The Role of Joy

This video says it all. This week I answer the questions: "What role did joy play in your recovery? What role does joy play in your life as a recovered person? How does joy help you to help others?"

EDAW13: Sisterhood United

Those of you who have watched my Wednesday videos for years are probably aware that I am part of a collaboration on YouTube with other fantastic women who are working to help those with eating disorders. This weekend, I had the honor and privilege of being with Jenn (who makes videos on Saturday) and Rachel (who makes videos on Thursdays), as well as Caroline (who used to make videos for the channel years ago). I was also in the presence of another great activist, Kendra from Voice in Recovery.

For Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I plan to post a video every day. Day 1 of EDAW, you get this:

a beautiful video of 3 sisters from various locations coming together to laugh and smile and be silly. The friendship I have with Jenn is unparalleled and is only blossoming more and more. The friendship I have with Rachel has been 6 years running...and I only just met her on Saturday...because she lives in the UK. It's amazing that it finally happened.

While this video is extremely informal and has nothing to do with eating disorder advice, it's motivational in a simple way: it's 3 recovered women enjoying each other's presence, celebrating not only Eating Disorder Awareness Week, but friendship, sisterhood, and a life of FREEDOM!

You can have this.

More Recovery Questions: Recovered and the Now

Finishing up the 4 week rotation on recovery questions:

Day #8: A picture is worth a thousand words...

There was a time I felt lost and listless...sad and alone...devoid of joy.

As I progressed in recovery, I found pieces of myself I thought were lost...I learned to love myself...I regained some joy.

As I progressed from recovery to recovered, I realized I was BACK! I loved my life! I could be happy!

The picture below is worth a thousand words - not because it's a photo from my wedding day 4 years ago and I was happy to be getting married (which I was), but because it symbolizes the sheer joy I had regained. In the photo, I'm already recovered. I'm happy. Not because of a significant other, but because I loved myself and my life and was able to let joy shine through INTO me and OUT OF me.

When I look at this picture, I don't see bride. I see FREE.

Day #6: Doctor Doctor!

 

A personal ad -

Woman seeking doctor

With some compassion and a heart…

Woman seeking doctor

Who’ll see her face, not just a chart…

Woman seeking doctor

Who’ll show respect and empathy…

Woman seeking doctor

Who understands equality.

So – you ask – who am I?

A woman with a voice,

Who advocates for those

Who don’t know every choice.

I used to be a patient,

A client on the phone

Or standing there in person

Feeling so alone.

So – you ask – who am I,

Who seeks a doctor now?

A sufferer turned recovered,

With sweat upon her brow.

I morphed into a blogger

Who helps make words from tears,

I changed into a leader

Who tries to lessen fears.

Woman seeking doctor

Who wants to end the stigma…

Woman seeking doctor

Who wants to solve enigma…

Woman seeking doctor

Who sees mental health as vital…

Woman seeking doctor

Who wants more than just the title.

So – you ask – who am I

Who seeks a doctor now?

Recovered woman leader,

Who took on a new vow:

We need more good among us

And so I heed the call –

I went back to school to be

A mental health professional.

© Arielle Lee Bair

To all the great doctors and mental health professionals out there! And a call to arms for all those who could use a little reminder.

Arielle's Timeline to Freedom

Check it out. My Wednesday Warrior video this week is a little something different, to keep highlighting Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

Every Week is EDAW to Arielle

If you live in the UK, my Eating Disorder Awareness Week posts (a post a day this past week) probably seemed normal. If you live in the United States, you may have been confused. EDAW in the UK began February 20^th, 2012. EDAW in the USA begins February 26^th, 2012. If you live in Canada, I missed the boat. Apparently Canada’s EDAW is always the first week in February, though I know some of the time Canada adjusts for certain US events. If you live somewhere else besides the US or UK, you’re in luck – pick a week. :) My site is dedicated to eating disorder recovery/awareness for everyone.

At first I was puzzled by the fact that this year for some reason EDAW is different weeks depending on location, when usually it is one uniform week for all. But then I decided, this is actually a GOOD thing. Considering that I live in the US, I’m fairly well-integrated into several groups/orgs that originate in the UK. I am also a member of EDAN (Eating Disorder Activist Network), which is international. And I have several good friends in the UK. Furthermore, many of my readers/viewers are not US-based. So, as an American, I hopped on UK’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

Now that America’s EDAW is about to kick off, I’m just continuing my post-a-day theme and you’ll get 2 full weeks of concentrated eating disorder recovery/awareness posts.

In short, 2 weeks of EDAW is better than one!

But in discussing EDAW as a theme, I’d like to talk about something important: EDAW to me, is no different than any other week. Sure, I always jump on the bandwagon of extra recovery/awareness collaborations and sharing of special events in honor of the week. But if you visit my site, you know (and have probably known for a long, long time) that eating disorder recovery and awareness is what I talk about EVERY DAY. I don’t devote a week to it. Even while trying to be international, I don’t devote just 2 weeks to it. I devote my year to it... my LIFE to it.

In my world, EDAW goes on all year long. I do the same things during EDAW that I do every week – I speak about eating disorders, I write about them, I give advice, I lead groups, I answer emails and phone calls, I make self-help videos, I try to give hope.

