February marks our chance to amplify the work we do throughout the year. We have the unique opportunity to partner with colleges, universities, and other community members who also want to build awareness around eating disorders.
This month our staff will be working coast-to-coast to discuss eating disorders and their devastating effects on individuals, families, and communities. And to let people know that recovery is possible.
By Joanna Hardis, LISW-S
As we enter a new year, everywhere I turn I’m seeing commercials for home video programs promising body transformations; I’m receiving countless offers for weight-loss and fitness programs; and I cannot open a magazine without being inundated with exercises guaranteeing a better, leaner body.
By Mark Warren, chief medical officer of The Emily Program
In our conversations about eating disorders, we sometimes forget to state the obvious, which is that it’s horrible to have an eating disorder. It is always horrible for the person that has it and the pain of the disorder often extends far past the individual to their family, friends and community. Eating disorders affect everything about us. They affect the way we think, the way we feel, our self-image, our experience in our bodies, our minds, and who we are in the world.
The Emily Program is a warm and welcoming place, close to home and work, where individuals and their families can find comprehensive treatment for eating disorders and related issues.
By Christy Zender, MSW, LICSW, The Emily Program Site Manager, Woodbury & Toogood (Adolescent Outpatient Services, St. Paul)
Let’s start with a quick analogy.
Eating disorders and icebergs are more alike than one might think. Picture an iceberg floating in a vast ocean: You can only see the tip of the iceberg and have no idea of what is under the surface of the water. Most people look at an eating disorder the same way, only seeing what is on the outside, above the water. This generally represents the behavioral parts of an eating disorder – weight, size, shape, purging, excessive exercise, and so on – the things that you can see, measure, and quantify.
By Sarah Hrudka, Outreach Specialist at The Emily Program
I remember the terror and anxiety that ran through my veins prior to confronting my friends about their eating disorder(s), because I was so unsure of how they might react. But I once heard the quote, albeit a bit cheesy perhaps, that “I would rather have a mad friend than a dead friend.” Not that I had enough power as a single human to save their life and well-being per se, but instead holding steadfast to the notion that I had enough of a voice to help, because I would rather say “I tried” instead of “I should’ve.”
