Do you have experience on how best to deal with anorexia

I have a severely anorexic friend who was hospitalized twice and just refuses to give up her way of eating although she tries new ways to restrict that she feels are healthier. None of it is healthy but in her mind it is. In the case of a recovering anorexic, you can't be too pushy. Usually food is the one thing they can control and, if they feel pushed or talked down to, that defense mechanism triggers their eating disorder. Watching what they eat, asking if they ate or how much they weigh, anything of that nature is not good. The best thing you can do is to treat your cousin as you treat all your friends/family. Don't mention food or ask anything. She will talk when she wants to. And never ever tell her she looks "better" or "healthy" at this point. Yes, I know that sounds supportive but you say better and she hears FAT. You can compliment her accessories or her hair or whatever but stay away from the body. That is all I know since, no matter what we all do, my friend relapses often and binges when she is so starved she can barely walk. It's so hard to break the cycle and, if your cousin does relapse, don't tell her you are disappointed in her. Just let her know tomorrow's another day and she's doing the best she can. Because, really, she is. She needs support to see she is loved no matter what she does or doesn't eat. It's very complex. There are several good books on eating disorders and you may want to pick one up. They offer a load of insight into the anorexic's mind and how you, as a concerned friend/relative, can help. Good luck!

You can't rush it. That's the best advice. Take baby steps. Don't try to force her or pressure her into eating a ton of food or something, otherwise she's more likely to relapse. Just be patient, and encourage her to eat a little (or whatever her doctor is telling her too...but don't push her to do more than that or she may pull away from you.

Offer her support at meal times. These can be particularly stressful. Having someone to eat with can help immensely. I don't really know if there is anything that you can do to help speed things along per se because this is one of those things that really need to be given time to get better at their own pace. Recovery from anorexia can be a struggle for a long time.