Tag: storytelling

advocacy More than edible–what is food to you?

More than edible–what is food to you?

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I’m unexpectedly underweight again. The 45-year-old me doesn’t want to expose my bare limbs to others’ eyes. This casual and comfy look I’ve long been attached to was something that emerged—and kept evolving—to protect myself from severe depression. When I started working as a novice account executive at an advertising...

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advocacy Are you AI wary or a user?

Are you AI wary or a user?

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Have you become acquainted with Artificial Intelligence (AI) yet, or are you fearful of it? After initial hesitation, I decided to give it a go. My youngest son, Ben, who has always worked in Information Technology and is doing his Master’s in AI, said, “Get with it, Mum. AI is...

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advocacy Gifts of human kindness on a Christmas Day train ride

Gifts of human kindness on a Christmas Day train ride

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I travelled by train instead of car on Christmas Day 2024. Instead of the usual two-and-a-half hour drive to the home of my children’s dad, George, in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, I took the country train. On Christmas Eve, in a burst of planning, my Melbourne-based daughter and her family collected...

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Anorexia Writing your life story with a memoir mentor

Writing your life story with a memoir mentor

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As a life-writing mentor, I offer guidance in transforming your life experiences into a tangible memoir. You write your truth, crafting your story in your unique voice. This form of self-expression is a precious gift to yourself and your loved ones. Writing a memoir is not just a healing and...

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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 “Write soon! Love always.” The benefits of friendships formed through letter writing

“Write soon! Love always.” The benefits of friendships formed through letter writing

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I thought everybody felt the same excitement as me when checking the letterbox for mail. But to my surprise, I discovered that many people feel stressed when opening their letterbox. This is because they expect to find bills.  My experience is different. Over the past 38 years, I have received...

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advocacy Epistemic Justice in Understanding Eating Disorders

Epistemic Justice in Understanding Eating Disorders

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Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) 2024 will take place in Korea from February 28 to March 5, with all seven sessions examining the theme of Epistemic Justice. The question of how to reflect the lived experiences of the eating disorder sufferers, and those of the mental health patients themselves into...

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advocacy My Kid is Back: Calling families with experience of an eating disorder and family-based treatment

My Kid is Back: Calling families with experience of an eating disorder and family-based treatment

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Exciting news! Professor Daniel Le Grange and I are writing an update to the first edition of My Kid is Back – Empowering Parents to Beat Anorexia Nervosa.  Families who have participated in Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for a child with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) are warmly invited to share their stories...

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Life Stories Diary Where do I start? Everyone has their own childhood story to untangle

Where do I start? Everyone has their own childhood story to untangle

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Where do I start? I had a very, very weird childhood. Some people have the religious trauma, some have the undiagnosed neurodiversity factors, some have the abusive father factor, some have the poverty angle – I’ve had all that and then some. But I know I need to start dredging through all this....

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