Phenomenal Women: A Portrait Gallery of Role Models by Robyn Hussa Farrell
May 28, 2018 by Robyn Hussa Farrell
Filed under Activism, Activism, Advocacy, Art Therapy, Body Image, Creative Art, Empowerment, Expressive Arts, Expressive Arts Therapies, Featured, Finding Your Voice, Healthy Communication, Healthy Communication, Healthy Coping, Livin in the Moment, Media Literacy, Mindfulness, Moms & Sisters, Politics, Prevention, Role Models, Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care, Self-Compassion, Sharing Feelings, Social Justice, Spirituality, Stress Management, Treatment, Wellness, Wellness, Writing and Poetry
In celebration of the 10th year of this empowerment blog site, #RealDeal Editor, Robyn Hussa Farrell, shares this “gallery of role models” and fierce women leaders. Each of the below paintings were created while reflecting on the abundance of women role models in my life. In honor and celebration of each of them, I wanted […]
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 […]
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 […]
True Grit and “Normal” Eating
March 1, 2017 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Anorexia, Binge Eating, Bulimia, Disordered Eating, Empowerment, Featured, Healthy Coping, Healthy Eating, Intuitive Eating, Mental Health, Recovery, Self Esteem, Self-Care, Stress Management, Wellness, Wellness
When I say “true grit,” I’m not referring to the movie of the same name. I’m talking about a quality that is essential to success which many dysregulated eaters need to cultivate. Although I haven’t read the book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth, I did read about it in an […]
Knowing the Difference Between Prodctivity and Creativity
July 3, 2016 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Creative Art, Disordered Eating, Eating Disorders, Expressive Arts, Featured, Finding Your Voice, Livin in the Moment, Mental Health, Recovery, Self Esteem, Self-Care, Stress Management
So many dysregulated eaters are also folks who feel a pressing need to stay busy all the time. Not just busy doing anything old thing, mind you, but filling their time with properly productive endeavors. Sadly, many are potentially or highly creative individuals who have let their need to be productive co-opt their creativity. In […]
When You Can’t Get What You Really Want, You Eat
April 6, 2016 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Binge Eating, Disordered Eating, Empowerment, Finding Your Voice, Prevention, Recovery, Self-Care, Stress Management
When dysregulated eaters think they can’t get what they really want in life, they too often turn to food. They’re not hungry (not a smidge!), but end up on a mission to find something edible to satisfy them. And heaven help anyone who gets in their way. I know just what this process is like […]
Don’t Let Regrets Stress You Out or Push You Toward Food
December 2, 2015 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Binge Eating, Depression, Disordered Eating, Healthy Coping, Recovery, Self-Acceptance, Self-Care, Self-Compassion, Sharing Feelings, Stress Management
Many people get hung up on regrets. What they wish they’d had or done takes up more real estate in their heads than the lives they’re currently living. To dwell in regret is like walking down a street looking backwards. While making yourself miserable, you miss the only part of your life that matters: now. […]
What If Anxious Eating is About Things Insignificant and Inconsequential
November 4, 2015 by Karen R. Koenig
Filed under Anxiety, Binge Eating, Disordered Eating, Empowerment, Healthy Coping, Livin in the Moment, Mental Health, Obesity, Recovery, Self-Care, Stress Management
A while ago, imagine my surprise when I turned left at an intersection and went through a red light. (I expected the yellow light to become a green turn arrow as it usually did at this intersection). Knowing the intersection has a red-light camera, I figured I’d probably receive a ticket. Immediately, feeling anxiety rising, […]
