What I Needed When I Struggled With Binge Eating Disorder
There is nothing quite like the sound of a cracking twig under a boot. Perhaps, a close second is the breeze in the canopy above, feeling the forest all around. Though, the best feeling of all, for me, is the sun on my face after embarking on a fun and joyful adventure. The theme for […]
The Icing on the Cake: Autism and Picky Eating
I used to go to birthday parties just for the cake. No, really, I did. I always found the social aspects of birthday parties to be incredibly difficult. Too many people, who was I supposed to talk to, would the birthday girl or birthday boy like the gift, and the food. Oh, the food. What […]
To Be of Substance: A Personal Recovery Call to Action
A few years back, I read The Paris Wife, a fictionalized account of Hadley Richardson’s marriage to the famous American author Ernest Hemingway, by Paula McClain. I’ve been in love with Paris ever since visiting that magical city for the first and only time (so far) in 2010. Admittedly, I was much more interested in […]
Help NEDA Make Eating Disorders Research a Legislative Priority!
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, yet are among the lowest funded. As a community, we need to fight to change this. According to the NIH, research funding for eating disorders is limited to .93 cents per person affected. Further resources for eating disorder research are needed to help identify […]
How Having My Entire Body Painted in San Francisco Helped Me Make Peace with Myself
In kindergarten, my mother helped me put together an elaborate project about butterflies. When my turn arrived to present to the class, I cowered behind my teacher, absolutely terrified of the dozens of pairs of eyes on me. This pattern continued throughout school—even during my college years. I was so afraid of my perceived flaws […]
How Can Eating Disorders Professionals Better Serve the Autistic Community?
Many Autistic people have openly shared their struggles with body image and eating disorders (take a look at our Autism Acceptance Month #NEDAchat recap for reference), but their unique issues around food still tend to be misunderstood or outright dismissed by professionals. As more Autistic people—especially women—are finally being identified and diagnosed, it is vital […]
Not Always As It Appears: Living with ARFID
I was first diagnosed with anorexia nervosa when I was 12 years old. It was 1996, and I had never heard of the term in my life, as eating disorders were not discussed anywhere near as often as they are now, and it was before the explosion of the internet, social media, etc. When the […]
Bridging the Care Between Eating Disorders and Sexual Violence
Sexual violence advocacy is a world of two-sided realities. Survivors often share that they have mixed feelings in the aftermath and healing process. Some examples of these binary realities include: Hating the abuse, but loving the person who abused them. Survivors who avoid sexual intimacy vs. survivors who crave sexual intimacy. Blaming their bodies for […]
How Being Queer, Autistic, and Physically Disabled Shapes My Body Image
As a teenager, I’d often be in a group with other girls when the subject of our bodies would come up. My friends traded anecdotes on which aspects of their body they loved least, and what was wrong with them. Because I didn’t chime in, most people assumed I had fantastic self-confidence. I actually had […]
Professional Ballerina Colleen Werner Wants to Create a Body-Positive Dance World
Colleen Werner, a professional ballerina in New York City, first got involved with dance when she was only three years old. Today, after overcoming body hatred and an eating disorder, Werner hopes to inspire others to stand up to an industry that pressures dancers to meet often-impossible body standards. The creator of #BopoBallerina, Werner has […]
