Eating disorder resources: You can be a HERO

By Kelly Clark / Understand

Eating disorder resources are for EVERYBODY
Videos, infographics, posters… NEDA thought of everything!
This Body Acceptance Challenge and Eating Disorder Screening can save lives

Did you know eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness?

Whether or not you’re preoccupied by trying to lose weight, the eating disorder resources in this post are for YOU.

Why?

Eating disorders affect over 30 million people in the United States alone.

The goal of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (#NEDAwareness) is to shine the spotlight on eating disorders by educating the public, spreading a message of hope, and putting life-saving resources into the hands of those in need— National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

So even if YOU don’t have a complicated relationship with food, you’ll likely know someone who spends A LOT of time trying to lose weight.

There’s often so much SHAME around eating disorders that the focus becomes SECRECY rather than recovery (that was me).

It shouldn’t have taken me 10 years to lose 10 pounds.

Eating disorder awareness is the KEY to recovery. The eating disorder resources in this post are EXCELLENT conversation starters. They can help you be a hero to yourself, or to someone who’s struggling silently.

Eating disorder resources for EVERYBODY

National Eating Disorder Awareness (NEDA) Week‘s theme is:

COME AS YOU ARE

This year NEDA’s shining a spotlight on inclusivity.

Eating disorders don’t happen in a vacuum — they are complex bio-social illnesses that affect all kinds of people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, or backgrounds.
– National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

NEDA has created SHAREABLE eating disorder resources including:

Posters:

Videos about:

warning signs
how to help a loved one
marginalized voices
encouraging people to talk about their relationship with food
eating disorders & suicide

Infographics that spotlight:

athletes
bullying & weight shaming
co-occurring conditions
dieting & clean eating
marginalized voices
men
sexual assault & trauma
substance abuse

Event resources that include:

where to find events & post your own
an eating disorder 101 presentation
how to host a screening guide
printable brochures

NEDA’s eating disorder resources are important and handy ALL YEAR LONG.

Eating disorder resources to get you started

Check out these 2 quick surveys:

1. Body Acceptance Challenge
Do you feel pressure to diet? Or think there’s a “right” way to look?
This eating disorder resource helps you and loved ones fight the toxic pressure of diet culture and focus on being healthy.

2. Eating Disorder Screening
The sooner you get help the easier and faster it is to get back on track.
I didn’t know I had an eating disorder. For years I was just disappointed in myself, believing I lacked the willpower to stick a (restrictive) diet. So for years I ingrained bad habits that not only made me unhealthy (and interfered with my school work, sports and social life) but these unhealthy habits also made it HARDER to lose weight!
Check out this eating disorder resource and share it with anyone who could benefit from understanding their relationship with food. A stitch in time saves 9.

This photo was taken when I was trying so hard to lose weight, but gaining bad habits and weight in the process.

Why I wish I had these eating disorder resources

When I was 14 I gained a little weight during the summer. I was just about to start high school and wanted to feel like “me” again. So I followed every diet rule, tip and trick I could find.

Following all the diet industry messages, like:

…made my eating disordered. Soon trying to lose weight took over my life.

Restricting what I ate lead to overeating and eventually purging through exercise and other means. I yo-yo dieted for a decade.

For 10 years I was caught in the vicious cycle of starving, binging and purging.

Had I had access to eating disorder resources, like those created by NEDA (National Eating Disorder Awareness) which are shared in this post, I could’ve got early intervention and saved precious time.

Avoid my mistakes! Educate yourself with NEDA’s eating disorder resources. Or share them with someone you care about.

You CAN reach and maintain a healthy weight naturally… and get on with the rest of your life.

We need you!

I’m a NEDAwareness Week Collaborator

I love NEDA’s eating disorder resources because I’m passionate about prevention.

It’s an honour to be a NEDAwareness Week Collaborator and join SO MANY incredible:

professionals
health care providers
students
educators
organizations
and individuals committed to raising awareness of eating disorders

to help BREAK DOWN BARRIERS.

Sharing what I learned makes my 10 year struggle worth it.

Make Today Count

Choose one eating disorder resource to read and share it with a loved one TODAY.

Whether you’re struggling or know someone who has an unhealthy relationship with food, reading eating disorder resources TOGETHER is much more effective.

Think of one person you trust.

Build healthy eating and exercise habits, a healthy weight will follow.

Next Steps

Not sure where to start? This video gives lots of ideas about the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder. You can also sign up for my newsletter (below) and I’ll send you one of the best strategies I learned that helps you turn bad habits into good habits. It took me 10 years to figure this strategy out, but I can send this FREE eating disorder resource to you today!

One of NEDA’s eating disorder resources:

What’s the most powerful eating disorder resource you’ve come across? Please tell us about it in the comments below. The links you share to eating disorder resources will help other people get healthy so they can focus on their REAL goals… the people, animals and projects they LOVE. xo