Though tattoos are not for everyone, some individuals choose to get inked for a variety of reasons. Especially when overcoming hardship, a tattoo may serve as a reminder of the battles you’ve won and the feats you’ve conquered. For many of us recovering from eating disorders, recovery tattoos represent strength, hope, and motivation to continue with recovery. In case you’re considering getting your own recovery tattoo, we’ve compiled a list of steps that will help you be satisfied with your new ink!

The What?

Today’s #NEDAchat will be focusing on eating disorders and body image in the dance community. We have an incredible panel lined up, and we wanted to introduce you to them. Read on to see who they are and what they are doing to tackle this discussion in the dance community.

Music is such a fantastic outlet for those of us looking for comfort, meaning, and inspiration. We are so lucky to have so many musicians coming out with tracks that are aimed at body positivity, self-love, and breaking societal standards. Here are 11 songs you may want to add to your summer playlist if you want to know just how good you really are!

Simple living was a concept first introduced to me back in 2008, when I attended sleepaway camp for the first time. It was an all-girls traditional camp in the middle of Maine. I remember the initial feeling of exhilaration as I drove up the main road on my first day. The camp reminded me a lot of the one in The Parent Trap: the vast lake, the green and white uniforms, the campers abundant with glee and moxie.

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the successes and gifts of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities. As this month of celebration comes to a close it is the perfect time to reflect on the next steps if we want to keep making our world a safer, more just place for LGBTQ people. One important set of next steps is to build awareness and action related to eating disorders prevention among the most marginalized LGBTQ communities, including transgender and gender diverse people. 

Ramadan is like a Spiderman movie.

I wait anxiously all year for its release. Once it arrives, it ends way too quickly. Afterwards, however, I am happy knowing that, inevitably, there will always be next year.

If you’re not a Spiderman fan (but...but...James Franco!), just fill in with your choice of Avengers/Harry Potter spinoff/Emma Watson project.

Getting to the Root Cause to Treat Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are rarely solely related to abnormal or disturbed eating habits. In fact, eating disorders are rarely even about food. As an integrative medicine practitioner with over thirty years of experience in treating eating disorders, knowing the root cause of eating disorders like bulimia, binge eating disorder, and anorexia is critical to developing an effective treatment plan for patients. 

From an early age, I knew that I loved deeply. I loved people in a way that felt like too much at times. I had names for every single one of my stuffed animals and I'd always buy them used because I felt like I had to save all of the orphans that were being given away. Growing up in a big family, I never felt alone. My three brothers and two sisters would keep me company and I always had someone to play with. It wasn't until the end of 5th grade when I learned how to play by myself—not because I didn't have friends, but because I felt safer being by myself.

I remember the magic of my first cross-country season back in 7th grade. I remember how running felt more like playing. How I literally laughed as I ran, because I was having so much fun. How races were adventures between me and my teammates. 

I remember so clearly, because this free-spirited joy in running now feels elusive. In high school, the pressure to perform in order to get recognized by college coaches is high. Once in college, the competition is fierce, sometimes even amongst teammates. Perhaps most insidious is the underlying belief that thin = fast.

Perfectionism is often a trait of many folks who are in recovery from eating disorders, including me. My childhood traumas left me feeling flawed, inherently bad, and not good enough for anyone. I believed that if I was a “good girl” and excelled at all things, my life would be better.