10 Recovery Survival Tips for the Holidays

Are the holidays stressing you out? Are you worrying about how to navigate some of the pressures and situations that may arise?  Here are some survival tips to help see you through:

1. Take time to relax. No matter how busy your holiday plans are, create some time just for you. Breathe, relax, de-stress. Just a couple of minutes to decompress from the pressures of the holiday can make a world of difference.

2. Choose your battles. The good intentions of family members and friends can often leave you feeling trapped and outnumbered during a time that stress levels are already at peak capacity. Adopt a take it or leave it attitude. Take from it what you can use to help you through, and leave behind what doesn't. Remember that you don't have to own everything thrown your way.

3. Plan ahead. Though you cannot plan ahead for every scenario that may arise, knowing your options in advance will lessen anxiety, fear, and stress. Know what your options are beforehand. If you're attending events with someone that you trust, let them know that you're struggling with a safety word or phrase (that you've agreed upon in advance) and have a plan of action set in place.

4. Allow for imperfection. Don't hold your holiday, or yourself, up to standards that are impossible to attain. Nothing is perfect. Expecting everything to be so sets yourself up for disappointment and failure. Let the events unfold as they will and enjoy the unexpected. Some of the best times are created when things fall apart and people come together.

5. Keep things in perspective. Sometimes we read more into a comment or action than is intended because of what we are carrying around with us. Our fears, emotions, and trials can influence our interpretation. Take a moment to remove yourself from your initial feelings and give yourself a chance to see if what you're hearing/witnessing is what is really being said/done.

6.  Create a positive, supportive inner dialogue. Your thoughts create your reality. "I am capable of handling any situation with grace, confidence, and compassion." Don't dwell on negative possibilities. Keep your self-talk supportive and positive.

7. Get plenty of rest. Get a good night's sleep the night before. Everything is easier when you're not already dealing with an overtired, sleep-deprived body and brain.

8. Count your blessings. All of them, right down to the tiniest one you can think of. We all have our fair share of burdens but count your blessings and you'll find they tip the scales in your favor.

9. Know your limits. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we may still find ourselves in a situation that exceeds our ability to cope. If you find yourself in a situation that you can't handle or that posses a threat to your recovery give yourself permission to take your leave.

10. End the day with a good helping of self-love. At the end of the day, whether it was good or bad, remember that you are worthy of your own love and acceptance. We are all imperfect beings on an imperfect journey. That's what life is. We strive to be better, do better, and achieve more but at the end of the day remember to love yourself no matter what.

Here are some links to help you navigate through the holidays: 
(please note that some are entitled Thanksgiving. The techniques are still the same no matter what holiday it is)
Links to Help See You Through This Holiday Season
Eating Disorders and The Holidays: Links To Help See You Through
Surviving Thanksgiving When You Have An Eating Disorder


Have a wonderful holiday! 
.

Recovery Image: Stop!

Click to enlarge
Stop putting yourself down, comparing yourself to others, holding on to past mistakes, counting failures instead of blessings, hating your body, punishing yourself, expecting perfection, waiting, mourning 'what ifs' and 'could haves,' allowing what was to decide what could be. Let go. Move Forward. Stay Positive. Believe.
MrsM


See sidebar for more recovery images and quotes

picsourcehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/inoxkrow/150080109/

Recovery Quote Of The Week: September 12, 2012

We need to find the courage to say NO to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity. "

Barbara De Angelis

original picsource: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinx1380/4983207375/

By NMR Photo

One of the 18 Best Eating Disorder Blogs of 2012

 Weighing The Facts was named one of the 18 Best Eating Disorder Blogs of 2012 by Healthline!

Healthline says:  

Battling an eating disorder can be a long and dangerous challenge for people of every age and background. Thankfully, a flourishing online community has emerged in recent years to offer reliable information, support, and advice. From personal journeys to medical facts, these blogs offer the best of the best on the web about eating disorders.

Share your own stories with others in the chat rooms or comment sections on these blogs, and find an opportunity for healing and community in these pages. Hope and health may be closer than you think.

Here's what the had to say about Weighing The Facts.

I'm so excited and honored to be named with so many wonderful ED blogs. You can find all the blogs, and a blurb about each one, here.

Check them all out. They're great resources.

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing you all a very Happy Mother's Day!

picsource:http://www.flickr.com/photos/29290711@N04/3910341997/in/photostream/

Eating Disorders Seen Around The Web: August 2, 2011

Profile: Sam Thomas-Men Get Eating Disorders Too
The Mirror

Sam Thomas, founder and project leader at Men Get Eating Disorders Too, entered the TalkTalk Digital Heroes Award in 2010 with the aim of making more people area of the issue of eating disorders amongst men and be a port of call for those affected or worried by it. And like many of the best projects, it was one that was born from personal experience.

