In our latest blog, we delve into a common yet often misunderstood phenomenon known as the abstinence violation effect (AVE) and its impact on individuals in eating disorder recovery. Explore how a perceived lapse or violation of self-imposed rules can trigger intense negative emotions and potentially derail progress. Discover strategies for recognizing and managing the AVE to promote resilience and sustainable recovery.

Discover how Candy Salad is breaking down societal expectations and beliefs about 'healthy' eating! Click here to learn more about how Candy Salad encourages us to tap into sweetness and indulge without feeling guilt.

Did you know that many individuals have found EMDR therapy to be an effective and beneficial treatment option for those in eating disorder recovery? If you are interested in learning more about this approach, we invite you to visit our blog where you can delve into the details.

Are you curious to see if EMDR therapy can be beneficial for addressing your struggles with an eating disorder or negative body image? Explore our latest blog post for valuable insights and information on how EMDR may offer support in navigating these challenges.

Fall is a beautiful season full of vibrant colors and a sense of change in the air. However, many individuals find themselves facing a unique set of challenges when it comes to managing their fall and body image. The shift in weather, wardrobe transitions, and cultural emphasis on holiday festivities can all impact how we perceive ourselves and our bodies. However, It is important to remember that we have the power to navigate these challenges and foster a positive relationship with our bodies during this time.

We have been taught from a young age that thin equals better and healthier. This leads us to criticize, judge, and even hate our bodies if they don't fit the "ideal" mold. However, we have the power to break free from body shame and cultivate a compassionate relationship with our bodies.

Depression and anxiety are widespread mental health conditions that affect millions of individuals daily, severely impacting their ability to lead fulfilling lives. While therapy and medication are commonly sought after for tackling these challenges, incorporating nutrition counseling into the treatment plan can significantly enhance overall well-being and aid in the recovery process.

Recovery, while different for everyone, often encompasses physical, emotional, and psychological liberation from the restrictive grip of disordered thoughts, belief systems and behaviors. Though the road to eating disorder recovery may be challenging, the transformative power it holds is immeasurable. With time, commitment, and unwavering support, individuals can emerge from the depths of their eating disorder to find a newfound sense of freedom, self-acceptance, and healing.

Just because you are struggling with your mental health, doesn’t mean you aren’t deserving of love, support, or connection. Nor does it mean you have been less value. And that specifically is also what this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month 2023 focuses on! The year’s Mental Health Awareness Month focuses on #MoreThanEnough.

When you have ADHD, it can be challenging to remember to or know how to fuel yourself throughout the day. Reasons like hyperfocus, struggles with time awareness, the ability to be organized, or even ADHD medication itself are just a few reasons why eating is so easily forgotten. And because it is so easy to forget, people with ADHD often struggle with their relationship with food and can even develop disordered eating habits, like the restrict-binge cycle, without even recognizing it. 

It’s hard to love your body when you have so much dislike, even hatred for it. Our thoughts, feelings, and emotions about our body image heavily influences our personal experiences and plays such a big role in how we experience life. Oftentimes, (from my own personal experience too), our negative body image holds us back from truly experiencing present moments because we are too preoccupied with our appearance. 

Despite what society, the world, your family, or even you, yourself, has been told about eating disorders there are unfortunately so many misconceptions. You can be intensely restricting and obsessively over exercising and still think you are too big to have an eating disorder. You could also be restricting or binging and still show up in a body that is considered ‘normal’ or ‘overweight.’ You can be purging daily and your labs could still come up normal. 

You want to be happy with yourself and let go of the shame, guilt, and hatred you have for body but are afraid of what recovery could look like. It is understandable that you are both curious and anxious about ED treatment because the ED voice is talking back to you, convincing you, that you shouldn’t. I am here to provide some insight and debunk myths that your ED voice may be telling you about eating disorder therapy.

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We have been taught for so long to place judgments on ourselves, especially when it comes to our bodies. But it doesn’t have to have to be this way. We have the internal wisdom to manage the negative thoughts that we are having about our bodies…we just have to tap into them and be mindful of actually putting them into motion.  

The holiday season for many with an ED or in ED recovery can feel like the superbowl of negative thoughts and body image, anxiety, decreased self-esteem and even sadness. Which is why it feels impossible to try to keep your eating disorder from controlling your holiday season. It can feel easier to let the eating disorder voice win because it is so exhausting to keep your ED in check. And as exhausting as it is, you can still support yourself through the holiday season with the list of tips below. 

Whether you are fearful of the foods you will encounter on Thanksgiving Day, concerned about how you will manage your eating disorder voice, or just feel anxious about the pressure to eat or not eat you have the power right now, to prepare a toolbox of coping strategies to pull out of your back pocket when you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious this Thanksgiving.

Right now, you may be feeling that you have lost a sense of how to navigate the world around you, because you are in the throes of recovery and you have lost parts of yourself to the eating disorder. Eating disorder support groups can be a way to support your recovery journey and claiming your life back…

In a time when we are more isolated than we have ever been before, you may be thinking you’re the only one who feels that keeping up with recovery is really hard right now. Yet I promise you, you are not alone. Whether that’s thinking about food and your body a lot or feeling completely overwhelmed or confused by all the diet content out there as we enter a new year, know that there is someone out there who is feeling the SAME way you are right now. Learn how to access community to boost your eating disorder community

With routine being thrown out the window and heightened levels of anxiety around a pandemic that feels completely out of our control, many people are turning to their go-to coping mechanisms to manage this stressful time. If you or your loved one has a history of disordered eating, here is why this time may be particularly difficult and what you can do to support recovery.

DBT therapy offers skills-based learning to strengthen coping skills for difficult emotions while also providing opportunities to develop a new way of thinking about life, emotions, relationships and your sense of Self. Learn more to see if this could be the right therapy for you…