5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Attend a NEDA Conference at Least Once

Two and a half years ago, I arrived in sunny San Diego, not knowing a single soul in the area and certainly not knowing what I would experience over the next few days. I was in town for the annual NEDA Conference, the first one I had ever attended. I remember feeling exceedingly nervous — […]

Finding the Balance Between My Education and Eating Disorder Recovery

My eating disorder has had a significant impact on my life, as most eating disorders do, and it has caused me to miss out on a lot. One of the aspects of my life that has suffered due to my eating disorder is my education. Although I have struggled with food and body image since […]

My 46-Year Struggle with Bulimia: How I Finally Found Recovery

There are too many stereotypes today about eating disorders; specifically, the widespread myth that they can only affect younger women. But in reality, 13 percent of women over the age of 50 have eating disorders. And until very recently, I was one of them. It’s not surprising, because in our culture fat translates to negative […]

When Autism is Hiding Behind an Eating Disorder

“But you have always been able to look me in the eye.” This was the first thing my psychologist said when I told her I thought I had Aspergers. The inability to make eye contact with others is a hallmark sign of an Autism Spectrum Condition. My psychologist told me that all of the people […]

I Choose Life: How Poetry Shaped My Recovery Journey

Since I can remember, I have always been critical about the way my body looked. As a little girl and growing adolescent, I began to compare myself to the “ideal” shapes and sizes of women in my culture, seen in magazines or T.V., and even my friends and classmates around me. When I was a […]

Anorexia Nervosa: From Symptom Onset to Recovery Management

My eating disorder (”ED”), anorexia nervosa (AN), emerged when I was 12. Over time, like others, I learned to personify and separate the voice of “ED” from my own. “ED” constantly yelled at me, told me that I wasn’t enough, that I needed to count/restrict my calories, over-exercise, weigh myself, and sacrifice everything else in […]

What’s Left Unspoken: Sri Lankan Culture and Eating Disorders

Something monumental happened on April 5th, 2017: for the first time in my life, I spoke openly with my mom about my eating disorder. I had returned home after advocating on Capitol Hill for eating disorder parity and called my mom to recap the day. She had long known about my passion for the topic […]