As a child, I loved running into my parents’ bedroom the morning after they had attended a ballet performance. I would pepper them with questions and dream of the day that I might be able to be on stage like the ballerinas I idealized. 

I pored over fashion magazines. In the grocery store checkout aisle and at the physical therapist’s office waiting for my mom to pick me up, I flipped through pages of long, thin limbs and tips for obtaining the most flattering wardrobe and an ideal body.

Technology has enabled us to catch up on the news, watch TV, shop, edit photos, pay bills or even collect Pokémon with just the click of a button. An app store, or software application platform, contains millions of various apps designed to help users perform tasks. Health and fitness apps were among the most popular apps used in 2015, and this isn’t that surprising given the vast amount of nutrition and activity trackers popping up. 

“Monthly Matters with Melody” is a monthly advice column by Dr. Melody Moore, a clinical psychologist, yoga instructor and the founder of the Embody Love Movement Foundation. Her foundation is a non-profit whose mission is to empower girls and women to celebrate their inner beauty, commit to kindness and contribute to meaningful change in the world. Dr.

One of the most injurious facets of eating disorders is the stigma surrounding them. Despite a growing body of research confirming neurobiological and genetic causes of eating disorders, there are persisting misconceptions that these illnesses are lifestyles choices caused primarily by social or psychological factors. Such stigma contributes to the all-too-common picture the public paints of eating disorders: teenage white girl who engages in self-starvation in pursuit of the ever-elusive beauty ideal.

As many of you already know, and have seen when you walk into either a Starbucks, McDonalds, Applebee’s or even Target’s café, right there next to a food item on the menu is its calorie information.

I am excited about the release of Using Writing as a Therapy for Eating Disorders - The Diary Healer, because it resounds with the ‘voices’ of experience of seventy diarists from around the world in exploring the role and use of diary writing as a coping, survival and healing tool. 

Our Stories of Hope are meant to explore the many different paths and journeys in the road to recovery. Each person has a different experience to share, creating insights and experiences for others to feel inspired from. The Stories of Hope remind us that full recovery is possible, and there is help and support available to those struggling with an eating disorder. Here are some of our favorite quotes of recovery from the writers.