If someone you love is suffering with an eating disorder, it can be difficult to know how to support them. As an eating disorder therapist, I have the privilege of getting the inside scoop on what kind of support is helpful (or not so much) for my clients on a daily basis. So I’ve written this post for carers and supporters based on a culmination of my clinical observations and my reflections on conversations that I’ve had with clients throughout the years. **Please note th

Spring is in the air, and so is body insecurity. The theme of changing bodies, and clothing sizes, has come up a lot in clinic lately and I thought that it is a topic that merits further discussion. Our bodies are always changing, and they are meant to change throughout our lives. This means that we won't always be the same size of clothing. Of course, we also need to hold in mind that sizes themselves are continuously changing. You can walk in to any high street clothing

With Christmas just around the corner, there's an increasing amount of pressure to be cheerful, excited, and 'on it' at work or with family.  Whilst it is the most wonderful time of year for some,  if you are struggling with disordered eating it most certainly will not feel that way.  And I'm here to tell you that this is 100% okay. Food is everywhere Tensions are high Consumerism threatens to engulf us As does the pressure to have that 'perfect' Christmas free from disordere

I'll preface this really quickly with a couple of things. Firstly, I want to acknowledge that this post comes from an 'aha' moment after listening to a seminar recorded last November by Anna Lavis (of Goldsmiths) at the University of Oxford on the topic of subjective lived experiences of anorexia as a form of self-care. If you'd like to listen to it, you can find it here. But this is what inspired this post. I also want to acknowledge how uncomfortable this may sound or fe

Anxiety is a totally normal human experience, and yet when you're caught in its throes it can feel scary and overwhelming. This is because when anxiety takes a hold of us, primitive biological functioning can override our rational mind. What is anxiety? Anxiety is a response danger, and as such it signals for the body to go in to a state of 'fight or flight' to protect us. When this occurs, our cardiovascular system response by increasing our heart rate and breathing, getti

Over the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season, it's important to have some additional resources that can support you to keep fighting the eating disorder and nourishing yourself emotionally while you're in recovery. I'm writing this post to offer you some of my favourite resources that I often suggest to my clients. They can be broken down in to three important areas of recovery: 1. Building self-compassion. I believe we are all born with self-compassion, but througho

" I haven't eaten all day so that I can eat this meal" "I can't believe I've eaten so much, I'm definitely going for a run tomorrow" "I've been so bad today, I ate so many cookies" "You've lost weight, what have you been doing?" Maybe these are things you find yourself saying to others. Or perhaps they're common phrases that you hear frequently when you're in social situations. Unfortunately, they're all to common - especially throughout the Holiday Season. As a therapist,

How often do you do things because you feel you 'should' or 'have to'? Do you ever pursue activities simply because they make you feel happier, more content, and relaxed? We are often so focused on what we need to do and where we need to go, that we lose a sense of how we are feeling right here-and-now. We can end up living in the 'shoulds' instead of listening to what our bodies and minds need in order to flourish and be nourished -- leaving us feeling overwhelmed and exhau