by June Alexander The writing of a life story or memoir requires preparation and planning, and benefits will come in the process as well as delivery. Choosing the time to write is the first of many factors, for your impression today may differ tomorrow. This post is especially for people with lived experience of an […]
Dear Diary
Getting Better Bite by Bite – in English, German and now Korean
Meeting the need for universal eating disorder recovery guidance by June Alexander My granddaughters, aged eight and six, excitedly helped to unwrap a book that arrived this week. I was already excited, because I could see the book was from Seoul, Korea. The sender, Professor Youl-Ri Kim, has translated the Getting Better Bite by Bite, […]
Secrets are an eating disorder’s best friend
There is no such thing as a good secret by June Alexander How do you cope with secrets in your family and within your own self? When you become aware of a secret, do you set about dismantling it, or do you ignore it, and pretend you “know nothing?” Secrets deeply shaped my early life. […]
Forget the scales, gaining weight as a person is the real marker in eating disorder recovery
‘Gaining weight in my life is giving me life’ By Karyn Braveheart Gaining weight is something l have struggled to do for a very long time. Now, after a lot of hard work and many hospital admissions, I am experiencing the positives in gaining weight. For sure, my everyday fear remains of clothing not fitting […]
Beware of the challenges of the Internet for adults with eating disorders
by June Alexander Forty years ago I told a GP that I feared something was taking over my mind. “You have a flat battery, that’s all,” declared the doctor. “We’ll pop you on medication and you will soon be as good as new.” If only breaking free from an eating disorder was that easy. We […]
The home that really matters is the one I carry within
by June Alexander Feeling at home with self is the most important thing. Feeling this way enables us to feel at home anywhere. Wherever I am these days, I feel at home. For many years, however, feeling “settled” was impossible. I moved house more than 20 times. Eventually, I learned through self-healing that the home […]
Send in the SWAT team and put me in witness protection
A mother’s plea to be Safe With Accessible Treatment for her eating disorder By Sarah The growing recognition of the need for support for caregivers of people with an eating disorder is welcome, but one group is falling through the cracks. Adults living with an eating disorder often need to be their own caregivers. They […]
Is food the problem? How to support someone with Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
by Chanty Weedon Understanding how to support someone with Binge Eating Disorder (BED) when you have no experience can be challenging. This is the first hurdle that my family faced even before my diagnosis. They did not know what to do or say to help. I was very private about my BED and, even though […]
“I’m sorry you’re going through that, but you know you’re not alone?”
Regaining healthy relationships from an eating disorder by June Alexander An eating disorder is about more than our relationship with food. When food increasingly dominates our thinking, our relationship with self and with others can disconnect and disintegrate at an alarming rate. Confidence and belonging give way to shame, stigma, fear and rejection. Openness gives […]
“Aunt June, you are the problem in our family:” Using the journal to dispel stigma, inside and out
by June Alexander Engaging in the world beyond an eating disorder (ED) means facing up to things like stigma. The perception or inference by others that ED, or any other mental health challenge, is a personal weakness can be demoralizing and destructive. In this post, drawn from my book, The Diary Healer, diarists discuss how […]