Feeling stressed may prompt you to go to great lengths to satisfy an urge for a drink or sweets, but you’re not likely to enjoy the indulgence any more than someone who is not stressed and has the…
Category: eating disorders
Nourishing Sight
I have come to see and believe that each of us has a specific “medicine”- that mix of qualities and gifts that come from our specific experiences, history, genetics, perspective. All of it coming together in a way that allows us to offer something unique and singular to the world. Some of us do it through our work. Some of us do it just in the way we be and how we embody the moment. The ways we bring ourselves to the various relationships and choices of our imperfect lives. One of my teachers told me recently that everything changes when you imagine the Divine as an artist, never creating the same thing twice. When I can imagine my self as a living breathing evolving work
Gaining My Groove Back
Today I went on a run. A seemingly simple sunset run, but my mind started turning as soon as my feet hit the pavement. Since exercise addiction was a big part of my eating disorder, my ability to move my body without the pressure of ‘burning this’ or ‘losing that’ still astounds me. Every day […]
I don’t want an A for anorexia | Charlotte Samantha
A grim spell in the eating disorder wing of a psychiatric hospital has only raised more questions about ignorance of the disease“You haven’t scooped all the butter out. Finish it all.” The nurse’s stare invaded from across the table, and her words continued the assault. She had finished supervising my breakfast, but was hell-bent on discovering any trace of leftovers, any hint of my illness now showing its mark in the almost empty flora pat beside my sticky fingers. They were sticky because – bowl of full-fat milk-soaked cereal, cup of tea, glass of water, glass of orange juice, two pieces of toast with butter and jam down – I had not been allowed to wipe my hands. Or my face for that
Six things I wish people knew about eating disorders
1. Eating Disorders are not a choice. One of the most upsetting things someone could have said to me when I was at my most unwell was that I was choosing to be that way. It can be so hard to express to somebody that you are not able to control your own thoughts, and that your mind is constantly causing you to deny yourself a basic human right; the right to eat. Although it is possible to make the choice to eat, it is not possible at that time to choose to avoid the feelings of intense guilt and self-hatred that follows. These are just some of the feelings that come with having an eating disorder, and it can take a very long time and a
Four Years: Finding Rainbows in the Storm
December 14, 2010, a day that forever changed my life and ultimately prepared me for what life had in store. Fours years ago I would have never guessed that my eating disorder would be the greatest gift in what would ultimately become the most traumatic time in my life. This year my world suddenly and drastically changed on […]
Holiday Book Contest!
It’s hard to believe that my book has been out for six months. For almost eight years, I toiled away on this blog, and then, this past June, the book finally came to print.In celebration of this half-year publication mark, and in keeping with the holiday spirit, I am going to give away two signed copies of Does Every Woman Have an Eating Disorder? to my loyal readers. It’s this community that inspired me to write the book and that continues to motivate me to post regular content on this blog.To enter the contest, either email me privately (drstaceyny at gmail dot com) or comment below with your DEWHAED New Year’s resolution. No diet talk, no rigid exercise plans, no weight-loss promises – only
Neuroimaging study of anorexia nervosa finds that brain shrinkage is reversible
Their novel findings obtained by measuring “cortical thickness” for the first time in the eating disorder are now published in the renowned journal Biological Psychiatry.
Secret Teacher: why can’t I tell pupils about my eating disorder?
I see students limiting their lunches and worrying about their weight. I want to tell then I’ve survived the bully in my head but I’m worried it’ll mark me out as vulnerableMore from the Secret TeacherI can still remember a time when I wasn’t obsessed with every single thing I ate. I would tuck into pizza without feeling guilty, or go out for dinner with my boyfriend and eat what I fancied – not what had the lowest calories.At university my issues with food became an obsession. Surrounded by girls I thought were thinner, prettier and cleverer than me, I immersed myself in a world of limiting, purging and excessive exercising. I’d consume 200 calories a day and spend hours in the gym, or eat an entire
A God Wink
God winks are what happens when the stars align and something impossible suddenly becomes possible. That happened today and the result was well, spectacular. From October until late spring, the NICU has a strict policy on visitors: parents and grandparents ONLY. Its purpose is to keep babies safe during flu season. Tuesday night I got […]
Brain research reveals new hope for patients with anorexia nervosa
Researchers from the Translational Developmental Neuroscience Lab led by Professor Stefan Ehrlich at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital…