What To Expect...

I stumbled upon this short but good post by a fellow blogger, counselor, and tweeter. It's a good basic rundown of what to expect when deciding to go to therapy. I liked it so I wanted to share. What to Expect...

I welcome your comments and perspectives on this here, as I'm sure the original blogger does on her own page.

Take Care of YOU First & Foremost

I have a few things to share with you. And I thought I'd start with this: 55 Gentle Ways to Take Care of Yourself

There are a lot of people out there who could use a friendly reminder of what's important, what's not, and how to make life just a little easier... By being good to YOU. It's a great post by a fellow blogger.

More great links (I discovered this week) to come. :)

Want to Follow Actively Arielle on Facebook?

You can still "friend" me on Facebook personally via the icon to your left in my sidebar, where you will most certainly get random updates and eating disorder info in addition to all the notifications of my thrilling personal life. :)

BUT you can also follow MY BLOG via Facebook. It has its own page and you will get all the updates through Facebook there if you so choose. Link just below. Click and you'll be taken there to follow through your Facebook account. :)


Follow Actively Arielle: A Voice with a Commitment on Facebook now.

Eating Disorders & Autism

Here's this week's video: Eating Disorders & Autism. There is a lot to fit into a not quite 15 minute video, so I took an interesting spin on the topic.

MissRepresentation

If you have a few minutes, please watch this film trailer for MissRepresentation. I'm sure by now several of you have heard of this amazing film or have been lucky enough to catch its premiere. This is a brief 2+ minute trailer showcasing what the film is about. I encourage you to view it, share it, and remember it. There is a lot of body image/eating disorder/appearance discussion, but many other women's issues as well, for example: sexualization, domestic violence, and specific messages young girls are taught.

Motivational Mash-Up #6!

Finally, a new Motivational Mash-Up for everyone who enjoys them so much. Something to shoot a little encouragement into your weekend!

Eating Disorders, OCD, and Anxiety

This week I discuss these 3 and how they are linked. I also discuss ways of dealing with anxiety, and disclose a bit of personal information, which is not very typical for me. :)

4 years & counting :)

Actively Arielle is 4 years old today! To celebrate, I gave the blog a new look. I asked for suggestions from readers and the majority wanted brighter colors - something a little more cheerful and upbeat than the black background with the black and white picture. And that seemed like a wonderful idea to me, since we all know that Actively Arielle (and Arielle in general!) is all about positivity and finding the light that's there. I chose purple to represent Actively Arielle this year, because it's the color of eating disorder awareness and the color of the fabulous ANAD bracelet I often wear that reads: ACCEPT YOURSELF...ACCEPT OTHERS. I'm an ANAD eating disorder support group leader and I find those wise words very valuable.

I didn't want the site to lose any of its professional quality by choosing more youthful and amateur colors. But I thought to myself - everyone who comes here knows this isn't another personal story blog, they know it's about real news, facts, and mostly - motivational speaking, encouraging videos, and recovery oriented help. And purple doesn't scream unprofessional the way it may have years ago. Purple is beauty and meaning (in this case) and bright. In fact, to me it even means Strong Woman.

So here's to another year of positive thinking! A little positivity (and a little purple) goes a long way! Thank you, everyone, for reading, for watching on YouTube, and for following on Twitter. I so appreciate all your emails and Facebook messages. I will never stop being a voice for you, or a friendly ear. One thing I WON'T be is a voice for your eating disorder!

Still working on some style elements to make this site seamless and enjoyable as can be. Bear with me and my hectic schedule!

Recovery is possible. :)

Eating Disorders & Psychosis

And the one from this past Wednesday:


I discuss E/Ds along with psychosis and specifically, schizophrenia.

Stay tuned for next Wednesday's video. The topic will be: Eating Disorders, OCD, & Anxiety

Eating Disorders, Depression, and Self-Harm

I'm a bit behind on posting the latest weekly videos here on the blog. I remember to tweet them and FB 'em, but somehow forget to embed them here after they go up on YouTube.

We've started a rotation about eating disorders and comorbity - there are so many conditions we'll be discussing. Here's from 2 Wednesdays ago:

Insurance Wars

Yesterday's article from the NY Times - it's regarding eating disorders and insurance coverage for residential treatment in the USA. Just keeping you aprised:Eating Disorders a New Front in Insurance Fight

Hearty Thanks

Trying to get back into the swing of things on Twitter. Look for more up-beat Arielle-isms and of course, recovery warrior type info! Many thanks to my 681 Twitter Followers! So excited to have so many even though I'm just getting started with regular tweeting. I am loving the re-tweets and personal shout-outs. (You can find me @arielleleebair or click the massive Twitter icon on the left sidebar!)


Also, big thanks to my 907 YouTube Subscribers! You guys are awesome. So glad you are finding the videos so helpful. I'll never stop making them.  The feedback I get from you is valuable and appreciated. (Subscribe on YouTube here: ArielleLeeBair's Channel.)


And as usual, my inbox is always open. :) Keep fighting and look for my Wednesday Warrior video tomorrow. :)

Dealing with Abusive or Unhelpful People In Your Recovery

Last Wednesday's video I talked a lot about the people in our lives who can be unhelpful or even abusive. I have done videos in the past in regards to teens living with parents who hinder recovery due to abuse or unhelpful behavior. This new videos is more broad - I discuss significant others in general, i.e. parents, spouses, room mates, friends, siblings, etc.