Do you want to help others?

I receive emails on a regular basis from individuals who are recovered from their own eating disorder and who want to help those who still struggle. One of the best ways we can provide hope, help, and support to others is by example—by being a healthy role model to those around us. Start today!

Here are some ideas for anyone who wants to be a healthy example in this world:

•    As you go through your daily routine, appreciate all that your body does for you rather than focusing on what it looks like. Love your body as it is right now.
•    If you eat in a restaurant, order what you really want and refuse to participate in discussions about dieting and body hatred.
•    If you see an advertisement that promotes the unrealistic thin ideal, write to the manufacture asking for healthy images that don’t promote eating disorders.
•    Rather than spending money on a product that glorifies thinness, donate to a charity that promotes health and wellness instead like the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). (i.e. Join my team for the NEDA Walk or sponsor me!)

If you have any other ideas, please share them here. Thanks, as always, for your wonderful comments!

Love ya,
Jenni

P.S. Of course, it is important to note that we must help ourselves before we can truly help others. As I say in my new book, Goodbye Ed, Hello Me, we can't give away what we don't have!

Comments

[Alexis @ tobebeautiful]

SO true. I remember wanting to help so many girls in the midst of my eating disorder, but I didn't have anything to give. Now that I am free, my passion is to spread awareness and see women embrace freedom.

I love your tips. It is so important to be an example in the EVERYday before you become an example in the big things. It's amazing, really, how common ED behaviors are...even in the lives of the UN-eating disordered.

Yay for freedom. :)

[Arielle]

Very true. I struggled for years and had to get well before I could even begin to help people in the right way. I'm now an ANAD eating disorder support group leader and I know I'm a role model because I'm healthy and free of the pain from the past. I also knew it was my responsibility to make sure I was well in body and mind for a significant amount of time before I took it upon myself to help others in such a huge way.

Rock on!

[fra]

Hi everybody,
I wrtie on this particular subject because I may have an idea for someone to do something for helping people who is recovering from an ED.
I am a researcher at Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University (http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/). We are designing a study that could find an interesting tool to be used by people with anorexia nervosa, to improve their eating experience.
We would like to recruit volunteers (by email, to weep the relationship absolutely anonymous) that could help us for one day, ore more. These volunteers wouldn't have to meet us, and they could complete the task from home, during their normal day.
So, I am writing here to ask you where you think that I could ask for volunteers. Do you know any particular websites that could help me with my research?

If you have any suggestion or question, please email me at my personal email address: fz59@cornall.edu.
Your help is highly appreciated.
We share a great respect for people with an ED, and we are willing to bring our little help with this research.

thanks everyone.
Francesca

[Amanda Bruce]

Hey there Jenni,

Thank you for your words of inspiration. One of the most important things I did in recovery from my eating disorder was get angry about how the media has unrealistic standards towards women, and voice this opinion to others! I look forward to future blog entries and to seeing you speak on Saturday in MA; I have also started a blog about this topic. http://anotherpieceofcake.wordpress.com/

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