-a/) [Emma Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-woolf/) > [Having an eating disorder doesn't show ‘strength.’ Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/having-an-eating-disorder-doesn-t-show-strength-strength-is-when-are/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [If we are ready to tear down the walls that confine us, break the cage that imprisons us, we will discover what our wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-elmore-meegan/if-we-are-ready-to-tear-down-the-walls-that-confine-us-break-the-cage/) Michael Elmore-Meegan > [I wrote on my website that veganism isn't right for everyone and the first thing you have to consider is nutrition. I was saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-pascoe/i-wrote-on-my-website-that-veganism-isn-t-right-for-everyone-and-the/) [Sara Pascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-pascoe/) > [“We may also discover that sexual abuse helps to explain the high prevalence rates of eating disorders among women and may lend some insight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-a-duncan/we-may-also-discover-that-sexual-abuse-helps-to-explain-the-high/) Karen A. Duncan > [“In more ancient times the life was simpler, but now the discovery of all these different medicines for curing dyspepsia shows that people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-raghavji-gandhi/in-more-ancient-times-the-life-was-simpler-but-now-the-discovery-of/) Virchand Raghavji Gandhi > [ “Emma cites the structure of the \[Eating Disorder\] Unit as being important to her decision to disengage from her illness, and the fact that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-lee/emma-cites-the-structure-of-the-eating-disorder-unit-as-being/) [Carol Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-lee/) > [The more people talk about eating disorders, the more people get the real story about what they're like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-pomers/the-more-people-talk-about-eating-disorders-the-more-people-get-the/) [Scarlett Pomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-pomers/) > [In this business, there is an insane amount of pressure, spoken and unspoken, to be thin. If you look at some of the television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-raver/in-this-business-there-is-an-insane-amount-of-pressure-spoken-and/) [Kim Raver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-raver/) > [I was struggling with anorexia, and one of the biggest problems with an eating disorder is you don't realize you have it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-stirling/i-was-struggling-with-anorexia-and-one-of-the-biggest-problems-with/) [Lindsey Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-stirling/) > [I think I just realized that having a problem - an eating disorder - it's not healthy and you can actually die from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-polizzi/i-think-i-just-realized-that-having-a-problem-an-eating-disorder-it-s/) [Nicole Polizzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-polizzi/) > [You don't understand...Cutting unless your'e a cutter. Drugs unless your'e a druggie. Suicide unless you've attempted it. Eating disorders unless you've had one. Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-understand-cutting-unless-your-e-a-cutter-drugs-unless-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man is never alone. Acknowledged or unacknowledged, that which dreams through him is always there to support him from within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/man-is-never-alone-acknowledged-or-unacknowledged-that-which-dreams/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [Comment if: you have an eating disorder, anxiety, depression, attempted suicide, you cut your wrists, a disorder, or you feel alone. I wanna follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/comment-if-you-have-an-eating-disorder-anxiety-depression-attempted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“At a certain point, an eating disorder ceases to be "about" any one thing. It stops being about your family, or your culture. Very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/at-a-certain-point-an-eating-disorder-ceases-to-be-about-any-one/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) [Browse all 323 Eating disorder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-disorder/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I wrote in my journal about how good I felt when I was not living under Ed’s control. Then, when I really felt like giving up, I read these pages and realized that I was striving for in recovery was a real possibility. I thought about these experiences and used them as encouragement to keep moving forward. Even one minute of freedom was proof that I was getting better. At first, these times were few and far between. 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