March 2011

Live Facebook Interview Series for eating disorder support

Join us for a series of live interviews with our bloggers on the following dates:

• April 14th at 5pm PST:
      Jenni Schaefer Author of Life Without Ed and Goodbye Ed, Hello Me
• April 26th at 5pm PST:
      Johanna McShane, PhD, Co-Author of Why She Feels Fat
• May 3rd at 5pm PST:
      Karen Koenig, LCSW, Author of The Rules of Normal Eating and
      The Food & Feelings Workbook
• May 5th at 5pm PST:
      Amiee Lui, Author of Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders

Send your questions to Jenni—at either of the links below—before April 19th:

EatingDisordersBlogs on Facebook

Jenni Schaefer on Facebook

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EatingDisordersReview.com

• Social Networking: Intervening to Intercept Eating Disorders
• Ethnicity and Unhealthy Weight Control
• Effects of Weight Teasing on Girls with Healthy BMIa
• READ ENTIRE ISSUE

Upcoming Events

March 31- April 2 • BEDA 2011 Annual Conference "Coming Into the Light: Strategies and Hope for Recovery in BED & Associated Conditions"

April 28-30 • AED Annual Conference 2011 International Conference on Eating Disorders

May 6, • 2011 ANAD Annual Midwest Conference Wellness, Not Weight

May 20-21 • MEDA Annual Conference "Building on What We Know: Taking Eating Disorder Treatment to the Next Level"

Voices of Inspiration

Being of Service and Recovery

By Melanie Aldis-Figaro

Because I'm recovered and now work in the eating disorder field, I'm often asked, "How did you recover?" I remember asking several of my mentors, therapists, and family members, "Is it ever going to get better? Will I ever be free of Ed?" At times, it seemed there was no end in sight.

Lately, I have been asking myself the same question: "How did I get from point A to point B?"

The first thing that came to mind was the notion of being of service—a concept I learned from Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and Eating Disorders Association (EDA). When I was having a really hard day, I called my sponsor to vent. But even though it felt good to release the negative charge inside, I still found no peace in my heart. I still felt useless and hopeless. Many times I felt that I didn't even deserve to live. What was I doing to better this world?

Then, after my venting session, she would suggest that I focus on being of service for the day. Find five ways to be of service to someone else. I'm talking about little, everyday things that I may have overlooked while I was so engrossed in Ed and self-hatred. I remember thinking, "Ugh, can't I just think about my sheer misery and me today? It's just not fair. I don't want to help others. I'm the one who is hurting."

Yet, I finally surrendered because I wanted what she had: to be free of an eating disorder. She told me that being of service can be as simple as opening the door for someone, giving someone a compliment, or asking the cashier at the coffee shop how their day was going. Thus, began my search for ways to be of service.

Having adopted this new mind-set, I realized two things: First, I was so busy trying to be of service that I got out of my head and was relieved of the obsession with food, weight, and hopelessness. Second, I found helping others increased the love and appreciation for myself. It put a smile on my face, and I noticed that I also put a smile on theirs. I would think, "If I can do that, then I can't be that horrible, right?" The best part about being of service is it's free, it's available, and I am helping to make the world a better place.

A little challenge if you're up for it: For the next month put money in a jar every time you don't give in to "Ed." At the end of the month, give it to a charity of your choice, use it to treat yourself, or any other way you can think of to be of service. If you want to share your experience, please email me at Melanie@gurze.net.