The Emily Program offers specialized eating disorder treatment, embracing holistic recovery through expert care and support.
The Emily Program offers specialized eating disorder treatment, embracing holistic recovery through expert care and support.
Despite statistics that tell us that eating disorders (and mental health concerns in general) transcend race, the dominant cultural depiction of someone affected by these illnesses centers on whiteness. We must recognize the dangerous ripple effects of excluding individuals from eating disorder conversations. Whatever your identity, you deserve a place in the eating disorder and recovery space.
Eating disorders impact millions of women, but research has predominantly been conducted through a binary lens of gender, neglecting the experiences of transgender women and non-binary and gender-fluid individuals. Additionally, eating disorder research falls woefully short for women of color, and the studies that do exist are based on frameworks and diagnostic tools developed with white women in mind. Source: National Institute of Mental Health
As Dr. Sabrina Strings teaches, anti-fatness isn't about health at all, but rather a means of using the body to validate race, class, and gender prejudice. To challenge these pervasive systems of oppression, we must acknowledge that dominant beliefs about fatness and the "ideal" body have long been used to vilify and harm certain groups. A deep understanding of the history and experiences of those who have been marginalized is key to building a society that embraces all bodies.
Many Indigenous/Native tribes embrace a worldview that promotes a holistic connectedness as both a protective and healing factor for well-being. Today, we're proud to feature the inspiring words from Jesse Valentin, a therapist at our sibling brand, Gather Behavioral Health, who speaks to the Indigenous notion of balance. A Diné two-spirit enrolled member of Navajo Nation, Jesse emphasizes the importance of incorporating spiritual and cultural needs into mental health care.
The Emily Program offers specialized eating disorder treatment, embracing holistic recovery through expert care and support.
If you feel you need to "earn" your food consider this: you already earned it because you exist! Your eating disorder and diet culture rules are lying to you when they say otherwise.
We all know food is fuel. Often recovery emphasizes how essential food is to biological functioning, and that makes sense to a point as one heals. This affirmation is intended to shift perspectives from a fear around food to appreciating its essential life-sustaining purpose. However, this statement can be reductive outside the context of recovery. The human relationship with food is complex, and there are all kinds of important reasons to eat beyond baseline medical intake requirements.
The Emily Program offers specialized eating disorder treatment, embracing holistic recovery through expert care and support.
Often, the things you're supposed to do that promote recovery, such as self-care, resting, taking time off from movement, prioritizing relaxation (e.g., watching movies, reading, playing board games), and connecting with others, might seem too far removed from the lofty goals and rules that your eating disorder previously set for you. We encourage you to fight back and lean into rest. Recovery calls for caring for yourself and your needs. You can't pour from an empty cup. 💛
The Emily Program offers specialized eating disorder treatment, embracing holistic recovery through expert care and support.
Rest, self-care, time off from movement, and having fun all have important—and productive—purposes in life and recovery. Make this a season of practicing mindfulness and listening to what your body needs. Accepting a slower pace that honors your changing needs is a meaningful part of the recovery journey.
Whether it's a good comment or a bad comment, let's all do our best to stop commenting on people's bodies. It is unnecessary and unhelpful.
Learn about the widespread impact of eating disorders on individuals of all ages and genders. Need support? Call 1-888-364-5977 now.
The Emily Program offers specialized eating disorder treatment, embracing holistic recovery through expert care and support.
Consider this your reminder that other people's appearance and food choices are not appropriate conversation starters. Even well-intentioned "compliments" or seemingly unrelated comments about one's own body and diet are subject to an eating disorder's filter, and can often be triggering. There are endless, far more creative conversation topics: connecting on new hobbies, current TV show/podcast/book obsessions, upcoming concerts or travel plans, etc.
The Emily Program offers specialized eating disorder treatment, embracing holistic recovery through expert care and support.
You deserve to eat no matter what your eating disorder is telling you.
