Setbacks often have a tendency to be perceived as failure and this perception can initiate and intensify a vicious cycle of negative thoughts, emotions and behaviors which can be difficult to break. However, it’s necessary to identify there is a cycle so new strategies can be developed to address setbacks and further maintain your focus on moving forward in your recovery. Here are some tips to help you handle setbacks when they happen. EXPECT SETBACKS No one is perfect! Setb

‘Tis the season! A time for reuniting with family and friends, and sharing in the memories, traditions and the magic of giving and receiving. It is also a time of year that can bring many challenges to those struggling with an eating disorder. Many holiday gatherings tend to revolve around food and this can be a tremendous source of stress and anxiety, even for those in recovery. But to try and keep all of that extra stress and anxiety to a minimum, it can be crucial to ment

We have all experienced the uncomfortable feeling of shame wash over us. This is experienced all too frequently with those who struggle with eating disorders. Staying in silence evokes more shame and the eating disorder gains more power. We will talk more about what shame is and how you can rise above it. What is Shame? Shame and guilt often get mistakenly confused for the same thing. There is a big difference between shame based thoughts and guilt based thoughts. Guilt = I d

The idea of being separate from the eating disorder is one that is incredibly helpful in understanding how the disorder works, and in fighting back against it. Jenni Schaefer talks about this concept at length in her book Life without Ed, and many clients can relate to feeling as though the eating disorder is a separate entity, an abusive partner who has taken over their lives and controls everything they do. Their actions don’t feel like their own, their personality is unrec

While meal times for most of us are viewed as a time to sit and relax with others and share the events of the day, for someone in recovery, meal times can be a complicated and stressful time. In today’s society it is not uncommon to hear or make comments about how the food is made, the nutritional content of the food, or what will need to be accomplished in order to burn off the energy provided by that particular meal. However, is this information respectful and helpful? For

February 1-7 is Eating Disorder Awareness Week across Canada. Eating disorders affect people of all genders, ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations and socio-economic backgrounds. We want to help break the shame and stigma of eating disorders through open and honest conversations. We hope you are enlightened and encouraged through the writings below by two women in recovery. Dear Body, After years of abusing you, ignoring you, and not taking care of you; I have dec

The decision to choose recovery over an eating disorder (ED) is one of the most rewarding decisions you will ever make. However, the recovery journey itself is not easy and there are many recovery fears that need to be overcome along the way. When I am working with individuals who are recovering from an ED there are many questions I ask during our first encounter (ED history, goals, health, etc…). However, there is one question that I feel is particularly vital in recovery

Determining when to eat should be a simple decision but for many the question "to eat or not to eat?" is a stressful decision. What was once a simple question of responding to a biological cue of physical hunger has transformed into a misguided, mistrusted, and shameful decision, and more often than not we are choosing to eat for the wrong reasons. Before describing how to eat for the right reasons, it is important to note that it is okay to eat for reasons other than true

Recovery from an eating disorder includes many different areas and one area that Westwind feels is important to address is that of values. When we speak of values, we are not referring to morals necessarily, but more about what you want your life to be about. What do you want to be meaningful in your life? Ultimately one would aspire to lead a value-driven existence, that is, living according to your values. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE LIVING BY YOUR VALUES? Living by your valu