Sam got the idea for Men Get Eating Disorders Too from his own experience with bulimia, which he experienced during his time school: “I used to get bullied quite badly, and used to run out of lessons and hide in the boys’ toilets. I’d often binge and purge, but didn’t think too much of it; of course, as a thirteen-year-old you don’t think about eating disorders and you certainly haven’t heard of bulimia.
“When I did start looking for help, I struggled because I was male. Only once I had recovered did I think to myself ‘hang on a minute, if I was a female....
Read Men Get Eating Disorders Too in full


Sexualization of Young Children Linked to Eating Disorder Development
AOL Healthy Living

As early exposure to themes of sex becomes the norm, children of younger ages are expressing discontent with their physical appearance. Results from a recent survey suggest that children rank body image among the highest of their concerns, above both self-confidence and social life. Recent research also suggests that nearly 50 percent of females between ages 11 and 16 would consider cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance.

These findings have striking implications about the factors comprising young children's self-image and esteem. Eating disorders are now presenting in children as young as 6 years old, with dieting becoming more common among those under the age of 10.

Such ardent focus on physical appearance also comes in response to overly-sexualized messages from the media.
Read Sexualization of Young Children Linked To EDs in full


Mental Health: Eating Disorders
BBC News

Every year about 20 people in Britain die from anorexia - the eating disorder which compels them to deprive their bodies of food.

It is thought that about 165,000 Britons have some sort of eating disorder.
Most sufferers are female, although the latest evidence suggests about one in ten is now a male.
One person who developed anorexia at the relatively late age of 27 is Victoria Buchan, who lives near Grampound Road in mid Cornwall.

She admitted for a while she did her best to hide the anorexia from her doctor.
"There was always a response, always something I could hide behind," she said.
"Because of wearing baggy clothes they might not have seen I was losing weight."
Read Mental Health: Eating Disorders in full



Quick Hit: The Fat Femme’s Guide to Lovin’Summer
Happy Bodies

Aimee Fleck, a fantastic student at the Maryland Institute College of Art, made a little zine called The Fat Femme’s Guide to Loving Summer.  Inside there are interviews with some really foxy ladies, instructions on how to make friendship bracelets, a recipe for beignets, new hairstyles to try, a playlist, and lots of suggestions for great summer fashion. It’s all beautifully, colorfully drawn and very well designed, plus sassy and fun.  The zine is also getting plenty of tumblr love, which makes me really happy.
Read The Fat Femme's Guide in full


10 Questions To Ask Yourself About Anger
Hope Forward

By no means am I suggesting that the answers to the following questions are easy, readily available to you, or in any way obvious, though some may be. I think, rather, that they may serve as guide posts toward progress, relief, and insight. While anger is not always the culprit, it does often lurk underneath depression, anxiety, restlessness, discontent, or irritability. While certain angers are clear and apparent, others are more subtle. I think it pays to pay attention to them. Having anger does not mean that you are an angry person, that you have a temper; it just means that you have real feelings, some old, some new, and that tending to them may improve your life in many ways. How we feel anger, what we do with it, is usually based on a mix of genetic, hormonal, biochemical and socialcultural factors. Given that, we can ask ourselves the following questions in our quest to feel better.

1) How was anger expressed or suppressed in my family?

2) What are my earliest memories of feeling angry? With whom? For what? What other feelings do these memories bring up?
Read 10 Questions in full


Genetics Complicate Recovery From Eating Disorders
Psych Central

Sadly, people with eating disorders often face a long-term battle. Those with anorexia nervosa, for instance, are often severely underweight and have a high likelihood of dying from malnutrition.

Now, a new study sheds light on why some people have poor outcomes.

An international team of scientists has identified possible genetic variations that could influence a patient’s recovery from an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Researchers believe their findings may augment development of effective interventions for the most treatment-resistant patients with these disorders.
Read Genetics Complicate Recovery in full

EDs Seen Around The Web: November 2010

When Mom Has an Eating Disorder, Everybody Suffers
parentdish.com

It's every mom's nightmare: Finding out your daughter has an eating disorder. Even worse is knowing you're probably to blame.

Teresa Coates, a 40-year-old mom and solo parent of two, was anorexic in high school. She survived on 3 Musketeers bars and not much else. After high school she continued her bizarre eating habits until one day she went into convulsions at work and was rushed to the hospital. The ER doctor told her if she ever wanted to have children, which she did, she would have to start eating.

Teresa's daughter recently turned 13 and she worries about her. A lot. "I worry genetically about my daughter because I come from a family of very heavy women. And that was a concern when she came home from the hospital. I remember being worried about that. It's a hard thing to know you're genetically predisposed to not be thin."

