Dear Diary Blog
Share your story on The Diary Healer
The Diary Healer offers a safe and supportive environment in which to share your story. Sharing your story can help you to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness with self and others. Stories that provide a message of hope in coping with life challenges are especially welcome. Share your story today.
The Niggle – when Anorexia and Anxiety are Partners
Is anxiety related to the later onset of anorexia? Is anxiety related to the maintenance of anorexia? A reader shares her experience ahead of a FEAST webinar that will explore this issue. I feel it in my bones. I feel..
Australian families unite to address gaps in eating disorder support system
A parent-based organisation is calling for more support for families affected by a loved one living with an eating disorder. In only four years, Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) has fast become a vocal and respected advocate for raising awareness..
Changing the chatter on body image with ‘KIT’ the Chatbot
The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on people struggling with body image issues and eating disorders. A new world-first chatbot, launched in collaboration with the Butterfly Foundation, is providing much needed support to these people and their loved ones...
An Open Letter to my Anxiety (Mr A)
Dear Mr A. (Mr Anxiety), Firstly, I acknowledge you for what you are. You are mysterious, unpredictable, and unfathomable; you have every quality required to throw my life out of balance. I first felt your presence several years ago, during..
Supporting Someone with an Eating Disorder During COVID-19
A COVID-19 has led to a surge in the number of people struggling with an eating disorder. Secondary care specialist eating disorder teams are stretched beyond their capacity and waiting lists continue to grow. GPs are growing increasingly anxious how..
Detachment writing and how it helped me to reclaim my voice
I recently wrote a short story about a little girl. I wrote about her pain and confusion. I wrote about her loneliness and, also, about glimmers of hope and happiness she carried in her heart. I wrote about her amazing..
Learning from lived experience: rating items for body image questionnaire
People with lived experience of an eating disorder are being called on to help researchers understand and measure core body image disturbance in the illness. Body image as a concept is much more nuanced than typically considered, and several aspects..
The Longest Match: defeating an eating disorder in midlife
“Eating disorders.” Most of us instantly picture a teenaged or college aged girl when we see those words. After all, doesn’t age immunize women from the body image, weight concerns and eating disorders that plague the younger years? Truth is..
The dark side of fitness culture
Many fitness narratives on social media feature people purporting to be role models by seeking to inspire us to live a healthier life. They do this by presenting what they consider a desired physique, through sharing images and footage on..
Turning eating disorder thoughts into visual works of art
Eating disorders (ED) are one of the deadliest mental illnesses that continue to be severely underestimated and under resourced. Too often, people living with an eating disorder continue to be brushed aside. Since my discharge from The Geelong Clinic in..