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.

A graduate of the University of Miami’s College of Engineering, Abbey Griffith (she/her/hers) is an Eating Disorder Recoveree, N.A.S.M. Certified Personal Trainer, and Certified Body Positive Facilitator. She owns Clarity Fitness, Georgia’s first body-positive, weight-inclusive, eating disorder-informed fitness studio, and has devoted her life to helping people of all ages, shapes, and sizes find a wellness routine they truly enjoy. Abbey sees the dangers that come from an obsession with fitness and nutrition, and believes it’s time for us to see our bodies in a positive, empowered way — regardless of the number on the scale.

Like many of us out there, I am sad to say that I grew up absolutely hating my body. Diet culture found me young and convinced me that smaller meant better, more lovable, more attractive, more worthy, and I desperately wanted all of the above. In a misguided attempt to try to mitigate some of these feelings, I began personal training sessions at a local fitness studio. Fortunately for me, my trainers were kind, funny, and made movement feel like hanging out with a friend. They’re a big reason I became a trainer myself.

**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.

Molly Morrison is a future physician, runner, and self-proclaimed journal enthusiast who is in ongoing recovery from anorexia and continues to choose healing each day. When she’s not writing or running, she’s probably curating a new recipe in the kitchen, laughing with her sisters, or planning her upcoming travels.

This is a story of a time in my life when I stopped feeling, thinking, and existing fully as a human being. It is also a story of how I found myself again.

For years, I underate and exercised my body into the ground. I thought that being “healthy” and “disciplined” would make me more lovable—not just to others, but to myself. Those thoughts came from everywhere: cultural standards, my social media feed, and comparison to others. I started to believe that the smaller I became, the more worth I had.

There was nothing logical about my eating disorder, but at the time, it felt like the only thing giving me order and direction. I knew something was wrong—when I snapped at people I loved, when my body was giving me clear warning signs—but anorexia’s voice still drowned out my own.

**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.

Amanda Marie (she/her) is a PhD in Psychology and a passionate advocate for eating disorder recovery. In 2021, she began her healing journey after a 10-year battle with bulimia, and now uses her story to empower others. She’s seen the beauty and wholesomeness that exist on the other side of recovery.

There were many times I believed I’d never recover. Living with an eating disorder felt like being trapped in a never-ending storm. I feared bulimia was forever, but it wasn’t. I realized that the same intense drive that had kept me stuck was also the drive that pulled me out. Healing has been beautiful as I have learned to choose peace over punishment, and self-respect over perfection.

**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.

Heather Palmer is a 500-hour yoga teacher, mother of four, and author. Her book, Gold-In Cracks, is a memoir about resilience, recovery, and rebuilding one’s life in the face of hardships. Heather helps others reconnect with their bodies, find stillness, and rediscover their gold within. Follow her on Instagram (@Heather8888). You can purchase Gold-In Cracks here.

**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.

Danielle Dow, MA, LPC, NCC, is a licensed professional counselor specializing in eating disorder recovery, trauma, and self-compassion. Drawing on both training and lived experience, she supports adolescents, adults, and families with curiosity and care. She finds joy in flowers, long walks, and her beloved dog, Joy. Instagram: @daniedow.counseling.

**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.

Cate is a writer from Edinburgh, Scotland. She regularly publishes articles on her own blog—Wee Scottish Diaries—where she shares stories about bonnie Scotland, her life with a cat, and her passion for baking.

Being affected by mental health issues herself, she wants to use the power of words to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around eating disorders. You can buy her poem collection, I Am Fed Up: My Eating Disorder Recovery Diaries, here.

By Aronson

Dear me, when I was you,

Hi, you. I would ask how you’re doing, but sadly, I know how you’re doing. You’re scared. You’re worried. You’re hurting, confused, angry, frustrated, and broken. You’re thinking of every comment, every look, every everything that has ever been said to your child. You want to scream. You want to cry. You want to give up. You don’t need my permission. However, I personally did all these things – so I say with wisdom, it’s okay.

Allow me to also say for you: I’m sorry, this sucks. This REALLY sucks. This is not anything you did, you caused, or you can fix alone. I do not just say this – I lived this. Writing this letter to you brings so much emotion and so many feelings that I’ve not felt in a long time.  I was you a few years ago. If someone wrote this letter to me a few years ago, I would have thought there’s no way these feelings would ever not be the forefront of my life. If we had not found treatment for our daughter, I’m pretty sure I’d still have those feelings or worse, we may not have our daughter with us today.

If you are reading this it means you are looking for answers, for the sign you need to know that treatment is the right direction. If you are wondering if treatment is the right answer, let me tell you – it is. If you are looking into what treatment means or what it looks like it, this means your loved one would benefit from treatment.

I understand the fear, the worry, the second-guessing, and the ache that comes with even considering treatment for your child. I’ve been there. I’ve played the mind games. ‘If my kiddo eats this food, it means they don’t have a problem. If we make it through a meal and he completes most of the meal, it’s going to be okay. If I just keep buying the muffins that she will actually eat from the grocery store, then we don’t have a problem.’

**Content warning: This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences in recovery and beyond. This story mentions eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, and symptoms, as well as suicidal ideation. Please use your discretion when reading and speak with your support system as needed. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, help is available by texting or calling 988.

This blog was submitted anonymously by a former client of The Emily Program.

If you find yourself asking whether treatment can wait, I’ve been in your shoes. I’m 20 years old, and I’m currently in recovery. My diagnosis is OSFED (Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder) – Atypical Anorexia, but I believe that my experience navigating recovery while in school pertains to all kinds of eating disorder diagnoses and symptoms.