She does feel, however, that her daughter is off to a much better start than she was at her age. "I came from a real working-class family. We didn't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and the vegetables we ate came from cans. My take on healthy food wasn't really there. I've been cognizant trying to teach both my kids how to tell if food is good for you. They both read labels, a lot. They eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. They're very aware that you need to drink water."

But that doesn't mean it's easy.
Read in full: When Mom Has An ED 


Making Sense of ED Mortality Statistics
ANAD.org 
By Kathy Chen, MA
Chicago Professional School of Psychology

The topic of eating disorders (EDs) and mortality can be particularly sensitive because of the controversial findings in the research and perhaps their implications.  The common belief appears to be that EDs, especially anorexia nervosa (AN), are associated with a low rate of survival.  Many factors influence the results of research regarding EDs and mortality; yet, the more confusing point seems to be the ways in which these results are recorded.  Therefore, reviewing the research and examining the methods that lead to a study’s results could provide mental health professionals as well as friends and families with a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between mortality and EDs.

The first step to understanding the relationship between mortality and EDs is to study the specific parts of information presented in the research.  First, there are multiple definitions used to determine the rate of death in EDs (Neumärker, 2000).  For instance, the term “mortality rate” is different from the term, “standardized mortality ratio.”  The mortality rate is usually expressed as the number of deaths per 100,000 of the population, whereas the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) is the number of observed deaths divided by the number of expected deaths in a specific population.    In addition, when authors write of mortality rate, they usually refer to the crude mortality rate, which includes the number of deaths out of the total number of people studied during a specific amount of time.  Let me give you a simple example.  Let’s imagine we are researchers who have 100 people in our study.  If we check back with these people in 10 years and find that 5 of them have passed away, then the crude mortality rate would be 5 percent.  To calculate the SMR, let’s again think of a simple example.  We are researchers who have 100 people in our study.  This time these 100 people are adolescent females with AN.  We observe that 50 of them have died within a certain amount of time.  However, let’s say that the expected number of deaths for adolescent females without an ED is 10.  Therefore, the SMR in this hypothetical example would be 5.  This result means that the sample of adolescent females with AN has a level of mortality that is 5 times greater than the average adolescent female population without an ED.  Though these terms may seem similar, they can nonetheless impact the ways in which readers interpret these results.  Thus, when one reads research findings, one would likely want to be aware of the different ways that mortality is measured for the purpose of having a more comprehensive understanding of the research findings.
 Read in full: Making Sense of ED Mortality Statistics


Binging to Lose the Bulge: The Dangers of Drunkorexia
richlandchronicle.com

The disorder ‘anorexia' isn't a new one, but the dangerous eating disorder has now found a new partner. Drunkorexia is a new slang term used to describe people who don't eat in order to save the calories for their alcoholic beverages later.
Although it's not an official medical term, drunkorexia is starting to become widely known across college campuses. College students seem to be the main target, and narrowing it down further, female college students.
The restriction of food in order to binge on drinking is the same concept as other deadly eating disorders including bulimia.
During an interview with ABC News, Savannah, a 22-year-old graduate from the University of Texas talked about her experience being a proclaimed ‘drunkorexic'.
"It was just something I always did while in college as a normal part of my diet so that I could stay skinny but still go out and drink," Savannah said. "I do know a lot of people who skip meals to drink, drink heavily and don't gain any weight. Obviously, their success in this way encourages others to try it. I've done [drunkorexia] for years and I'm still healthy. I'm still skinny."
Read in full: The Dangers of Drunkorexia 

University Course to Study Bulimia and Anorexia

  walesonline

by Helen Turner, South Wales Echo 

EATING disorders are to be studied by students and professionals at a new course launched by Cardiff University.
The Collaborative Working in Eating Disorders module, run by the university’s School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies is the first of its kind in Wales and supports the implementation of a recent Assembly Government report.
In Wales, more than 1,000 new cases of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are diagnosed each year.
Such disorders can lead to enduring mental health problems often affecting sufferers’ physical, social and psychological wellbeing.
Read in full: University Course to Study


sources linked above

Eating Disorders: Seen Around The Web

Letters To My Body

Synchronized 

Today’s letter is very special to me because it was written by one of my very best Blends (Blog Friends), Jen (“a prior fat girl”). I had the opportunity to meet Jen in May at a blogger’s conference, and we became fast friends. I respect the journey that she has taken on, and she has now lost about 100 pounds through a proper diet and exercise. She chose her health above everything else, even when she was faced last year with the most tragic moment of her life. Her journey has been long, and she still fights battles along with the rest of us. To me, her letter is a great example of how to move forward and forgive yourself after years of abuse...
Read Synchronized in full here.



Laura's Soap Box

Being liked is overrated, too   

 

I hear a lot of complaining about eating disorder clinicians. I do a fair bit of complaining myself. But at least some of the time I remind myself that being disliked for doing your job isn't always a sign of doing it wrong: it is often a sign of good practice.

