Enabling women to know that they can overcome the power of an eating disorder and create a sense of worth, confidence and happiness
The inner voices of anorexia and bulimia whisper that you'll never be happy until you lose weight, that your worth is measured by how you look, that you can gain control over who you are by having control over eating or how much food stays in you. Your inner diet may tell you to be on constant diets or to exercise more than a healthy level - this might not be termed anorexia or bulimia but these are also signs of an unhealthy relationship with who you are.
Real happiness and self-esteem come from being comfortable with who you are-and that is only possible with having a healthy attitude to your body and how you nourish it. With treatment, support, and self-help strategies, you can overcome your eating disorder and gain true self-confidence.
Did you know that every day, women in the UK are struggling with life-controlling issues? The statistics below tell a horrifying tale:
- The UK has the highest rate of eating disorders and self-harm in Europe
- Recent figures suggest that 1% of women in the UK have had a clinically diagnosed eating disorder and over 50% have ‘serious issues with food’ that are not clinically diagnosed but cause them significant trouble
- 1 in 4 women will require treatment for depression at some time (National Institute For Clinical Excellence, 2003)
- Women are twice as likely to experience anxiety as men. Of people with phobias or OCD, about 60% are female. (The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report, 2001)
Source - Mercy UK
Websites Offering Support:
Mercy UK
If you feel like you need some time away to heal, there are places you can go to such as Mercy UK. They look to address the root causes of issues women face, rather than merely medicating the symptoms or addressing the external behaviour. They seek to help break the cycle of destruction by helping people to find freedom and restoration through the services they provide. They offer a six-month residential programme which is uniquely designed to help young women aged 18 to 28 who are struggling with life-controlling issues such as self-harm, eating disorders, depression, low self-esteem or abuse in any of its forms. This is a program based on the Christian faith but they welcome applications from young women struggling with life controlling issues regardless of their personal faith or religious background (please see the website for more info).
Equanimity Counselling
Welcome to Equanimity. Counselling is space. Counselling is being heard and understood. Counselling is time to breathe, explore, accept. Counselling is a place you can be and evolve at your own pace.
Beat
supports anyone affected by eating disorders or difficulties with food, weight and shape.
Books on this subject:
Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too
Jenni had been in an abusive relationship with Ed for far too long. He controlled Jenni’s life, distorted her self-image, and tried to physically harm her throughout their long affair. Then, in therapy, Jenni learned to treat her eating disorder as a relationship, not a condition. By thinking of her eating disorder as a unique personality separate from her own, Jenni was able to break up with Ed once and for all.
Inspiring, compassionate, and filled with practical exercises to help you break up with your own personal E.D., Life Without Ed provides hope to the millions of people plagued by eating disorders. Beginning with Jenni’s “divorce” from Ed, this supportive, lifesaving book combines a patient’s insights and experiences with a therapist’s prescriptions for success to help you live a healthier, happier life without Ed.
Plus, there’s also a second book. In Goodbye Ed, Hello Me Jenni shows you that being fully recovered is not just about breaking free from destructive behaviors with food and having a healthy relationship with your body; it also means finding joy and peace in your life. Buy here
Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths, Metaphors and storytelling
By weaving practical insights and exercises through a rich tapestry of multicultural myths, ancient legends, and folktales, Anita Johnston helps the millions of women preoccupied with their weight discover and address the issues behind their negative attitudes toward food.
Videos on this subject:
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