Sam Tench
I’ve been guilty of deceiving people around me since childhood. Nobody could really know me because I didn’t let them get close enough. My eating disorder (ED) had reduced my personality, ambitions, self-confidence and life to nothing, and I believed I had nothing to offer. Like a child being punished, I sat in a dark, secluded corner for years. Time wasted, never to get back.
Fast forward to 2019, I surrendered to intervention for my ED. After my discharge from a six-week inpatient program, the gift of a camera helped my fledgling self-belief to rapidly transform from a mere existence to fully embracing life. Through a camera lens, I began to see the world for the first time. These days, my ED struggles to penetrate my thoughts; I’m too preoccupied with my newfound zest for seeing life and speaking my truths. My camera is my constant companion; if I’m not shooting, I’m learning or writing for my website. Throughout this time of finding my voice, I’ve contributed to other websites, developed my own website, The Picture Healer, and am currently completing an exciting project, to be revealed soon. This new artistic endeavour will be just one of many in the future.
I also am a mother of two young girls. I’m determined to show them there is an alternative path; my ED journey doesn’t have to be their journey. Nor does it have to be yours. You can see my journey of learning to take pictures and read my work at www.thepicturehealer.com
Everyday lessons in building resilience through the pandemic
“I have a great idea. I’m going to write and photograph a book documenting life throughout the pandemic of 2020. —My diary, New Year’s Eve 2020 Just like that, I leapt headfirst into the new and lengthy process of writing a book. To this day, I still feel the strong sense of determination, belief and..
An Open Letter to my Anxiety (Mr A)
Dear Mr A. (Mr Anxiety), Firstly, I acknowledge you for what you are. You are mysterious, unpredictable, and unfathomable; you have every quality required to throw my life out of balance. I first felt your presence several years ago, during a deeply significant family event. I did not know what was happening at the time...
Turning eating disorder thoughts into visual works of art
Eating disorders (ED) are one of the deadliest mental illnesses that continue to be severely underestimated and under resourced. Too often, people living with an eating disorder continue to be brushed aside. Since my discharge from The Geelong Clinic in 2019, I’ve struggled to find my way along an unfamiliar path towards the brighter and..
Finding that one person: the key to hope and inspiration
You could call it a case of accidental fate! That’s the best way I can describe how I stumbled across the name ‘June Alexander’ in an online search in 2018. I was having just another average day, my mind filled with an endless influx of eating disorder (ED) thoughts: “What more can I do? How..
Isolation, loneliness and disconnection: the next pandemic-in-waiting
COVID-19 is proving to be a challenge for everyone, not only for people who catch the virus and their loved ones. The effects may have deeper repercussions than the virus itself. This is particularly so for those of us who have the extra challenge of an eating disorder or another mental health problem. We must..
Picturing a world without my eating disorder
Like most things in life, there are many types of photography. Landscape, portrait, wildlife, aerial, macro, abstract, the list goes on. Each form of photography requires a slightly different set of knowledge and skillsets, for example, the way you set up a camera, choose a lens and structure your composition is different when taking landscapes..
A talk on body confidence in children hits home with mother
It was like receiving a great big slap in the face. Sitting with my friend Lisa in an auditorium surrounded by a bunch of strangers, my mind was wondering, ‘Do they all know about me?’, ‘I wonder if any of them have an eating disorder?’ Instantly, my insecurities set in; I felt like a big neon sign was astride my head, flashing ‘Eating disorder right here, treat carefully’. Listening..
Free - 'A Girl Called Tim' Podcast
In this free podcast, Dr June Alexander reads her memoir, written almost entirely from her diaries, which she began writing at the age of 12.
Dear Diary
Articles
The diary, a book in which a daily record of events and personal experiences can be kept, offers a window into life in the past.
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