A doctor I admire wrote something on an ED message board this week: "You do not need to be the patient's friend, or confidant, and you shouldn't be someone she wants to bring home for dinner right now, as anyone that is doing their job with her will be working against the ED behaviors, and that is bound to make her angry"
Read Being liked in full here



The F Word Org

Celebs Come Out Of The ED Closet


In an OK! Magazine article, on September 17th, celebrities admit to their struggles with ED.  While the list leaves few surprises, as most have mentioned their past experiences with eating disorders in other magazines, it was refreshing to see a couple who have continuously denied ED rumors come clean.  One celeb I didn’t know about was Felicity Huffman.  Below are her thoughts about her eating disorder: “I was bulimic and anorexic for a while, just hating my body,” she’s said. “As an actress,...
Read ED Closet in full here. 


Happy Bodies

When I Knew Weight Didn't Matter

Even people who watched me go through it don’t really understand that I used to be anorexic.
Scene: I am a white, upper-middle-class American with a PhD mother and a successful father. Good-girl control freak, stubborn as hell—but I have never been thin.
Oh, I was not a “fat kid”. But puberty did as puberty does. Ample bust and wide hips at 5’3” meant that my doctor, with a conventional—in other words, BMI-based—concept of what a fifteen-year-old girl ought to weigh, gave me a carefully laid out speech about it, because as we all know, Fat Is Dangerous.
My mother, herself a recovered victim of a teenage eating disorder, had raised me with few food judgments, let me eat what and when and how I wanted for the most part. But she couldn’t shield...
Read When I Knew in full here. 

Eating Disorders Poll: Rewards On The Road To Recovery

Fears and doubts can be overwhelming when recovery is being contemplated or newly begun. Despite the obstacles and emotions that may arise, RECOVERY IS WORTH IT and POSSIBLE. Many have taken that first step, seen it through, and reaped the rewards at the other end. What rewards have you found on the road to your recovery?

Please take a moment to participate in the poll in the sidebar and share your experience with others.
  Feel free to add answers to the comment section that are not provided in the poll. 
Thank you.
MrsM


This poll has ended. Click for Poll Results


picture source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/john/4776861/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Eating Disorders Bloggers: What Some Are Discussing This Month

Natasha's Story: "I Was Raised Thinking I Had No Worth, No Place In This World."
Medusa

Hi Medusa,
My name is Natasha and I am 18 years old. When I think about my life, I'm never really sure when exactly I started hating myself. I had suicidal thoughts when I was around 9 years old. I was raised thinking I had no worth, no place in this world. My stepmother starved me, beat me, and ridiculed me daily.
Read in full: Natasha's Story



Being Rational
ED Bites

Although I've never experienced a full-blown psychotic episode, I found myself nodding my head in agreement with this neuroscientist's description of her own psychosis.

"Erin, you are a scientist," they'd begin. "You are intelligent, rational. Tell me, then, how can you believe that there are rats inside your brain? They're just plain too big. Besides, how could they get in?"

They were right. About my being smart, I mean; I was, after all, a graduate student in the neuroscience program at the University of British Columbia. But how could they relate that rationality to the logic of the Deep Meaning? For it was due to the Deep Meaning that the rats had infiltrated my system and were inhabiting my brain. They gnawed relentlessly on my neurons, causing massive degeneration. This was particularly upsetting to me, as I depended on a sharp mind for my work in neuroscience.

The rats spent significant periods of time consuming brain matter in the occipital lobe of my brain. I knew, from my studies, that this was the primary visual cortex. And yet, I experienced no visual deficits. Obviously, I realized, I had a very unique brain: I was able to regenerate large sections of my central nervous system—and to do so extremely quickly. I relaxed a bit, but not entirely. Surely no good could come of having rats feed on my brain cells. So I sought means of ridding my body of them. I bled them out through self-cutting and banging my head until the skin broke, bloody. Continually, I kept my brain active, electrocuting the rats that happened to be feasting on the activated neurons.   
Read in full: Being Rational



Don't You Realize That Fat Is Unhealthy?
Shapely Prose

Here’s the thing: I blog about fat acceptance.
Fat acceptance, as you can probably guess from the words “fat” and “acceptance” being right together like that, does not go over so well in some circles. Even in some progressive circles — which are usually known for not hating entire groups of people because of their appearances, not thinking what other people do with their bodies is anybody’s beeswax, and not uncritically accepting whatever moral panic the media tries to whip up, but wev. Fat is different! Don’t you know there’s an obesity epidemic? Don’t you know that fat kills? Haven’t you ever heard of Type 2 diabetes? Don’t you realize how much money this is going to cost society down the line? Won’t someone please think of the children?

So, before I start getting comments like that, I want to lay out ten principles that underlie pretty much everything I write about fat and health.

