Dancer with an Eating Disorder, I See You
Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Even before my first dance class at three years old, I often spent my days running around my house on my tiptoes in a sparkly pink tutu and tiny ballet slippers. I used my bedside rail as a ballet barre, […]
Disability and Eating Disorders: This World is Ours Too
About four years ago, I came out of a doctor’s office with my first diagnosis: fibromyalgia. It was the first of a laundry list of conditions we discovered I had during the course of my eating disorder recovery. Some of my conditions were exacerbated by my eating disorder and some (such as my thyroid issues) […]
LIVE Well Act: Why It’s Important
“It is imperative that any education efforts around food and nutrition include eating disorders prevention and assessment for every child independent of weight status.” Chevese Turner, NEDA’s Chief Policy and Strategy Officer. In November 2018, NEDA announced new legislation that amends existing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) school and community-based nutrition education and obesity […]
My Path to Advocacy
As someone who found community and healing through documenting my mental health recovery on social media, the question I’ve taught myself to come back to in advocacy work is, “Is this all I can do to help the cause, or can I do something more?” One of the most rewarding things I’ve discovered in life […]
Moving from Weight-Neutral to Body Affirming
Diet culture and fatphobia perpetuate eating disorders and can make full recovery impossible. They create an environment in which we, as the brilliant Deb Burgard has said, prescribe and encourage the same behaviors for fat people that we diagnose and treat as eating disordered in thin people (which also results in missing or even encouraging […]
Instagram & NEDA team up on #ComeAsYouAre
Instagram has always been a place for exploring your passions, sharing your interests, and connecting with the people and things you love. We want you to feel comfortable to express yourself, and to feel enriched and empowered as an individual by what you experience. Sometimes, however, the content you see on social media can make […]
My Body Acceptance and Eating Disorder Recovery
What does body acceptance and eating disorder recovery mean to me? Every day is a challenge. My old habits still linger and the hurtful thoughts are always in the back of my mind. I have to remember all the accomplishments that got me to this beautiful point I’m at right now in life. When I […]
Maudsley as an Adult
Editor’s note: Family Based Treatment (FBT) is one of many effective, evidence-based treatments for eating disorders. Treatment is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it should be tailored to the individual and will vary according to both the severities of the disorder and the patient’s particular problems, needs, and strengths. Click here to learn more about the various levels of care […]
#ComeAsYouAre on Instagram this NEDAwareness Week
As you’ve probably heard by now, the theme for this year’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (#NEDAwareness) is Come as You Are. We hope Come as You Are sends the message to everyone – especially those who have not previously been a part of the conversation – that their stories are valid and their experiences […]
Changing Representation in Stock Images
In a lot of ways, the traditional image of a woman in stock photos mirrors the common stereotype of a person with an eating disorder: young, slim, attractive, and white. However, we all know that those stock images don’t reflect the world around us, and yet most marketing and advertising relies on those images without […]
