How often do you wish for more hours in a day? There is always so much to do. Another room to be cleaned, another deadline to be met. It never stops. Unfortunately, more time in the day would only make the problem worse. You would just take on more responsibility, expect more if yourself and others. The only …
Who likes “the process” of change?
No one. The answer is no one. Change is a huge, time consuming, emotionally draining process that everyone hates and no one wants to see. We want a magic trick. We are all supposed to change and grow effortlessly and seamlessly. Whenever a problem arises, we are supposed to disappear into a cocoon somewhere and emerge perfectly …
To be the last therapist
This article was supposed to be about how to be “the last therapist a client needs” but I have realized that there is no way to define that mystical creature. Therapists always dream of being the last one. We want to be the one who solves the problems and helps healing happen. How many of my clients have seen multiple …
The relief of commitment
There have been two commitments I have made in my life. The first was too recovery and the second was two my husband. Both were utterly terrifying but both have made me feel more secure than I ever dreamed possible. I have always been an anxious person and for many years used the avoidance behaviors of an eating disorder to …
Tips for supporting someone with an eating disorder
Family members and friends always wonder how to help their loved one who is suffering with an eating disorder. Here are a tips. Tip 1: Express love unconditionally. The impulses of a loved one is typically to express love and concern in the same breath. It’s natural and understandable. It’s also risky. Concern often comes across as controlling and directive. Instead, …
Open letter to Ke$ha
Dear Ke$ha, I just wanted to say thank you for publicly announcing your decision to go into treatment. Seeking treatment for an eating disorder is often the most difficult decision. It feels like there are so many things in the way: work, school, fear of people knowing your secret, not believing you are worthy of treatment, not believing recovery is …
New Year’s Resolution: Eat with a toddler’s intuition
It’s that time of year. We’re all making promises to ourselves that we really can’t keep. But what if we did something a little bit different. What if we based a New Year’s resolution on what our body is already telling us, but we’re not listening too. What if our New Year’s resolution is to listen to our bodies and …
Mental Illness and the Cancer Analogy
It wasn’t that long ago that people would get mysterious wasting diseases. They’d lose vast amounts of weight, have no energy, fail to meet obligations, and eventually just die…all with no scientific explanation. Friends, family and society would judge the person harshly. They would say she had lost the will to live, was vain or was morally corrupt. Today, we …