Recovered.® by Jenni Schaefer

See you in Tennessee or Virginia!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I was busy over the weekend, finishing up one of the final drafts of my new book, Goodbye Ed, Hello Me. I also had a fun date! I can't wait to share the new book with you, because it talks about dating and other life stuff. Thanks to everyone who commented on my recent post about the book.

Next weekend, I am excited about attending the EDCT Forum in Nashville. This is a great event that I have attended for several years. If you live anywhere around Nashville, please join us. I'd love to meet you in person. Go to http://www.edct.net/ContentPage.aspx?WebPageId=15575&GroupId=-1 for information about the Forum, and if you register before April 2 and place my name, "Jenni", in the Promotional Code Box, the EDCT will give you $15 off!

Also, here is some information about another wonderful EDCT event this week called Evening of Song and Story: http://www.edct.net/ess.aspx. I am disappointed that I will miss this event. I will be out of town, speaking at William & Mary, which I am actually thrilled about. Check out my website for event details.

So, I hope to see you in Virginia or Tennessee this week!

Love ya,

Jenni

P.S. Some of my colleagues from Center For Change are traveling to Nashville to speak at the EDCT Forum. I can't emphasize how cool this event is, so please come out!

My Expert Soultion Internet Talk Radio --- TODAY!

Hi! I am doing a radio show today at 1:00 PM MST. Listen for free by logging on to www.myexpertsolution.com and clicking the "listen live" link. Let me know what you think!

Best,

Jenni

Don't Text Spencer

I am so excited that my new book, Goodbye Ed, Hello Me: Recover from Your Eating Disorder and Fall in Love with Life, will be released in September. See the new book cover below. What do you think?!

Anyway, as it turns out, I wrote way too much for the book, and some of the pieces would not fit. (That's a good problem to have actually!) So I am going to start posting some of the things I wrote that did not fit into the book. I posted one piece below. You will notice that my new book is less about Ed and more about life. In Goodbye Ed, Hello Me, I hope you get to know me more. I hope you learn to fall in love with life!

Best,

Jenni

Don't Text Spencer
by Jenni Schaefer

A few days ago, I felt lonely. I wanted to smile and laugh with someone. Instead of calling a true friend who I knew would listen and cheer me up, I sent a text message to Spencer, a guy who predictably ignores me. I sent the message, and, of course, he ignored me. Why did I expect a different result?

One definition of insanity is, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

I think I am insane. That’s the bad news. The good news is that --- thanks to my work in recovery from my eating disorder  --- I can diagnose insanity rather quickly in my life today and work toward positive growth.

During the depths of my eating disorder, my life was immersed in insane thinking. For example, I knew that restricting inevitably led to bingeing. (Not sometimes, not most of the time, but every time.) Yet, I would still restrict and expect not to binge. “This time, it will be different,” I thought. It was never different. It wasn’t different until I was different. I have heard it said nothing changes if nothing changes. I slowly began to change.

Gratefully, today, after years of hard work, I no longer have insane moments with food. But I still have my insane moments in life. (Those of you who know me personally are nodding your heads up and down right now in agreement.) My challenge today is to recognize these insane ways of thinking and then to move in the direction of positive change. Awareness is key.

The next time I feel lonely, I won’t text Spencer. I am making a commitment to myself right now to call my friend, Melody, instead.

That’s positive change. That’s going sane!

Jenni Schaefer is a singer/songwriter, speaker, and author of Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too (McGraw-Hill) and Goodbye Ed, Hello Me: Recover from Your Eating Disorder and Fall in Love with Life (McGraw-Hill, September 2009). She is a consultant with Center For Change in Orem, UT. For more information, visit www.jennischaefer.com.

 

New Book: Beating Ana

Hey everyone! Have you seen the new book called Beating Ana? My friend, Shannon Cutts, wrote this great book, which talks a lot about the importance of support in recovery. Check it out at http://www.key-to-life.com/. Also, check out the MentorCONNECT program on Shannon's website. Through MentorCONNECT, Shannon is connecting mentors and mentees in recovery.

I just saw Shannon at the iaedp Symposium in Long Beach. See our photo below (Shannon on Right, Me on Left). I think you guys will love what Shannon is doing to help people with eating disorders!

