Tag: anorexia; healing; trauma; recovery; eating disorders; wellbeing; identity

advocacy When the eating disorder is all you can hear

When the eating disorder is all you can hear

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I have suffered from an eating disorder (ED) for 18 years, and I don’t know how to break free … I would like you to share strategies for those times when my ED is the only thing I can hear.  – M. I want to reach through the email box,...

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advocacy Family diets were the norm when Faith was a child

Family diets were the norm when Faith was a child

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I usually say it all started in 2020 when I was 14, but I don’t know if that’s true. I mean, yeah, that’s when I began to lose weight, but I hated myself well before then. My family had been on and off “family diets” since I was young. I...

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advocacy Autism and anorexia – the difference a diagnosis makes

Autism and anorexia – the difference a diagnosis makes

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If I had not realised I am Autistic and received an official diagnosis, I would likely be dead – “or worse, expelled!” My anorexia nervosa was fuelled by a deep and desperate yearning to be thin. This yearning was partially driven by knowing that, in our fat-phobic society, being thin...

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advocacy Unsung heroes: the role of sibling carers in eating disorder recovery

Unsung heroes: the role of sibling carers in eating disorder recovery

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Caring for a loved one with an eating disorder is a huge responsibility, filled with emotional and psychological challenges. While much focus is placed on parents, it’s important to recognise that siblings can also play a crucial role in recovery. As a sibling carer, your role is invaluable, and your...

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advocacy Can people experiencing mental illness teach? Absolutely

Can people experiencing mental illness teach? Absolutely

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At noon on April 22, the small car stopped in front of the nursing school building, a structure of standardised windows and no excess. “We’re here,” said Professor Jeong, turning from the driver’s seat. The four passengers unfolded their crouched bodies and got out of the car. The Jeonbuk National...

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advocacy ‘I have so much shame, they labelled me insane’

‘I have so much shame, they labelled me insane’

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I sat on the dense wooden palings that ran along the front of the beach. I sat without a care in the world. Just me and the universe and the video camera, a truly perfect combination. It was 1999. I was rocking a bowl-cut, baggy track pants, an oversized hoodie...

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advocacy My body wanted me to be its friend

My body wanted me to be its friend

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Sometimes, I dislike my body even though I consider myself in recovery from an eating disorder. If I were to wait until I felt at peace with every part of my body before calling myself recovered, recovery would never happen. I don’t say that to be pessimistic; I say that...

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advocacy Exploring the roots of fear that feed an eating disorder

Exploring the roots of fear that feed an eating disorder

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Tanya declares she and anorexia are irrevocably entwined. Fear is ever-present. Here, Tanya explores the roots of her fears.                                   Editor, June Alexander I have physical fears, emotional and psychological fears, and spiritual fears...

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advocacy Unmasking eating disorders among people in the LGBTQIA+ community

Unmasking eating disorders among people in the LGBTQIA+ community

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I was 15 when my father noticed money missing from his wallet. He asked if I had taken it. I said, “No.” However, after hours of being accused of taking drugs and screamed at to the point of having spit on my face and crawling into a ball in the...

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advocacy Listen to us: women with lived experience of severe and enduring anorexia nervosa

Listen to us: women with lived experience of severe and enduring anorexia nervosa

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Improved outcomes for adults with eating disorders are possible! Karen, Tanya and Anne could be forgiven for feeling down-hearted after struggling for decades with Severe and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa (SEAN). However, they live in HOPE. This article is a collaboration by three Australian women in their fifties. Between them, they...

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