I said in a video from earlier this week that EDAW is your time to shout out eating disorder awareness stuff from the rooftops. Well, that’s what I do each day. It’s my essence. I can’t take time off from something so incredibly important to me, because it’s not only important to me, it’s important for the WORLD.

This isn’t a post to show you how dedicated I am – this is me pledging to you that I will never stop speaking out about issues that are vital. I’m in this for the long haul and I want you to know that if you need to take a day, a week, a month, a year off from the cause, it’s okay – because I will always be here fighting for you and using my voice.

...Because one day I want EDAW to stand for Eating Disorder Awareness WORLD, not Week.

With love and (com)passion,

Arielle

Voices of Recovery

I'm excited to share with you some special voices. I am privileged  to know a few fantastic fellow bloggers who are recovered. I don't like to imply that there is some hierarchy of recovery in which those who consider themselves fully recovered are better than those who are not. I just like to show people out there who are struggling or who are still fighting their way through recovery that full recovery is completely possible and real.

Therefore, I'd like to do a series of "interviews" with a variety of fellow bloggers. Some are dear friends of mine, others are new friends, and others are what I'd call colleague friends. My goal is to showcase people who are writing about recovery and are healthy and well themselves. You know me - I want to spread positivity and GOOD messages. Some of the questions I ask each recovery blogger will be different from those I ask the other bloggers, and some will be the same. You may find that you know some of the bloggers. Perhaps you already read their blogs or are familiar with their stories. Others may be new to you.

In a nutshell, I like to show people that I'm not the only recovered lady out there using my voice. Sometimes I think people think I'm like 1 in a million or something. So please stay tuned. 2 interviews are fully finished and 2 more are in the works. I hope to share the first blogger with you next week.

Filling the Space the Eating Disorder Filled

This week's video is about emotions, recovery, and what to do when you're recovering and finally have some empty space where the eating disorder used to be!

Arielle's YouTube Videos By Topic!

I fixed the tab "Arielle's YouTube Videos by Topic!" so that you can easily be directed to the YouTube page with all my videos. I think it makes it easier to search for them all by topic and by sight. It also helps with keeping things updated because I make videos on a regular basis and this means the logs of videos will always be fresh and I won't have to update them manually. Simply put, as I make videos, they will be in the log when you visit that tab (above, under my site header).

There are two lists: Arielle's Bonus videos (of which there are currently 84) and Arielle's Wednesday Warrior videos (of which there are currently 141). The weekly Wednesday videos have been going strong since April of 2009 so that means there are 2.5 years of Wednesday videos for your viewing pleasure. :) I take them very seriously and have only missed doing my Wednesday video for you twice - once in Aug. of 2009 when I was a bridesmaid in a wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and had to be out of the country for a few days, and once in 2010 when my computer accounts were hacked and I had no access to Facebook, blogs, YouTube, or email for several days.

Thanks for all your fantastic comments on the videos. I appreciate them so much. I'm just shy of 1,000 subscribers on YouTube right now and really feeling the love. :)

Wellness Toolbox!

Focus on Recovery vs. Sickness

Here's this week's video. If you watch ONE VIDEO of mine this year, let it be this one.

Passing It Along

Recent article by a teen - "What I Wish Parents Knew About Eating Disorders" - thought I'd share.

Check it out, parents and others!

Recovery Messages

This week's video is about Recovery Messages. I discuss some negative ones, personal experience, and as always, spout the positive ones! :)

A Question for YOU - Why?

This is a video I did about 2 weeks ago - it was a bonus video, not one of my weekly Wednesday ones. I really wanted to ask this question (the question within the video) of all of my readers/viewers/etc. and I have gotten so many responses so far, both in the comments of the video on YouTube and via email and private messages. I plan to do a follow-up video very soon to respond to many of the answers I received, so please, leave me your thoughts if you have any.

The Age Old Question

People have been asking me lately: "Are the thoughts really gone?" And the answer is: "Yes!" But what does a one-word answer really do for someone who wants to know the details of the essence of it all? So today, I'm going to direct you to a post of mine from one year ago. If you've read it before, read it again. Understand my main point: being "recovered" isn't about always being happy 100% of the time—it's about knowing what to do when you're not.

The old post, called Are the Thoughts Really Gone? can be found here.

How to Do Recovery When Just Living Is Too Hard

Extra video this week! How lucky are you? :)

This was a special request. And don't worry - I will get the Beauty Message Challenge video (which goes along with my BMC post) up this weekend. I have it ready!

Is This As Good As It Gets?

Definitely check this one out - this week I discussed the topic:

You're eating healthily, exercising moderately and taking good care of yourself, people assume you are doing well, but inside its still hard -- How do you stay strong? (and is this as good as it gets?)

How I Take Care of Myself

Last Wednesday's video - 'cause I forgot to post it!

The Final Installment of "So, What's Your Story?"

Here's the last installment in my memoir videos. You can find PART ONE here, followed by PART TWO here, followed by PART THREE here. Hope you have enjoyed getting some answers to your questions. :)