Adventurer Alex Staniforth turned to outdoor sports as a teenager as a way of counteracting a lack of self-confidence caused by a bad stutter, mild epilepsy and anxiety. Immediately he felt like he had found his calling… until he was injured and the resulting time off led to an eating disorder. Alex tells of how […]
eating disorders
Tomorrow might be great, Josh Zitser
Josh Zitser was always a deeply sensitive child, but when a teenage friend took her own life, he suffered depression, panic attacks and an eating disorder. But it took a while for him to realise his feelings weren’t the same as everyone else. Josh has had suicidal thoughts, but recent therapy has changed his life. […]
Managing my eating disorder in uncertain times
Struggle & success
Emily Nagioff As we veer between possible lockdown scenarios and the overwhelming realisation that this ‘new’ normal is actually going to be our normal for a while, it’s easy to feel anxious. Not even just anxious though, panicking and desperate to exercise control over anything we can in light of a pandemic we can’t control. […]
Comedian and mental health campaigner, Juliette Burton
Since her teens, comedian Juliette Burton has been diagnosed with a series of mental health disorders, from eating disorders to anxiety. Juliette says comedy is a way to survive the darkness and making light of her illnesses really helps her. Having to go on stage in front of an audience reduces tension and allows her […]
Clinical Psychologist, Dr Nihara Krause
For many young people, this year’s lockdown has brought mental health difficulties to the fore. Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Nihara Krause says that stress, anxiety and depression may result from the crisis, but she suggests ways to help young people build resilience and learn strategies to cope as they get back to their usual routines […]
Reclaiming myself after addiction, Talitha Fosh
Psychotherapist Talitha Fosh is an addict. “The way that my mind works is what makes me an addict,” she says. It started with an eating disorder when she was 14, comparing herself to others, and it spiralled out of control quickly. Then Tally found alcohol and drugs. “I didn’t like who I was when I […]
Art brought my life back, Lorna Collins
Lorna Collins suffered a life-threatening brain injury and total amnesia, and she had no concept of who she was. She tried to exercise control in the only way she knew how – by controlling her eating and by self-harm. Art became her lifeline: it was Lorna’s way of expressing her hallucinations and her pain. One […]
Psychotherapist: Best Selling Author of – Fat is a Feminist Issue, Susie Orbach
Psychotherapist Susie Orbach has long studied our relationships with food and eating. ‘Life is full of challenges,’ she says, ‘the question is how to make them interesting.’ Susie is concerned about how parents’ preoccupations with bodies, food and fitness are transmitted to their children, sometimes using food as a substitute for genuine emotion. We have […]
Labour MP, Jess Phillips MP
The Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips, says that she often wakes up anxious about the day ahead. Some of her anxieties are all too real as she is often the target of vicious online abuse and has experienced the effects of terrorist attacks. But as Jess says, having gone through eating disorders and […]
The Anorexia Wars – 2012 to 2018
Struggle & success
Mark Simmonds In September 2012, our 16-year-old daughter, Emily, entered sixth form at Aylesbury High School to begin her A-Levels. She was level-headed, sensible and talented at many things. A month or so later, my wife, Mel, approached me with a slightly worried look and said, ‘We need to talk about Em.’ She had been […]
Knowing I was fully well
Struggle & success
Carolina Mountford Recovery from an eating disorder is unlike any other form of recovery. We cannot just say no in the way we would if we were coming off alcohol or drugs. Saying no to food is what got many of us here in the first place. One of the immense challenges of recovery is […]
Positive Psychology Coach, Charlotte Wiseman
Charlotte Wiseman was working in a high-pressured job in the fashion industry when she realised that she was putting too much pressure on herself to work hard, to eat well and to stay physically fit. She had experienced eating disorders in the past but overcame them through creating strict structures for herself. When she tried […]
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