1. Weight itself is not a health problem, except in the most extreme cases (i.e., being underweight or so fat you’re immobilized). In fact, fat people live longer than thin people and are more likely to survive cardiac events, and some studies have shown that fat can protect against “infections, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, osteoporosis, anemia, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes.” Yeah, you read that right: even the goddamned diabetes. Now, I’m not saying we should all go out and get fat for our health (which we wouldn’t be able to do anyway, because no one knows how to make a naturally thin person fat any more than they know how to make a naturally fat person thin; see point 4), but I’m definitely saying obesity research is turning up surprising information all the time — much of which goes ignored by the media — and people who give a damn about critical thinking would be foolish to accept the party line on fat. Just because you’ve heard over and over and over that fat! kills! doesn’t mean it’s true. It just means that people in this culture really love saying it.
Read in full: Don't You Realize...



Eating Disorder Recovery: From Inpatient Treatment To Life
Margarita Tartakovsky

I’m thrilled to publish today’s guest post by Elizabeth Short. Just recently Elizabeth shared her story of recovery and resiliency here at Weightless (part 1 and part 2). Currently, she’s a Masters student in Counseling at The University of New Orleans, and writes the blog Fiding Hope.. Elizabeth is also in the process of  writing a memoir about her recovery. I love that Elizabeth is reaching out to others with her positive and hopeful message, and I love her guest post. It’s raw, insightful, brave and beautifully written. Plus, it offers really valuable advice. And I can’t say enough great things about it. I’m so grateful to her for sharing this with us.

Inpatient treatment for eating disorders:  Locked bathrooms.  Staff watching your every move, including time in the bathroom.  Meals and snacks are closely monitored.  No shoelaces, tweezers, coffee, gum or mouthwash.  6 a.m. weigh-ins.  Room searches.  Individual and/or group therapy all day long.

Sounds a little like prison to some, but for me, it was safety.  It meant I couldn’t restrict my intake or purge after eating.   I couldn’t use laxatives or diet pills.  I couldn’t weigh myself 50 times a day. I couldn’t stay isolated in my house for days at a time.
Read in full: From Inpatient Treatment To Life



Watch It
Happy Bodies

The other night, when refusing a second helping at a dinner party, a guy said: “None for me, I’m watching my figure.”

We all laughed.

What a silly thought, a guy, who’s young and looks fit, dieting? Ridiculous. And yet this is just expected for so many people. So often people who are read as fat (and therefore automatically unhealthy) are subjected to judgements and unwanted advice: if you only ate a little less, worked out a little more, watched your figure, you could look young and fit too!

This comment struck me particularly because I’m reading two book right now (by white men) where major female characters are made into joke figures because of their weight. While the eating habits and fitness of other characters are not chronicled, paragraphs are dedicated to Lizzyboo stopping for ice cream before dinner and every time Vera moves across a scene her jiggles or heavy breathing are remarked upon. The joke is not just fat = funny (which it isn’t) but also how stupid these women are! If she didn’t have those extra snacks she wouldn’t be such a fattie! Silly Vera, always going on binges after diets and gaining the weight back. They make it character flaw that they are fat. A flaw that they don’t know how to properly watch their figures.

A study came out recently that reported that when Forty dietetics and health promotion students enrolled in a university obesity course followed a a calorie restricted diet (1,200 calories for women and 1,500 calories for men) for just one week their was a significant change in their fat-phobias. It makes sense that once these future dietitians and health professionals realized how high the expectations were of their fat patients they would become more sympathetic. It so easy to look at someone else and think you know what is best for them, but in actuality, individuals are in the best position to make choices about their lives and bodies. Even doctors trained to take care of our health can be subject to fat-phobia, and take it out on their patients.
Read in full: Watch It 


 Reboot
Defining Wellness 

I’m proud to say I’m an optimist. Even when I’m feeling stressed, anxious or upset, and even when I’ve felt so low that I couldn’t summon the strength to get out of bed, there’s always been that voice inside of me that says, “It WILL get better. There IS hope.”
And I don’t just feel that hope for myself. I feel that hope for anyone who needs it. I believe that we all have the power to be thankful for what we have even in the midst of sadness, to take the necessary steps to make life better.
But even with this optimistic attitude, there are times when I get in a funk. I wake up and feel anxious and think, “Huh, where’d that come from?” Or I get in some kind of existential rut and I obsess about my place in the world. Or eating disorder symptoms re-emerge and I think, “You again? I thought I folded you up, packed you in a box, and buried you in a bottomless pit.”
It’s at times like these that I use that optimistic energy within me to reboot.
In a recent post, I discussed my desire to plan less . . . do more . . . NOW.
When I get in a funk, that’s half of the solution. Stop thinking about everything that’s going wrong and start living.
Read in full: Reboot



sources linked above

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2010

Tomorrow starts National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The theme this year is, "It's Time To Talk About It," so that's what we'll be doing here.

