Beating Ana

Faith versus trust

Faith. This is not a subject I am ordinarily disposed to write much about, for the sheer fact that I don’t understand it.

Trust. This is a practice I have struggled with rather continually across my lifespan thus far, and from both the receiving and the giving end.

Now, this may strike you (and certainly strikes me) as odd, given that my life to date has included recovering from a 15-year battle with anorexia and bulimia, living in India for six months, quitting my highly-paid corporate job to move to India, traveling through fifteen countries in Europe, writing a book, getting it published, executive producing three CDs of original music, and starting the world’s first eating disorders mentoring community.

Hearing all of this, not knowing it was my own life that was being described, I suspect I might be thinking, “Wow – this person sure must have a lot of faith!”

“Or at least a lot of trust.”

Nope.

The Joy of Being Single

Up until this past Sunday, it would have been hard to find a more irritating phrase to my ears than the title of this week's blog. The joy of being single? What joy??

Over the years I seem to have crafted singleness into its own odd, and usually unwelcome, art form...time, love, and people just never seemed to line up according to whatever formula (which obviously everyone but me was aware of) produces enduring romantic relationships.

But this past Sunday, for one of the few, rare, memorable days of my life, I didn't care.

The baby spotted seal

In my last post I mentioned that I recently had the chance to attend IAEDP in Long Beach, CA. It was my first time attending the conference, and I was definitely excited, but I will admit I was also a bit nervous when I first arrived - what would it be like, would people be welcoming, what would the response be to MentorCONNECT when I shared the information with them, would there be a place for me amongst so many icons in the field....

By the third day, however, I was starting to feel at home, and during one of the afternoon breaks I decided to wander downstairs in search of that much-debated but seldom-seen drink, the Diet Coke (in fact, I found it simply fascinating how often the subject of Diet Coke came up during panel discussions, which usually proceeded somewhat along the lines of "to drink or not to drink...")

Relationships Replace Eating Disorders

It was great to get to know some of you better through your comments back to “I Have a Dream of a World FREE from Eating Disorders”! So for this second post, I thought I would share a bit more of my own story of how I beat my eating disorder through harnessing the power of relationships.

And I would love to hear more about who you lean on for support, how those relationships help you stay strong in pursuing your recovery goals, and what kinds of relationships you are still seeking for recovery support!

I first became ill with anorexia when I was eleven. At seventeen, I developed bulimia as well. By the time I turned eighteen, my relationship with my eating disorder had become so demanding that little time remained in my days for relationships with friends, family, or anyone else. I felt so lonely that I wasn’t sure which would kill me first–the isolation, or the malnutrition. In truth, I was starting not to care.

Then one day I met the woman who was to become my first mentor, Annie.