An Eater’s Agreement
Yesterday I turned 26. Being a pretty sentimental person, birthdays for me are always cause for reflection — I take stock of the last year, of the last decade, and of my life up to this point. I thought about where I was and what I was doing one year ago on my 25th birthday, just two months away from starting down the road to recovery (although I didn’t know that yet). I remember being on the train to Pennsylvania to visit my mother. I was reading the final pages of Carolyn Costin’s book 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder. At the end of the book were examples from something Carolyn...
Read MoreWhy I Am Grateful for 12 Years With an Eating Disorder
On Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, I traveled to Washington D.C. with hundreds of other eating disorder advocates to participate in the Eating Disorders Coalition’s fall Lobby Day and to join the first ever M.O.M. March on Capitol Hill (#MarchAgainstED). I’d never done activism of this sort before. So, on Monday night as I was packing for my trip, I Googled “What do you wear to go lobbying?” The answer: “Look good. Damn good. You’re representing millions of people in these meetings.” (But hey, no reason to be nervous, right?) To be honest, the fact that I would...
Read More- Treatment Update -
I just wanted to give a quick update about the status of my return to treatment, since I wrote a couple days ago that I hadn’t had much luck. Fortunately, after a month of trying to get into a treatment program, I started the IOP program at Monte Nido last night. This is actually a really cool opportunity for me. It was a year ago that I read Carolyn Costin’s book 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder (covered with newspaper so that I could read it on the subway to and from work). The book was pivotal for me, and ended up being what started me down the road to recovery. Not...
Read MoreKnowing Your Limits: When Not to Challenge Yourself in Recovery
A blogger friend and supporter, Tina Klaus (dontlivesmall.com), recently published an extraordinarily courageous and honest post revealing that she would be resuming treatment for her eating disorder—a true challenge for her, because it is not her first round. Following her lead, I’m also writing about my decision to return to treatment. I hope that, like Tina’s post did, it helps to allay the shame many of us feel when we admit to needing help (again). Pending insurance approval, I plan to begin an intensive outpatient program here in NYC as soon as possible. This particular...
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