Among the things Weighing The Facts will be featuring this week are:

• Personal stories from readers
• Eating Disorders and Body Image Bloggers
• Links to resources for information, help, and recovery
• Recovery Quotes

There's still time if you'd like to share your story or poem here for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Hungry For Love: A Valentine To Yourself

Ah, Valentine's Day. The celebration of love. The demonstrations of affection. The heady, sweet confirmation that we are loved, special, unique, and deserving ... a confirmation we sometimes take too seriously, and place too much emphasis on. The truth of the matter is that no matter what the outside world does, or doesn't hand us today, we are already all of these things.

So for this Valentine's Day, make yourself the first recipient of your love and affection. Celebrate yourself, love yourself, and renew your relationship with yourself. Take a few moments to give yourself a valentine.

Affirmations:

• Loving myself heals me; body, mind, and soul.
• I deserve love and respect as I am.
• I love my body, care for it, and appreciate it.
• I choose happiness, no matter what my circumstances.
• I believe in myself and so do others.
• I am beautiful in mind, spirit, and body.
• I am unique, special, and deserving.
• I accept my body as it is.
• I honor, respect, and appreciate myself.
• I listen to and trust my inner wisdom.
• I treat myself with kindness.
• I create my thoughts and my reality.
• My beautiful body is home to my beautiful spirit.
• I lovingly create my own reality.
• I love and accept myself.
• Everyday gets better and better.
• My possibilities are endless.
• I am worthy.
• I release the past and live in the present.

Write:

Put it into words. Make a list of all the things you appreciate about yourself. No matter how small or unimportant it may seem to you at the time, write it down. Do you find this difficult to do? Pretend that someone you really care about has asked you to write down their positive attributes. Now, pretend that you are that someone. Take a step back and see yourself without any of the negative internal dialogue influencing your vision ... and write.

Write a letter to the negativity, that part of yourself that whispers or screams. Acknowledge it's existence. If you know why it exists, tell it so. If you don't, let it know that, too. Make it aware that no matter the reason for it "being," it is a separate entity from yourself and you don't need it around anymore ... then mentally pack it's bags for it and kick it out the door.

Write positive affirmations on pieces of paper and tape them to places you will see them often, throughout your day; the mirror, the dashboard, your pillow, the backdoor, over the kitchen sink. Read them aloud, with conviction. Stay in the moment and let the truth of those words sink in. Feel them.

Reaffirm what recovery means to you. Write down what you have gained (or will gain) from your recovery. Tuck the list in your wallet to take out and read when you need reminding.

Choose a small, positive change you'd like to achieve and make it your goal for the month. Write it down in a pocket calendar. Set aside time each day to give to that change. Even the smallest of changes can make a big difference in your life.

Write a letter to your body and let it know that you're grateful for all it has done for you.

Keep a gratitude journal. Each night, before bed, write down something (big or small,) from your day that you're grateful for.

Write down the things that you keep to yourself, the scary things, the nagging secrets of truth or imagination that we are all familiar with. Those things that haunt you, tug at you, and surface to suck the life and joy out of life. Bring them out from their hidden places. Write them each on their own piece of paper. Whether they be real or imagined, read each one and acknowledge that they are what they are but they do not define you. Then tear them into tiny pieces, flush them down the toilet... whatever will have the most significant impact for you.


Speak up. Speak out. Say it aloud. Say it with kindness:

Speak kindly of yourself when talking to others. Be positive. Be confident. Speak kindly to yourself, too. If you wouldn't say it to someone you love and respect then don't say it to/about yourself. If you have a hard time doing this, fake it. Yes, fake it! How do things become a part of our everyday lives, become second nature? Practice. Repetitiveness. As the recovery quote goes... fake it until you make it.


Quotes:

It is not selfish or narcissistic to love yourself. It is your first and foremost responsibility.
~Alan Cohen

The first thing is to convince yourself that life's more fun if you love yourself. Don't worry about trying to find other people to love you. Love yourself first.
~Dr. Lynn Cutts

Loving yourself allows you to see the beauty in others. It opens your senses to the brilliance of divine light, to the sweetness of your own life experience and to the power of your focused incarnation. Loving yourself allows your consciousness to assume the shape of love, which makes you at once loving and lovable. But most of us are very stingy with the love we offer ourselves. ~Rebbie Straubing

Respect yourself and others will respect you.
~Confucius

Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things.
~Leo F. Buscaglia

Love yourself unconditionally, just as you love those closest to you despite their faults.
~Les Brown

Remember to be yourself, can't think of anyone better qualified.
~Pharnell Raines

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.
~Lao-Tzu

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not you go out and look for a successful personality an duplicate it.
~Bruce Lee

Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.
~Marva Collins

An individual's self-concept is the core of his personality. It affects every aspect of human behavior: the ability to learn, the capacity to grow and change. A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success in life.
~Dr. Joyce Brothers

Nobody will think you're somebody if you don't think so yourself.
~African-American proverb

Self-love is not opposed to the love of others.
~Dr. Karl Menninger

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
~Maya Angelou

Happy Valentine's Day!

