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Today we share part 2 of our #ExplainingED campaign. Over the past month, we have been gathering submissions from providers who help individuals and families recover, the clients who are currently or have previously dealt with ED, and the families and friends who are impacted and supporting their loved one for our #ExplainingED campaign. For these submissions, providers, clients, family, and friends, were asked to complete the sentence “What I want you to know about eating disorders is______________.” Our #ExplainingED campaign sheds light on some of the dos, don’ts, insights, hurt, shame, resilience, recovery, and other factors that come with an eating disorder. How would you complete the sentence?

Make sure to check out part 1 of #ExplainingED. Join us for part 3 on Friday.

These are personal perspectives; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

Today we share part 3 of our #ExplainingED campaign. Over the past month, we have been gathering submissions from providers who help individuals and families recover, the clients who are currently or have previously dealt with ED, and the families and friends who are impacted and supporting their loved one for our #ExplainingED campaign. For these submissions, providers, clients, family, and friends, were asked to complete the sentence “What I want you to know about eating disorders is______________.” Our #ExplainingED campaign sheds light on some of the dos, don’ts, insights, hurt, shame, resilience, recovery, and other factors that come with an eating disorder. How would you complete the sentence?

Make sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of #ExplainingED.

These are personal perspectives; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

For the past two years, we have partnered with St. Paul Ballet during Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Going into our third year with them is such a pleasure. This year’s theme, See Beyond Beautiful stemmed from their recent re-brand and focuses on each person’s perspective, looking past what is on the outside and focusing on who they are on the inside and what shapes their perception. We hope you enjoy reading some varying perspectives on what beauty is to the company members at St. Paul Ballet.

Each statement about beauty is representative of that person’s unique perspective. Some statements include descriptive language about body types, body shapes, or relationships with food. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

Today, we are proud to share the final statements from this year’s St. Paul Ballet campaign, Take Back the Tutu – See Beyond Beautiful If you missed part 1, you can read it here. 

Each statement about beauty is representative of that person’s unique perspective. Some statements include descriptive language about body types, body shapes, or relationships with food. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

**Content warning: This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences in recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, and symptoms. Please use your discretion when reading and speak with your support system as needed.

By Liz Rognes, a former Emily Program client in recovery. She is a teacher, writer, and musician who lives in Spokane, WA.

When I was hired for my current job, I was elated. But a little voice in my head tried to justify this success by telling me that the hiring committee must have not have had any other applicants to interview. They probably chose me begrudgingly, it said, and only because the position needed to be quickly filled before the next quarter began. When I received a notification that a magazine wanted to publish one of my essays, I was thrilled, but that voice in my head told me that they had probably made a mistake and sent the acceptance to the wrong email address. When a friend congratulated me about the publication, the voice told me that she was just doing her duty as a friend and that she probably thought it was a mistake, too.

Reprinted with permission from SCAN’S PULSE, Winter 2016, Vol 35, No 1, official publication of Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition (SCAN), Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Chicago, IL.

The popularity and accessibility of yoga has grown exponentially in the past decade. According to a study by Yoga Journal, approximately 20 million Americans older than 18 years practiced yoga in 2012, constituting 8.7% of the adult population.¹ An industry report by IBIS World estimates there are more than 30,000 yoga and Pilates studios in the United States.² Many of the 170+ eating disorder (ED) treatment facilities in the U.S. offer yoga or other mind-body based activities as a component of treatment.³ A 2006 study of 18 residential ED treatment programs in the nation found that two-thirds of the programs offered yoga.⁴

So it’s that time of year. The time when the marketing campaigns begin, telling us “this is the year” to make a change, lose weight, get fit, get healthy, change ourselves and turn over a new leaf. Hey, I am a big believer in change—it truly is the only constant—and some change and internal focus is needed to grow and expand as a human being. It can be positive, healthy, and needed. It can be helpful to step back and reflect on how things went during the previous year, what you want for next year and sketch out a plan of action on how to reach those goals.

As we think ahead to what this New Year will bring with an eating disorder, some of us may already be implementing our New Year’s resolutions. Some of them may be centered around eating, stopping behaviors, or maybe even recovery. (Remember, aim for daily goals, instead of an entire year to set yourself up for success.)