In this day and age with all the apps, dating has become mainstream. But, while it’s become extremely accessible for all communities, it’s also become ever fleeting. You meet someone and there’s one thing you don’t like about them, so you go on the apps and continue to swipe. This could lead to a date that night. Now imagine this scenario, but add in the fact that I am in recovery from an eating disorder and struggle with body image issues—that’s a whole other can of worms. 

This roundtable discussion series is a collaboration between NEDA and the Yoga and Body Image Coalition.

Let’s talk about celebrity. Glamour. Glitz. Lights. Camera. Action! Most of us watch TV. We go to the movies. Maybe we watch the Academy Awards, the Grammys, the Golden Globes. We read magazines, whether intentionally or accidentally glancing at the obnoxious, screaming headlines as we wait in line at the store. 

It’s intoxicating. Isn’t there a part of you that wants to get all done up, to be photographed and placed on a stage and adored by millions of fans? I sure do. Who doesn’t want to be adored?

I have loved theatre since I was a toddler. It has always been an integral part of who I am; my deepest obsession. Until another one took over: food. I was a teenager when I started struggling with disordered eating, and things escalated when I began college. “Clean” eating consumed my life to the point where I lost my period for four years. Gone was the bubbly, confident girl who sang in taxi cabs. In her place, there was a new Domenica: one who was painfully insecure, socially isolated, and lived in terror of missing a workout or eating anything that wasn’t “safe.”  

"I already know how to breathe….” said to me by a participant in my Breathwork workshop! 

Notice, she said this while participating IN my workshop...LOL!

I hear that often. 

Our Breath is unique. Breathing is unique. Folks take their Breath for granted. Many assume the next life enhancing/giving inhale will arrive... like: poof!

When you take a moment to think about it, it is mind blowing that the Breath just shows up... our inhale and exhale happen with NO effort from us.... What a gift.

Encountering weight-based discrimination and internalized weight bias can be particularly challenging in spaces designed to highlight fitness and body movement. In this piece, Lindley Ashline writes a letter to fitness professionals about the challenges faced by fat persons in fitness spaces and encourages fitness professionals to be more intentional and inclusive of fat bodies. 

The Happy Place

My journey with NEDA began after my daughter and I attended our first NEDA Walk in St. Louis shortly after she was discharged from her first treatment stay.  I remember the joy in knowing that all the people there knew exactly how I felt.  I was trying to learn all I could about eating disorders when I discovered NEDA and the Walks.  I decided I wanted to be a part of a Walk in Indianapolis.  

I decided to test out my theory that the world can be changed through conversation. I sent out one hundred letters to one hundred different people who have positively impacted this world. In each letter, I simply asked for them to chat with me over coffee about the change they have made. Claire Mysko, the CEO of NEDA was an obvious choice because of her inspiring work with body positivity! 

I’ve wanted to talk about my body image struggles and my blindness in a correlating way for sometime now. Many people don’t realize that just because I can’t see well, doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with what I do see or feel. I don’t blame my blindness for my past eating disorder, but it has played a role in my body challenges. 

NEDA is excited to share how NEDA Network member, Ophelia's Place, thinks outside the box to raise awareness around eating disorders and body image issues in its community, while at the same time finding a means of sustaining the organization so its important work can continue. We would love to hear how others are building community and sustainability, and hope this post prompts some other great ideas!