Check these out:
Starting To Love Yourself
Making Me Magazine. Written by Melissa of Finding Melissa.

Valentine's Day Doesn't Have To Suck Again
To Write Love On Her Arms

Self-Worth: The Unconditional Love Of Self
Using Affirmations
Believing in Yourself
Self-Love Quotes
Self-Worth Quotes
Our Bodies



picture source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drics/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Surviving Thanksgiving When You Have An Eating Disorder

Thanksgiving is a stressful and often scary time for those with an eating disorder. Here are some links to survival tips to help see you through the holiday season.

12 Ideas to help people with eating disorders negotiate the holidays.

Holiday Survival

15 ways to deal with the holiday season

10 tips to help you get through the holiday

How to survive Thanksgiving when you're in eating disorder recovery

Holiday Eating 101: How to negotiate the holidays when you have an ED

Dealing with the festive holiday when you have an eating disorder

Tips for overcoming holiday stress and anxiety: The Food

Negotiating holiday eating

Caring for yourself at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving and eating disorders

Recovery Relapse Prevention

*Please feel free to share links in the comments section to any resources you have for surviving Thanksgiving


Photo source:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suckamc/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

What Are Your Strengths?

Video by: Holdingon

Please see sidebar for:
more ED and Recovery Videos
Recovery Quotes
Resources and More

Eating Disorder Recovery: One Woman's Story

Video By: Ilovegooner


*Please see sidebar for Recovery Inspiration, Resources, and more.

BULIMIA: You Are Not Alone

A video by TallSkinnyCappuccino


Additional Information:
Bulimia Nervosa
Warning Signs Of Bulimia
Laxative Abuse For Weight Loss
Diuretic Abuse For Weight Loss

*See sidebar menus for ED resources, Hotlines, Tools, and Recovery Inspiration.

Poll: What Was The Inspiration That Caused You To Seek Recovery From Your Eating Disorder?

Please see sidebar for the poll, "What Was The Inspiration That Caused You To Seek Recovery From Your ED?"

The poll options are limited so if you have chosen "other," would like to add answers, elaborate on your answers, and/or discuss what led you to seek recovery please feel free to do so in the comment section of this post.

Thank you.

Completed Poll Results:

What Was The Inspiration That Caused You To Seek Recovery From Your ED? (choose all that apply)

ED treatment center	4 (11%)
Therapy	7 (19%)
Support of family	8 (22%)
Support of friend(s)	9 (25%)
Loss of friend(s) to ED	2 (5%)
Loss of family member to ED	1 (2%)
Fear of consequences	10 (27%)
Health issues	12 (33%)
Health concerns	13 (36%)
Severe illness	4 (11%)
Helping another with recovery	3 (8%)
Following the recovery of another	2 (5%)
Alternative medicine/methods	2 (5%)
Medication	3 (8%)
Art Therapy	1 (2%)
Meditation	2 (5%)
Hair loss	5 (13%)
Fear of dying	6 (16%)
Self-discovery	10 (27%)
ED awareness	8 (22%)
Support group	2 (5%)
Intervention	5 (13%)
I cant remember	0 (0%)
I'm trying but not inspired	4 (11%)
Other (please see below poll)	2 (5%)
I'm not in recovery	5 (13%)
I don't want recovery	4 (11%)

Votes: 36

More Poll Results

picture source:photbucket.com

Shame and Eating Disorders: Would You Like To Share Your Experience?

Based on the recent poll, My Eating Disorder: One Word At A Time, one of the highest ranking choices was the word "Shame."

In hopes of helping others to understand and/or relate, Weighing The Facts is looking for your experience with shame and it's connection to your eating disorder. Submissions that are received will be included in an upcoming post. All submissions will be anonymous, listing only your gender and your age. You may include your first (or a fictitious) name if you so choose.

It can be whatever you need for it to be; one word, one or several paragraphs, or a poem. It is totally up to you.

If you are interested in sharing your experience and having it posted here, please email me at MrsMenopausal@yahoo.com.

Thank you.

Poll results can be found here.

Writings on the shame and eating disorders can be found here.

picture source: http://www.bigfoto.com

Poll: My Eating Disorder, One Word At A Time

What words help define your experience with your Eating Disorder? In the sidebar you will find an anonymous poll, My Eating Disorder, One Word At A time, where you can share your words with others who also suffer with an ED, and help those that don't to better understand.

