Category: Recovery
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Don’t Believe These 3 Common Myths About Eating Disorders
It’s Eating Disorder Awareness week. Yet, I’d argue most people are already aware of eating disorders. However, they likely don’t have an accurate picture of one one looks like. That’s why I want to dispel three eating disorder myths many people believe. We all know of the thin, young, white, middle to upper class girl…
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7 Years Later My Belly and Life Are Much More Full
WOW! Seven years ago today I returned to treatment. For the third time. I didn’t even know if recovery was possible for me. I was almost 42 years old and ashamed I couldn’t get my life and food “under control.” The only thing that scared me more than gaining weight was the idea of living…
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Important Recovery Truth: I Don’t Get to Control My Weight
Recovering from an eating disorder, dieting, and disordered eating is a long process. Filled with ups and downs. It’s easy to get stuck in a middle place. Somewhere between sinking back into food/body hell and the side of recovery that feels like freedom. One single mantra helped me finally make the leap from struggle to…
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Why You Need An Amazing Theme Song in Recovery
Do you have recovery song? Or your own personal theme song? If this sounds ridiculous, hear me out. Keep reading… At the risk of dating myself, I admit Ally McBeal was one of my favorite TV shows back in the day. Filled with hilarious story lines the show was about a quirky lawyer working with an…
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8 of the Best Recovery Resources I’m Grateful For
The holidays used to fill me with panic and dread. But since recovery from disordered eating and dieting, my mind has shifted focus. Free from hours of obsessing about food, exercise, and my body, I now have much more time to focus on what I’m thankful for. That’s why I want to share 8 recovery…
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Eating Disorder Recovery Tattoo: Why It’s So Helpful
I gave myself a very special gift for my 44th birthday. It’s an eating disorder recovery tattoo. NEDA’s (National Eating Disorder Association) symbol for recovery is weaved inside a butterfly with the world “allow” is underneath. My eating disorder recovery tattoo is a symbol of metamorphosis. It represents my recovery and freedom from anorexia and bulimia. And although…
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14 Things Your Loved One With An Eating Disorder Wants You To Know (but is afraid to tell you)
Eating disorders are prevalent, complicated, and often stigmatized. People struggling with an eating disorder typically have difficulty speaking up and expressing their needs directly. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some very well-intentioned and supportive friends and family in my life. Sadly, there are many times they’ve made comments or asked questions that were harmful to…
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Surviving Difficult Emotions- Only Way Out is Through
Standing in a busy doctor’s office, medical professionals buzzed around me. On a table, my anxious four year old sat clutching his arm. He was waiting for them to put a bright orange cast on his broken wrist. His wide eyes stared at me; panic stirred in my belly. I made my best attempt to look calm…
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Why Playing Small is a Problem and How To Stop
Stop playing small. This is a phrase I’ve heard for decades. It’s echoed inside the walls of a therapy session. Through the walls of the Unitarian church I once attended. In professional training, and while earning my Master’s degree. And in countless books, articles, and social media posts I’ve read. Still, it jumps out at…
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Here’s Why You Need To Break Up With Your Scale
Every single morning began the same. Wake up. Think about what I ate the day before. Consider what I’d allow myself to eat this day. Go to the bathroom. Then- step on the scale. This went on for decades of my life. Every. Single. Day. But morning wasn’t the only time I’d step on the…