Dear Diary Blog
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Voice of experience vital in major update of mental health first aid for eating disorders
Do you want to help someone struggling with eating disorder symptoms, but lack confidence to intervene, in case you say the “wrong” thing? The good news is that with mental health first aid guidance you can be confident that you..
Speaking against cliched narratives about eating disorders – Korea’s powerful message
Korea’s first Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) has exposed the serious issue of eating disorders within families and communities. The hard schedule of seven consecutive days to mark this EDAW concluded in front of a small audience in a dimly..
Using journaling to unite brain with body in eating disorder recovery
The start of a new year traditionally comes with resolutions and promises to improve or do better in some way. Before I was deeply entrenched in an eating disorder (ED), my go-to resolution was to lose weight. This was the..
The moment I ceased denial and served anorexia notice
I don’t remember how many others were there. Between 10 and 15, maybe. All with years of experience of being around horses. A part of me was reprimanding me for being there. ‘You know nothing about horses’, she seethed. ‘You’re..
Lived experience inspires Korea’s first Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Lived experience will feature in Korea’s first Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW), for which I’m responsible. I’ve often been told not to scale up things so hastily, not to put too many irons in the fire, but such cautions seem..
If only … a letter to younger self about dieting and an eating disorder
Dear Friend, I’ve been wanting to write this letter for a long time, to explain how an eating disorder (ED) managed to weave itself through all my life stages, without me realizing it. That’s one of the most disturbing things..
Using writing to assist healing from an eating disorder
Imagine writing a self-healing, feel-good book to document your goals and progress this year. What will your chapters comprise? Lotta, who has anorexia nervosa, writes: It is the time of the year when there is space to look on the..
Public survey invites Australians to contribute to national eating disorder strategy
People from across Australia are being invited to complete a public survey that will help ensure broad input into a National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023-2033. Responses to the public survey, organised by the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC), will help..
The benefits of exploring identity through diary writing practice
I am like a dinosaur when it comes to diary writing. I have kept a diary since childhood. I’m now 72. The diary is part of me. Why? Early this week I was conversing with daughter Amanda, 46, about my..
An epiphany at 72 – it is never too late to be fully you
My birthdays have often been a non-event. However, an epiphany has marked my latest milestone. Yesterday, surrounded by five grandchildren and their parents lustily singing Happy Birthday, I felt overwhelmed by a sudden, deeper freedom to experience the moment. I..