If you didn’t know, the last week in February is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), the ultimate goal of this week is to prevent eating disorders and body image issues while lessening the stigma that surrounds eating disorders and improving access to treatment.
Additionally, it is so important to remember that eating disorders are serious, life -threatening illnesses– not choices. It’s essential to realize the pressures outlooks and behaviors that form the disorder. (For more info, check out this post I wrote about it last year).
NEDA also provides 20 ways to love your body. And please, pass this info along!
- Think of your body as the vehicle to your dreams. Honor it. Respect it. Fuel it.
- Create a list of all the things your body lets you do. Read it, and add to it often.
- Become aware of what your body can do each day. Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just an ornament.
- Create a list of people you admire: people who have contributed to your life, your community or the world. Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments.
- Walk with your head held high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.
- Don’t let your weight or shape keep you from activities you enjoy.
- Wear comfortable clothes that you like, that express your personal style and that feel good to your body.
- Count your blessings, not your blemishes.
- Think about all the things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend worrying about your body and appearance. Try one!
- Be your body’s friend and supporter, not its enemy.
- Consider this: your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks and your skeleton every three months. Your body is extraordinary– begin to respect and appreciate it.
- Every morning when you wake up, thank your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can enjoy the day.
- Every evening when you go to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to do throughout the day.
- Find a method of exercise you enjoy, and do it regularly. Don’t exercise to lose weight or fight your body. Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it makes you feel good. Exercise for the three F’s: Fun, Fitness and Friendship.
- Think back to a time in your life when you felt good about your body. Tell yourself you can feel like that again, even in this body at this age.
- Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself–without mentioning your appearance. And add to it!
- Put a sign on each of your mirrors saying, “I’m beautiful inside and out.”
- Choose to find the beauty in the world and in yourself.
- Start saying to yourself, “Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way.”
- Eat when you are hungry. Rest when you are tired. Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty.
For more information and resources dealing with eating disorders, visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.
Thank You for posting this. As someone who struggles daily with bulimia. I’m finding it very difficult to receive the help that I need because so many people have the misconception that African Americans do not develop eating disorders. This saddens me.
Thanks again for shinning a light on this issue.
Aly
No problem. I haven’t personally dealt with an eating disorder, but I know it is a very real issue, even in the African American community. If there’s anything I can do to help you, please let me know.