If the list is missing words that are important to you and your experience please feel free to share them in the comment section.

If you are in recovery or seeking recovery, please check back. Upon the completion of this poll will be a similar poll about your recovery.

Participation is always greatly appreciated. Thank You.

Completed Poll Results:

My Eating Disorder, One Word At A Time (choose as many words as you feel fit your views, feelings, and experience, with your ED, excluding recovery).

Votes: 65

Desperation	43 (66%)
Hopelessness	47 (72%)
Fear	39 (60%)
Anger	42 (64%)
Shame	52 (80%)
Embarrassment	42 (64%)
Worthlessness	44 (67%)
Perfection	25 (38%)
Hunger	33 (50%)
Loneliness	47 (72%)
Rage	19 (29%)
Dishonesty	40 (61%)
Superiority	24 (36%)
Belonging	15 (23%)
Community	10 (15%)
Beauty	22 (33%)
Bones	31 (47%)
Achievement	38 (58%)
Thinspiration	21 (32%)
Control	42 (64%)
Love	15 (23%)
Doom	15 (23%)
Temporary	9 (13%)
Dieting	23 (35%)
Controlled	22 (33%)
Defeated	29 (44%)
Bloated	29 (44%)
Disgusted	50 (76%)
Powerless	41 (63%)

Would you like to share your experience with how shame relates to your eating disorder to be included in an upcoming post here at Weighing The Facts?



click here for more poll results.

Eating Disorders News: July

To Hell and Back: Appetite for Life Regained

Kate Benson Medical Reporter July 26, 2008

IT'S been six months since Lucy Howard-Taylor wished she was dead. For almost four years, the demons of anorexia nervosa rode on her back, convincing her she was worthless, unattractive, dull and unnecessary in the wider scheme of life.

"I had some very poisonous conversations with my anorexic demon," she says as she recalls her descent into hell with a compelling combination of fragility and strength.

Howard-Taylor, 19, seems an unlikely hero in the war against eating disorders, but her new book, Biting Anorexia, is being hailed by experts as one of the "most stunning" ever written on the subject.

Read in full here.

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Senate Passes Scaled-Back Mental Health Parity Bill

By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff

Patients with autism, eating disorders, substance abuse problems or post traumatic stress disorder would have greater access to treatments under proposed legislation that passed the state Senate today.

The measure differs from a more sweeping version of the "mental health parity" bill that passed the House earlier. That proposal would require insurance plans to cover all mental health disorders the same as physical conditions and would allow any treatments that were medically needed.

Both the Senate and House versions would maintain the current law's requirement that health insurers provide full coverage for nine of the most common psychiatric conditions: schizophrenia; schizoaffective disorder, major depression; bipolar disorder; paranoia and other psychotic disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder; delirium and dementia; and affective disorders.

Read in full here.

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Quebec Considering Voluntary Charter Against Anorexia, Ministers Says

The Canadian Press

PARIS — Quebec is considering following France's example in the fight against anorexia, the provincial culture minister says.

Christine St-Pierre said Wednesday she is looking at tabling a voluntary charter against anorexia which fashion professionals, the advertising industry and media would be invited to sign.

She did not rule out resorting to tougher legislation if the results from the voluntary charter are unsatisfactory.

St-Pierre, who is also Quebec's minister responsible for the status of women, said she is very interested in France's approach to fighting anorexia.

"It inspires me a lot," she said.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight.

Read in full here.

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Family Meals Can Help Teen Girls Avoid Drugs, Alcohol

HealthDay News

Eating meals together as a family can reduce a teen girl's risk of turning to alcohol or drugs, a new study suggests.

In families who ate at least five meals a week together, the teen girls were much less likely to drink alcohol, or smoke marijuana or cigarettes five years later, said study author Marla Eisenberg, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The same effect wasn't seen for boys in this study, although Eisenberg can't say why.

"One of the key findings we have here is for girls," she said. "We found girls who had regular family meals had half the odds of initiating cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana use in the five-year time period."

Read in full here.

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London College Creates Eating Disorders Course For Parents

Eating Disorders Help Blog

Effective early treatment is paramount in a person's battle against anorexia, and the support of loved ones is a key part of that treatment. But friends and family members are often unsure of exactly how to be supportive.

"King's College London has begun a course to give carers necessary skills. The Collaborative Caring Course teaches the necessary skills to understanding eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, and the consequential behavioral changes."

Read in full here.

sources: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/to-hell-and-bac-appetite-for-life-regained/2008/07/25/1216492732908.html

http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2008/07/senate_passes_s.html http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMNXRsFfWlsnvSwCk4lb7cQTkM_g http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2008/07/23/hscout617671.html

http://www.eatingdisordershelpguide.com/blog/2008/07/london-college-create-eating-disorders.html
picture:http://www.everystockphoto.com