When Is It Time To Leave School For Eating Disorder Treatment? Here’s How To Know.
If you’re reading this post, then it’s likely that you’re struggling immensely with an eating disorder. Figuring out if and when you need to take time away from school to focus on eating disorder recovery is almost as distressing as having an eating disorder in the first place. But, much like your eating disorder becomes easier…
The Interplay Between Codependency And Eating Disorders
Early eating disorder recovery is tough. It’s worth it, but it may not always feel like it. Without your usual coping mechanisms, you are likely to experience distress or discomfort. At some point, you may start seeking anything outside yourself to find something to make yourself feel better. This includes getting into a relationship. “Love”…
The Weight Loss Resolution: How January Became a Battlefield
New Year’s resolutions weren’t always about weight loss. That shift happened gradually as commercial interests recognized an opportunity in a centuries-old tradition of January renewal. For most of recorded history, the practice of making resolutions at the turn of the year centered on moral or spiritual renewal. Ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods, medieval…
Can You Develop ARFID As an Adult?
In 2013, the DSM-5 introduced avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder as a diagnosis for eating patterns so restrictive they interfere with health and daily life, capturing experiences that had been dismissed for decades as extreme pickiness. The disorder affects approximately 4.5% of the general population—a prevalence rate significantly higher than anorexia nervosa—yet remains largely invisible in…
Can Depression Cause an Eating Disorder?
Depression and eating disorders often rise and fall together like intertwined waves. At ‘Ai Pono, we see this connection every day because emotional pain often asks for relief in ways that can become complicated or harmful over time. Both depression and eating disorders pull people away from their own inner wisdom. Both create a sense…
Is It Wrong to Talk About Celebrity Weight Loss?
A celebrity has lost significant weight. Or perhaps clusters of well-known people appear to be, well, disappearing all at the same time and the same pace, whether it’s one particular family, cast, or demographic. The transformation is stark, and the discourse has become inescapable. You’re seeing two distinct camps emerge online. The first one is…
Starting Eating Disorder Treatment in December: Common Questions Answered
It’s early December. You know you need help. Your treatment team has recommended a higher level of care, or perhaps you’ve finally acknowledged that your eating disorder has progressed beyond what you can manage on your own. And then you look at the calendar, and the holidays are here. December brings a cascade of celebrations:…
Beyond Gratitude: Navigating Thanksgiving During Eating Disorder Recovery
There’s an unspoken expectation that arrives with Thanksgiving: you should feel grateful. The holiday practically demands it. Gratitude is the price of admission to the table, the thing you’re supposed to feel before you’re allowed to participate. For someone struggling with an eating disorder, this expectation can feel like one more thing you’re failing at….
What Are the Different Types of Eating Disorders? Understanding DSM-5-TR Diagnoses
Eating disorders are serious psychiatric conditions that affect how someone relates to food, body image, and physical health. While cultural conversations often focus on anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa—a topic we covered in a recent blog—the diagnostic landscape includes a broader range of presentations that reflect the complexity of disordered eating. Understanding these categories matters…
Halloween Triggers Are Recovery Opportunities (Here’s Why)
Halloween happens whether you’re ready or not. The holiday arrives with its costumes, parties, bowls of candy, and social expectations, regardless of how any of us feel about it. For people navigating eating disorder recovery, Halloween concentrates several challenging situations into a short window: wearing costumes that draw attention to or potentially expose your body,…