Finding Daily Non-Negotiables: How Faith Habits Support Mental Health and Eating Disorder Recovery
Do you ever have a really good day or week and think, “Man, I wish things could go like this every week”? On the flip side, have you had a terrible day, week, or month where you just feel stuck in a rut—like you can’t get it together, you feel apathetic, or maybe even notice your mental health struggles or eating disorder symptoms creeping back in?
I know how this feels. It can be annoying, uncomfortable, and even detrimental to your physical, spiritual, and mental health. But here’s the silver lining—you have had good days, weeks, and months. You just need to find your way back to what helped you experience stability, confidence, and freedom from the grip of mental health or eating disorder struggles.
That’s where non-negotiables come in.
What Are Non-Negotiables?
These habits, practices, or disciplines are what I call non-negotiables. They are crucial to your day and set you up for success. From a Christian perspective, they keep me close to God, strengthen my relationship with Him, and guide me to live as the best child of God I can be.
Is it always perfect? No. But it’s far better than what my days would look like without them.
How to Determine Your Non-Negotiables
Before I share mine, I want you to pause and reflect on what yours might be. Try this exercise:
Think back to your best day or week. Not in a worldly way, but in a God-fearing way. A time when your mental health and/or eating disorder weren’t in control, but the voice of God was. What did that day look like, from morning to night?
Now think about a really bad day. What was missing? What do you wish you had done to lift you out of the funk?
Pray and reflect. If your ideas lean toward unhealthy patterns tied to your mental health or eating disorder, pause longer, pray, and ask God to reveal what habits would truly bring you closer to Him.
Ask yourself:
What habits bring me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?
Which of those habits can realistically be done every day (not just on Sabbath or special occasions)?
What practices help me connect with God daily?
These questions will help you uncover your non-negotiables.
Important note: If you struggle with an eating disorder, OCD, or other mental health issues, your idea of non-negotiables may be distorted. For example, exercising for hours or engaging in compulsive rituals is not what I’m talking about here—that’s a lie from the enemy. Non-negotiables should draw you closer to God and help you live in freedom, not bondage.
My Daily Non-Negotiables
Here are the daily habits that help me feel my best—physically, spiritually, and mentally—and live as the child of God He intended me to be:
Read my Bible – The very first thing I do every morning.
Prayer journaling – Writing letters and prayers to God.
Prayer walk – A time to talk with God while moving my body.
Workout – About 30 minutes of exercise, focusing on movement and strength, not obsession.
Coffee + gratitude to God – Starting the day with thanksgiving.
I do these almost every single day—probably 99% of the time. They’re so important to me that I’ll wake up early or rearrange other commitments to make sure they happen. When I skip them, I notice the difference in every part of my life, so I make a strong effort to re-engage the very next day.
How Non-Negotiables Support Mental Health and Recovery
I’ve struggled with OCD, anxiety (which has improved greatly over the last four months), and I am in recovery from 17 years of eating disorders. High-stress days or times when life feels out of control used to trigger me into spirals of panic, binge-purge cycles, or compulsions.
Now, having daily non-negotiables gives me a sense of stability and control, even when everything else feels chaotic. More importantly, they ground me in my faith and keep me connected to God throughout the day.
Final Encouragement
If you don’t yet know what your non-negotiables are, I highly recommend going through the reflection exercise above. As you uncover them, you’ll notice improvements not only in your mental health but also in your relationship with God.
Non-negotiables are not about perfection—they are about creating daily rhythms that root you in truth, peace, and freedom in Christ.
