Every year, groups from across Canada come together on February 1st to 7th for Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW), a week focusing on raising awareness about eating disorders in Canada and discussing challenges and barriers in accessing care.

Every day is an opportunity to choose recovery, even when that choice feels quiet or imperfect. This new year, you might consider choosing values-based living over resolutions, self-compassion over self-control, and long-term healing over short-term pressure.

The holidays are often described as magical, cozy, joyful and full of togetherness. While those things can be true, this season can also bring unique challenges for someone navigating recovery from an eating disorder.

There are moments in treatment for clients where the light can feel far away, when thoughts of “I can’t do this anymore” start to take over.

Research has tried to define a standardized definition of recovery; however, these definitions often leave out perspectives from those with lived experience of an eating disorder.

Willingness, in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), is about psychological flexibility, or the ability to stay present with whatever is happening inside you without judgment or resistance.

Motivation is a temporary emotional state—just like anxiety or sadness—shaped by factors such as hormones, sleep, and recent experiences.

This topic is difficult to summarize into one blog post, since everyone’s experience and your relationship to your loved one is unique. The amount of support needed, and the boundaries of each situation differ.

Changing the narrative requires systemic change and is about shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness, understanding and support.

While the beginning of the academic year brings energy and possibility, it can also stir up some unique challenges if you're navigating recovery.