From Athlete’s Pressure to Eating Disorder Recovery
What happens when the drive to succeed as an athlete turns into something harmful? Soccer has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started playing when I was 5, and the sport quickly became my world. By the time I got to college, soccer wasn’t just a passion but part of my identity.
Anybody Can be a Sick Body
When I first became sick with my eating disorder, I was 11 years old. I didn’t choose to get sick because eating disorders are never a choice, but it was a coping mechanism that came out during a challenging time in my life. My parents were divorced and the strict visitation schedule took a toll on me. I needed a friend and anorexia was more than willing.
A Reflection of a Younger Me: The Time Is Now to Notice
I’ve been struggling with these thoughts for years, never fully connecting any of them to something dangerous until I started noticing changes in my appearance in my early 20s. Even then, I wasn’t fully aware of what was happening. It wasn’t until I began to get better—years later—that I saw the full picture. Only then did I grasp how deeply I was caught in an eating disorder.
How I Used Film to Spotlight Eating Disorders in the Black Community
Speaking with my peers in the Black community, we all came to the same conclusion – One of the main challenges with being in a Black body was living up to the pressure to meet Eurocentric beauty standards… aka ‘slim
The Challenges of Accessing Support for an Eating Disorder: How NEDA Helped Priya on Her Recovery Journey
Struggling with an eating disorder is a frightening experience, especially when faced with limited resources and societal stigma. I encountered this struggle firsthand at the age of 15, 27 years ago, when eating disorders were still shrouded in silence.
Add Sparkle to Your July 4th: 9 Tips for Managing Your Eating Disorder This Independence Day
July 4th is meant to be a time of celebration and enjoying time with the people you care about. However, if you have an eating disorder and are in recovery the holiday can be stressful and present challenges. Here are nine tips to make sure this July 4th is a step forward in your recovery. […]
What Every Parent Should Know about Eating Disorders
My daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa at age 11, though it’s likely her eating disorder started much earlier and went undetected for years. She had some pre-existing slight anxiety issues, and possible body image issues that were likely associated with normal things like growth spurts. All of that, we later realized, grew worse […]
The “Model Minority Myth” and Eating Disorders
The “model minority myth” paints a deceptively simple picture: Asian Americans and other minorities achieving seamless success in the U.S. through relentless hard work, intelligence, and an unwavering focus on academic and career success. This stereotype echoes through the roles we see in 2000s sitcoms—the “Asian friend”, always the overachiever, the awkward engineer, or the wealthy but overlooked suitor.
Exploring Virtual Reality, Increasing Access, and Treating ARFID: NEDA Announces Research Grant Recipients
Exploring Virtual Reality, Increasing Access, and Treating ARFID: NEDA Announces Research Grant Recipients Eating disorders research receives less federal funding than research for many other serious mental and physical illnesses. With its two research funds, NEDA provides two year grants to advance treatment and prevention efforts. The Feeding Hope Fund aims to support projects that […]
Taking Action Toward Equity in Eating Disorder Treatment and Care
Taking Action Toward Equity in Eating Disorder Treatment and Care This blog post represents the author’s views and should not be interpreted as professional/medical advice or endorsed by NEDA. 2024 is going to be the year when we act. We have spent far too much time discussing disparities in eating disorder treatment and access. I have […]