Posts Tagged “Guest Bloggers”

**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.

Josh Person is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer and brand communications consultant who has worked with a number of startup companies in the natural foods industry. In addition to his work, he believes in spreading awareness about and educating others on eating disorders and other mental health issues. Follow him on Instagram @thejoshperson.

Recovery Conversations is a question-and-answer series that shares voices and stories of eating disorder recovery. Among the many things Josh Person shares in this post are the lessons he has learned in recovery, the support and resources helpful to his healing, and the wisdom he’d give to his younger self. 

What do you wish more people knew about eating disorders?

It isn’t about looking a certain way or eating certain types and quantities of food. Rather, these are just the tangible manifestations of something so much deeper. An eating disorder is the loop of internal dialogue that cannot be turned off. The feelings of lack and unworthiness. These are emotions not easily put into words.

Another thing I think is important for people to know is that eating disorders are not the result of “bad parenting,” as parents of clients seem to think. So many are unnecessarily blaming themselves (including my own) for “causing” their child’s eating disorder, which is not the case!

**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.

Recovery Conversations is a question-and-answer series that shares voices and stories of eating disorder recovery. In this post, Abigail lends advice to others struggling with an eating disorder and then shares how she protects her recovery and practices self-care.

What advice would you give to someone currently struggling with an eating disorder?

I don’t mean to sound corny, but I think it’s important to tell anyone struggling three things: 1) you’re not alone, 2) it’s not your fault, and 3) it won’t be this way forever. You probably feel like this is some weird problem that you’re supposed to fix on your own, but it’s actually a real disorder that millions of people have. Many professionals understand and know how to help you overcome an eating disorder. If you’re scared about living your whole life worried about food and weight, you should know that you don’t have to. You can recover with help from professionals who know how to treat these disorders.

**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. This story includes mention of self-harm. Please use your discretion when reading and speak with your support system as needed.

This blog was submitted anonymously by a person in eating disorder recovery.

My eating disorder never really “started.” It just happened. At least, that’s what I used to think.

When I was 11, I was diagnosed with diabetes, and for the first time in my life, I craved food. Sure, I had been a typical kid with a typical candy-shaped stomach. But this craving was different. My body was starved from weeks of cellular fasting, and it told me to eat. Ok, so far so good.

Through my teenage years, those beloved hormones began to race through my system. My body started to change, and with it, so did my metabolism. I cut lunches and felt guilty when I couldn’t resist the urge to fill my blossoming belly (although in truth I was still quite petite). Evening snacks evolved from a handful of nuts to a cup or two—in any case, more than I intended. I felt weak, unable to control this ever-persistent desire. But it never interfered with school or work. It was a mild case of disorganized eating.

**Content warning: This post includes discussion of purging behaviors. Please use your discretion when reading and speak with your support system as needed. The following information is not intended as medical advice or as a substitute for professional treatment.

Dr. Jake Linardon (Ph.D.) is the founder of Break Binge Eating and works as a Research Fellow at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Jake’s work involves trying to better understand and treat eating disorders, particularly through the use of innovative technologies. Jake has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, across the world’s leading psychiatry and clinical psychology scientific journals, and serves on the editorial board for the International Journal of Eating Disorders and Body Image. Jake is passionate about increasing access to evidence-based care among people with eating and body image issues. Learn more about Jake on his website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

When looking for resources to help you deal with binge eating, chances are you’ll come across content that discusses strategies to prevent or stop the behavior.

While I’ve personally covered what to do after a binge eating episode, little has been written about what not to do after a binge.

This is a very important oversight because many people are left not knowing how to behave after they’ve had a binge. Such knowledge is critical if you are to fully break out of the binge cycle long-term.

Let’s change this.

In this article, I’ll discuss five important things that you shouldn’t do after an episode of binge eating.

**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.

Recovery Conversations is a question-and-answer series that shares voices and stories of eating disorder recovery. Here Leah Harris opens up about the long process of her recovery and how her life has improved because of it.

What do you wish you knew at the beginning of recovery?

I wish I knew that I could let people in, even though it felt like I couldn’t. Not many people knew about my eating disorder until I started recovery, so I still tried to hide it from everyone at first. I think I was worried about making others feel uncomfortable or worried when talking about my disorder. However, it was me who was probably the most stressed about it. Everyone around me wanted to help. It felt like they were judging or blaming me but really it was me judging myself. The more I talked about it, the more I realized that I could open up. It’s hard but it does get easier with practice.

What surprised you most about the recovery process?

It takes so long… I think a lot of people enter treatment or therapy thinking that once you’re in, it gets easier from there, but that was definitely not the case for me. Making that first step is hard, but it is also hard (sometimes maybe even harder) to continue taking steps along the way. I couldn’t believe that I was still dealing with eating disorder thoughts more than a year after treatment but it helped to remember that my eating disorder didn’t just appear and recovery isn’t so simple either.

**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.

Recovery Conversations is a question-and-answer series that features voices and stories of eating disorder recovery. Here Cathrine Pace-Davis continues a conversation she started in an earlier guest post, “Giving It My All to Recover for Good.” She tells us more about the resources and lessons of her eating disorder recovery.

What surprised you most about the process of recovery?

Once I made my mind up that I was going to get well, residential treatment was enough support to disengage my automatic behaviors, use skills I previously learned, and develop new habits that I still practice today. I thought for sure my body would have a harder time acclimating to digesting food and being able to process what I digested. Our bodies are amazing. After more than twenty years in my ED, I was able to habituate in less than two weeks.

**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.

Caitlin Leigh is a life coach and author who experienced a multi-faceted eating disorder for over 14 years. She has now been recovered for over 5 years, and continues to heal through creative expression, solitude, travel, and reconnecting with nature. Caitlin recently published a new book of poetry, Boundlessness. She talks with us about it here.

Tell us about your new collection of poetry!

My new collection of poetry is called Boundlessness, which was my intention and word for the year. I wanted to bring more openness and expansion into my life and release any resistance, and Boundlessness was a great way to encapsulate this. This book really expresses all the human emotions we experience on a daily basis, along with simple reminders of our inherent worth and beauty.

**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 Cathrine Pace-Davis 

I became willing to take a look at my life seriously in 2013 when I found the PHP program at The Center for Balanced Living (now The Emily Program – Columbus). Prior to this, as is the case for many of us, I had already been in and out of the eating disorder recovery realm for many years. I would begin treatment with a zest for life and a willingness to get up every day and actively participate; however, at some point I would start ruminating over my physical body and begin negatively appraising myself. My zeal would fizzle out. Waking up in the morning became grueling, and I would find myself looking for ways to be alone so that I could sneakily go back to engaging in behaviors. And just like that, I’d be sitting in treatment, longing for the day when I could freely engage in behaviors once more. I began to lose heart as the obsession of the mind grew more rampant the more I gave in to it, all the while I sat in group taking notes, participating in activities, and learning how to live life one day without my eating disorder. My time at CBL was not for nothing, though; I had an arsenal of skills and tools at my disposal just waiting to be used.