Love ya,

Jenni

NEDA is having an Essay Contest!

Hi everyone! I am sitting in the San Diego airport headed back to Nashville after an amazing trip. I spoke at the iaedp Symposium in Long Beach. In addition to attending the conference, I also had the chance to walk along the beautiful beaches in California. I am so grateful to be healthy now, so I can enjoy experiences like that. I also had a blast catching up with friends!

I just checked my email and read one from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) that I thought some of you might be interested in:

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NEDA asks: What if you didn't have to change anything about yourself?

NEDA's essay contest ends March 27. Can you please participate and/or pass this information on? Any age, any gender, any geographic location eligible. Visit www.myneda.org and http://www.myneda.org/uploads/file/home/NEDAEssayContest(1).doc

What do you get if you win?

If you are chosen as the winner of this contest, NEDA will send you a NEDA journal, t-shirt, and pair of flip-flops of your size! Your essay will also appear on the NEDA website and highlighted on the homepage!

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If you submit something, let me know. And please help spread the word.

Love ya,

Jenni

Get Involved: We need your help

Hi! I am posting a message below from the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC). If you are not a member of the EDC, I highly encourage you to check out their website and get involved. The EDC's work in Washington, D.C. is very important. If you have ever participated in an EDC Lobby Day or other event, please post your comments. We all need to join together and encourage one another.

Have a great day!

Jenni

A message from the EDC:

After a number of years of bringing together key stakeholders in the eating disorders field, discussing what is needed to improve the lives of people with eating disorders, writing recommendations for federal policy makers, drafting these recommendations into legislative language with Congress, and
reworking those - we can now celebrate the fruits of our labor.

On Tuesday, February 25th, 2009 the EDC held a press conference with Congressman Kennedy in the Capitol Building announcing the introduction of the first ever comprehensive eating disorders bill in the history of Congress. The Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act otherwise called the FREED Act, (H.R. 1193) is now in the House and we need you to contact your Representative and urge them to show their support for this bill.

WRITE A LETTER:

Rework the sample letter below and make it your own and send it to your Representative in the House. To find out who your Representative is go to www.house.gov and put in your zip code. Then look up your Representative in that directory and go to their website. Here you can contact them through
email. Cut and paste the letter below into the email. I encourage you to put a sentence or two (not more since short and concise is always better when communicating with Members of Congress) about your own personal experience with an eating disorder if you have one. This makes the communication much more personal and real for them.

THE SAMPLE LETTER

Your Name
Street Address
City

March 3, 2009

The Honorable First Name Last Name
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman(woman) XX,

As a member of the Eating Disorders Coalition and someone who has personally suffered the impact of living with an eating disorder, I am writing you today to ask your support for the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act (H.R. 1193). This is the first comprehensive eating disorders bill in the history of Congress. By focusing on research, education, prevention and treatment this bill is a beacon of hope for the millions of people currently suffering from an eating disorder.

It is estimated that 9 million Americans suffer from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other eating disorders. Eating disorders are associated with a host of medical complications including cardiac arrhythmia, cognitive impairment, osteoporosis, infertility, heart failure and most seriously death. In fact, anorexia nervosa has the highest death rate of all mental disorders, upwards of 20%.

Research shows that eating disorders can be successfully overcome with early detection and adequate and appropriate treatment. Unfortunately eating disorders are often undiagnosed by health professionals and/or access to treatment is limited. Less than half of all people with eating disorders
receive the treatment needed.

The Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders (the FREED Act) can change these state of affairs. H.R. 1193 will save lives by providing more funds for research so that we can better understand, prevent and treat eating disorders, grant programs that provide training for health professionals, and steps toward better access to treatment coverage.

We urge you to sign on as a cosponsor of the FREED Act. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you again for your consideration.

Warm regards,

First and Last Name

YOUR EFFORTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

These advocacy efforts can help us pass the FREED Act!

Thank you so much for all your actions - every one of you writing a letter makes a difference. With enough people taking this step we will make ourselves heard and will eventually pass this bill!

Jeanine Cogan, Ph.D., Policy Director
Eating Disorders Coalition
202-543-9570
www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org