Conversations with Patricia Leavy Part 3: Social Justice
March 2, 2018 by Robyn Hussa Farrell
Filed under Activism, Featured, LGBT, Media Literacy, Prevention, Recovery, Social Justice, Treatment
Patricia Leavy, Ph.D. is an independent sociologist and best-selling author. She has published twenty-four books, earning critical and commercial success in both nonfiction and fiction, a rare feat by any author. Her work has been translated into numerous languages. She is also the creator and editor for seven book series with Oxford University Press and […]
It’s Okay to Have Conflicting Thoughts on How You Want to Eat
December 6, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Anxiety, Binge Eating, Dieting, Disordered Eating, Healthy Coping, Healthy Eating, Intuitive Eating, Mindfulness, Recovery, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care
It’s not uncommon to have mixed feelings or thoughts. I’ve written about this dynamic related to eating and body image in Starting Monday and in The Food and Feelings Workbook. How can we not have them? I lie in bed many mornings thinking about how I both do and don’t want to arise and begin […]
Identity Is How YOU Define Yourself
November 12, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Empowerment, Finding Your Voice, Mental Health, Recovery, Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance
I’ve just spent the better part of an hour unsuccessfully digging through reading material trying to identify where I read (within the last week!) that “biography is not identity.” I had to wait to carve out time to blog about this subject and, in the interim, forgot where I found these four words which leapt […]
What If You Never Lose the Weight?
October 4, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Binge Eating, Body Image, Disordered Eating, Fat Acceptance, Loving Your Body, Obesity, Recovery, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care, Self-Compassion, Weight Stigma
A topic that has cropped up with clients recently is the question of what to do if they keep trying to eat more healthfully, exercise and take better care of their bodies and still don’t lose weight. Clients dance around this question and I suspect I do too at times. They want reassurance that if […]
Are You Often Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop?
September 6, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Anxiety, Binge Eating, Depression, Disordered Eating, Empowerment, Healthy Coping, Mental Health, PTSD, Recovery, Self Esteem, Self-Care, Stress Management, Wellness
Do you ever feel as if things are going swimmingly in your life—even as you’re waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop? If you frequently feel this paradoxical tug of simultaneous joy and fear, let me explain this dynamic and what you can do about it, the goal being that you lose the fear […]
NEDAWalk in Spartanburg!
August 29, 2017 by Robyn Hussa Farrell
Filed under Activism, Activism, Advocacy, Anorexia, Athletes, Binge Eating, Body Image, Bulimia, Disordered Eating, Eating Disorders, EDNOS, Featured, Guys, HAES, Males with Eating Disorders, Moms & Sisters, Politics, Prevention, Recovery, Treatment, What to Say, How to Say It
Join us for the first-ever National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) NEDA Walk in Spartanburg! Working in collaboration with Spartanburg County School District Six Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg School District 7 YMCA of Greater Spartanburg, NEDAWalks educate affected individuals and their families, while raising vital funds in the fight against eating disorders. Register here: www.nedawalk.org/spartanburg2017
Hyperarousal and Dissociation in Dysregulated Eating
July 5, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Binge Eating, Bulimia, Disordered Eating, Healthy Coping, PTSD, Recovery, Self-Care, Stress Management, Treatment
Many dysregulated eaters bounce back and forth between two states: wildly emotional or detached and unfeeling. Both are a product of traumatic experiences and can lead to mindless, emotional and binge eating. By understanding why this happens to your mind/body, you will be better able to recognize these states, cope with them more effectively, and […]
How to Calm Your Brain
June 7, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Anxiety, Binge Eating, Body Image, Disordered Eating, Empowerment, Healthy Coping, Males with Eating Disorders, OCD, PTSD, Recovery, Self-Compassion, Self-Harm, Stress Management
I was looking through notes I took at a workshop I attended last year on “Calming An Overactive Brain,” and found some ideas which speak directly to why it’s difficult for dysregulated eaters to not reach for food when they’re in internal distress. My hope is that by understanding what goes on in your brain […]
Stop Measuring Everything Against Perfect
May 3, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Eating Disorders, Healthy Coping, Mental Health, Recovery, Self Esteem, Stress Management
Perfect—what a seductive word it is. And what a lie it represents. And what pain it causes. I wish I had a dollar for every time a client says, “Well, my eating isn’t perfect, but…” or “It’s not a perfect relationship, but…” Tell me, why must anything be perfect? Why would we expect it to […]
Please Stop Calling It “Comfort” Food
April 5, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Binge Eating, Body Image, Disordered Eating, Featured, Healthy Coping, Healthy Eating, Nutrition, Recovery
As an eating disorders therapist, I am so done with hearing the term “comfort food.” I’m not only sick and tired of it, but I’m frustrated and angry that we’re still using this misnomer, if there ever was one, and about how it’s affecting our mental and physical health. As a therapist—mostly on the binge […]
