My Messy Life

Most of the articles and awareness you see about eating disorder has quite a high focus on the physical effects of the illness.  But eating disorders are so much more than that. This is just my personal experience, but here are some of the effects I have had that aren't "just" physical. Social Life Prior to my eating disorder, though I don't particularly enjoy social situations, I had a group of really close friends who made me feel comfortable enough to be social with. My eating disorder changed all that. I found that especially being a teenager that people distanced themselves, they couldn't understand why I was saying no to things... I was alienated. Then add to that the fear of events surrounding food or being out of routine, and socialising became pretty much impossible. Even that which was possible became a huge event, needing days (or weeks) of planning beforehand. It is really quite isolating having an eating disorder. Finances This is a big one we need to...

Dear World, We are tired of living in a world obsessed with dieting, We are tired of living in a world obsessed with body image, We are tired of services not being funded properly, We are tired of being a second thought for "ob*sity policies", We are tired of being seen as "acceptable collateral", We are tired of being faced with our triggers every day by a society that doesn't care, We are tired of people seeing "eating disorders" as only Anorexia and only someone who is underweight, We are tired of being told it is our responsibility to not be triggered when we are sick, We are tired of the Government doing everything it can to harm us, and nothing at all to help, We are tired of losing our friends, our peers and amazing lives unnecessarily and too young, We are tired of weight stigma being entrenched in healthcare and even eating disorders care, We are tired of being seen as a BMI rather than a person with unique needs, We are tired of being told ...

In Part 1 , I included a few ways that some of the current "awareness" might be doing more harm than good, both to sufferers of eating disorders and to the stigma that exists within wider society. So now I want to put together a list of things that can be included in articles, awareness campaigns and the media, so we can raise awareness without creating harm, triggering sufferers or adding another level of stigma. Please also ensure that BEAT Guidelines are followed as these are always a great guide.  Eating Disorder Media Guidelines - Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) 1. Diversity, Diversity, Diversity! This is probably the single most important thing, but the one that is far too often missed. Eating disorders can affect anyone, of any age, gender, body size, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, class, or any other demographic.  However how often do we only see one type of eating disorder (usually Anorexia) portrayed in one way (usually a white, cisgender, middle class girl/t...

Exercise: It's always a good thing, right? Well, that's what society tells us, ingrains into ours' and our children's minds from a very young age.  "The more the better",  "No pain, no gain", "Don't be so lazy", "You'll get unhealthy". The list goes on...  But by using such binary language, we miss the truth:  Yes, exercise CAN be really healthy for the majority of the population. That it is true that many could perhaps improve their wellbeing by being more active, and that exercise can be an amazing aid for both our physical and mental wellbeing. BUT What about the other side of things? What about when it damages your health? What about when exercise becomes toxic? This is my experience. Exercise no longer serves a positive purpose in my life - in honesty it hasn't for nearly a decade. It's put me in hospital once, and nearly on a number of other occasions. It's destroyed my social life, done permanent physica...