What to Expect:
If you are searching for answers to questions you have about eating disorders, this is the conference for you to attend. The National Eating Disorder Association’s Conference has become an annual event for my family. Unlike the unpredictable and fearful nature of eating disorders, the NEDA conference is familiar, comforting and validating. You will find a unique blending of passionate professionals and lay people affected in one way or another by eating disorders.
Technology is increasingly building bridges in eating disorder prevention, treatment and recovery.
When I was a child, teen and young adult a series of traumatic events, hurtful words, and a dysfunctional environment led me to develop this coping mechanism called an eating disorder. My eating disorder spanned over twenty years of my life bouncing back and forth between anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. At one time or another my weight was at one end of a spectrum to another. The scale or the size of my pants became a measure of my worth. My weight was a number that became my value system. Magazines and media shout loudly at the world saying that what we look like, what we wear or
When I attended the NEDA Conference in Minneapolis in 2009 I did not know anyone. I was nervous and excited. Communication online had led to this point – and now suddenly there I was, about to meet people in real life, in person. This was scary. A warm welcome swept all doubts aside as soon as I entered the conference venue. I had been assured I would not be lonely, and I was not. I had traveled all the way from Australia and was very glad I did. By the time I departed Minneapolis several days later, I had met many wonderful people.
We all have inner demons, some of them very familiar and believable. In a recent write, I explored what felt like work overload in my life, leaving me fearful, overwhelmed, burdened, generally flattened and wanting to avoid work. As I wrote, tension bubbled up in my stomach. I felt dejected and defeated.
Overwhelm in particular has haunted me through my life. I decided to look straight at it, combat it with creativity and Dialogue with it.
Hello, gorgeous people, my name is Nikki. I am a model, host, commercial actress, writer, believer and dreamer. I am an advocate for NEDA, and sponsor those in eating disorder recovery because I am a survivor of a 17 year battle with bulimia and anorexia. At the height of my modeling career, I was known for my beautiful curves; however in Europe as my battle with anorexia overcame me, I became known for my bones. Recovery for me has been filled with years of ups and downs but I decided from day one to never give up.
Does fear convince you that you lack talent and that your writing will shamefully sound more elementary-school than polished and dazzling? A journal is a great place to challenge that voice that tells you you're lacking talent, you're doing it wrong, that you and your writing aren't good enough. The voice confuses, slips, slides, taunts.
In my head, I'm unable to disentangle from that voice. Only nailing it on paper gives me clarity and power. How does it know I’m doing it wrong? What makes it an expert about writing (or anything else)?
An article released today in the journal Pediatrics documents that a significant number of all who present for eating disorder (ED) treatment—nearly half, or more in some studies—were formerly classified as overweight or obese.
New Jersey took a big step forward in addressing eating disorders this week when the School Employees Health Benefits Program Plan Design Committee voted unanimously to approve a program that requires coverage for the treatment of substance abuse issues, eating disorders and other mental health issues.
NEDA applauds Governor Chris Christie for his commitment to insurance coverage for individuals who suffer from mental illness and encourages him and the state of New Jersey to continue working to expand coverage to those on the State Health Benefits Plan as well.
