Am I an Instrument or an Ornament?
February 25, 2014 by Amy Leigh Mercree
Filed under Activism, Body Image, Empowerment, Exercise, Featured, Guys, Healthy Eating, Loving Your Body, Media Literacy, Moms & Sisters, Role Models, Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance, Wellness
I just read a wonderful article on The Huffington Post. In it, Jennifer Aniston interviewed Gloria Steinem about life and feminism in 2014. It’s full of tons of great information but one especially potent statement stuck with me. Steinem said that women are taught to think of our bodies as ornaments and men are taught […]
National Eating Disorder Awareness Week: A Call To ACTION!
February 14, 2014 by Priscilla Jadallah
Filed under Activism, Activism, Advocacy, Anorexia, Binge Eating, Body Dysmorphia, Body Image, Bulimia, Disordered Eating, Eating Disorders, EDNOS, Empowerment, Fat Acceptance, Fat Talk, Featured, Finding Your Voice, Food Revolution, Freedom, Loving Your Body, Males with Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Obesity, Orthorexia, Over-Exercise, Parents, Recovery, Self-Acceptance, Talking To Kids, Treatment, Weight Stigma, Wellness
Many people do not know that there is such a thing as National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. On February 23-March 1 is NEDA week. This week is important for many reasons, yet is rarely acknowledged in our culture. Eating disorders are commonly looked down upon, and I feel a big reason is because they are misunderstood. […]
New Year, New You? Heck NO! – The New Year’s Anti-Resolution
January 27, 2014 by Amy Leigh Mercree
Filed under Body Image, Empowerment, Featured, Loving Your Body, Media Literacy, Mental Health, Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance, Self-Compassion, Wellness
How did you feel about the usual barrage of new year’s resolution marketing this year? Did it annoy you? Make you feel like you should join in? Did it piss you off and make you want to rebel against it? However much it affected you, or didn’t, odds are it did affect you a little […]
Finding the Artist within: Art Therapy and Eating Disorders
January 20, 2014 by Priscilla Jadallah
Filed under Anorexia, Art Therapy, Athletes, Binge Eating, Body Image, Bulimia, Creative Art, Disordered Eating, Eating Disorders, EDNOS, Expressive Arts, Expressive Arts Therapies, Featured, Finding Your Voice, Healthy Communication, Healthy Communication, Healthy Coping, Livin in the Moment, Loving Your Body, Males with Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Music, Orthorexia, Over-Exercise, Recovery, Self Esteem, Self-Care, Sharing Feelings, Stress Management, Treatment, Weight Stigma, Wellness, Wellness, Writing and Poetry
Art Therapy has been a powerful and effective coping skill that the eating disorder community has embraced for decades. Art therapy helps and challenges a person to create and to reflect on the process of the art making experience and the art work they create. This process is powerful especially for someone who is suffering […]
The Invisible Line: Finding your voice and setting your boundaries
December 4, 2013 by Priscilla Jadallah
Filed under Activism, Anorexia, Anxiety, Binge Eating, Body Image, Bulimia, Eating Disorders, EDNOS, Empowerment, Finding Your Voice, Freedom, Healthy Communication, Healthy Communication, Healthy Coping, Livin in the Moment, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care, Self-Compassion, Sharing Feelings
Boundaries and assertiveness for many people these words bring upon anxiety, fear and represent a negative task. For many people the ability to stand up for their inner needs and wants can be very difficult. Often times many people I encounter hold many of their emotions and thoughts within themselves. I know especially for the […]
Hope For The Holidays
December 4, 2013 by Priscilla Jadallah
Filed under Anorexia, Anxiety, Binge Eating, Bulimia, Depression, Disordered Eating, Eating Disorders, EDNOS, Freedom, Healthy Communication, Healthy Communication, Healthy Coping, Healthy Eating, Livin in the Moment, Loving Your Body, Mindfulness, Recovery, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care, Self-Compassion, Sharing Feelings, Stress Management, Treatment, Wellness
The holidays can be a very magical and special time for many people around the world but for others the holidays equate stress, anxiety, sadness or anger. This can be for a variety of reasons, familial issues, relationship issues, money issues, health issues the list goes on. For some reason the holiday season is the […]
Empowered Dating: Loving Yourself, Having a Blast, & Treasuring What’s Important
November 20, 2013 by Amy Leigh Mercree
Filed under Body Image, Empowerment, Featured, Finding Your Voice, Freedom, Guys, Livin in the Moment, Loving Your Body, Mindfulness, Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care, Self-Compassion, Stress Management, Wellness
What does it really mean to be empowered? Confident. Secure. Self-assured. Yes, but also striving, learning, seeking to grow. And even more than that, there can be vulnerability in empowerment. In fact, there can be anything within an empowered person because the essence of empowerment is self-acceptance. A person who accepts herself can learn confidence […]
A Disease of Self Hatred
June 25, 2013 by Joslyn Smith
Filed under Body Image, Eating Disorders, Featured, HAES, Loving Your Body, Obesity, Prevention, Recovery
On Wednesday, June 19, 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced that its House of Delegates (against the recommendation of AMA’s own expert committee tasked with studying the issue) “voted to recognize obesity as a disease state with multiple aspects requiring a range of interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention.” Several excellent responses […]
Music Speaks to My Heart
March 22, 2013 by Arianna Merritt
Filed under Empowerment, Expressive Arts, Featured, Mental Health, Music, Self Esteem, Self-Care, Stress Management
Whenever I have a chance, I listen to music as it empowers me. Plain and simple: Music speaks to my heart. It also unites people. One particular memory stands out as a highlight of my trip to Great Britain and Ireland this past summer with one of my sisters (the same sister who introduces me […]
Ugly Ducklings Supporting NORMAL
March 19, 2013 by Robyn Hussa Farrell
Filed under Body Image, Empowerment, Featured, Loving Your Body, Media Literacy, Role Models, Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care
The Ugly Ducklings have come forward to help NORMAL and our mission of educating about mental health, eating disorders, body image, self-acceptance and stress-management through arts and mindfulness programs. We are so grateful!! The Ugly Ducklings is an initiative inspired by Jennifer Morrison of Once Upon a Time. A few weeks ago, Jennifer gave her Twitter supporters the […]
