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.

Day #4: Eating Disorder and Recovery Slogans...

#1: Eating disorders hurt. They kill. They are sneaky and secretive and lame. They do not discriminate. Anyone can be a prisoner. The slogan for eating disorders is:

I'll pull you close so you can hear
My evil whisper in your ear.

#2: Recovery is real. It's possible. It's life being lived. It's SO MUCH BETTER than life with an eating disorder. It's about the simple things, the positives, the healthy. The slogan for recovery is:

You can be free.
You hold the key.
YOU can be free.
YOU hold the key.


Recovery's slogan beats eating disorder's slogan every time. It's important to note: The first slogan is about IT. The second slogan is about YOU. I'd much rather chant

YOU CAN BE FREE. YOU HOLD THE KEY.

than

I'll pull you close so you can hear
My evil whisper in your ear.

Wouldn't you?

Chant on, friends.

Day #3: Create a Mascot...

Oh my, it's just simply so serendipitous that this prompt should pop up in the Blogger Challenge. I'm cackling to myself and beyond delighted to share with you something that came about randomly just a few days ago: Arielle's Recovery Cats.

Many of you follow me on Twitter @arielleleebair and while the account is primarily for eating disorder recovery oriented tweets, I do often tweet about my life. And when I say "life," I sometimes mean "cats."

So, I tweeted a few days back that the 2 things I tweet about the most are eating disorders and cats. I mused via Twitter how cool it would be if the two could be combined somehow. And just like that, Arielle's Recovery Cats was born.

I decided on a whim that I would post a new "Recovery Cat" each day on Twitter. A Recovery Cat is a cat (created by me) accompanied by a positive saying that's related to e/d recovery. It's like positive affirmations + a cat. I like to keep things light-hearted, simple, and of course positive.

Here are the first few Recovery Cats. I'm in the process of creating a Print Shop (which will have its own separate tab on my site) so a variety of Recovery Cats can be purchased in print, magnet, and postcard form. And maybe a few other tidbits too. So stay tuned.

 

But regardless of whether or not a Print Shop exists, you can definitely say that Arielle's Recovery Cats are the new official mascot of Actively Arielle: A Voice with a Commitment. These cats want to push your eating disorder away so they can cuddle you. :-)

So watch out, people! Arielle's Recovery Cats are coming for you! And they take eating disorder recovery very seriously!

What do YOU think about Arielle's Recovery Cats?

Day #1: I Write About Eating Disorders Because...

...because eating disorder recovery, advocacy, and activism is My Life's Work (and I'm not joking when I say that)...because I believe that Hope is where healing begins...because I love to share and teach and HELP.

While I may have a unique understanding as a recovered individual, I can also offer a professional perspective from a social work standpoint as well as that of an ANAD Support Group Leader, ANAD Resource Person, and speaker. I mold all of those together for my work as an Eating Disorder Recovery Blogger...and that work, though unpaid and on the web, is very important to me. Part of my blogging style is to post regular videos on specific eating disorder topics, because I recognize the impact of seeing the face (and hearing the voice) behind the words. I'm passionate and I'm passionate about showing my passion!

 I write about eating disorders because for me, every week is Eating Disorder Awareness Week. I want to give voice to pain, stigma, problems, hope, solutions, fear, education, encouragement, and celebration. I want to be a voice for those who are not able to use their own. I want to be a voice in order to show others what they can do to use theirs! Being a leader in this area is vital and fills my life with purpose. I write about eating disorders because I care about you, about the ones you love, about the society and the world at large.

I write about eating disorders because THERE IS A NEED.

I don't write for me. I write for YOU.

31 Day Blogger Challenge!

The    HUNGRY   FOR   CHANGE    BLOGGER    CHALLENGE    starts tomorrow!

 

I will be using my voice throughout the entire month of May by participating in the Hungry for Change Blogger Challenge. 

 

What it will mean:

 

I will display 31 blog posts prompts on the topics of eating disorders (one for each day in the month of May), along with a post of my own. The aim is to spread awareness, education, and encouragement for recovery from eating disorders, so clearly I'm on board!

So stay tuned, and watch for a new post every day in the month of May. 


Here's to Change,
Arielle

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.

The Beauty Message Challenge

I am participating in the Beauty Message Challenge. And I hope you will too.

Click here to see what it's all about.

I will actually be a guest blogger for the first week in September. And here's what I'm doing for my special challenge:

1 - Each day for the next 10 days (starting with today), I will tell one woman in my life that she is beautiful and why. I plan to do this in a variety of ways, depending on the woman in question - by email, phone, card in the mail, in person, etc.

2 - I will also keep up with the main goal of the Beauty Message Challenge by telling myself that I am beautiful.

3 - I will have a special message for all my readers/viewers posted on September 4th, and the readers of The Beauty Message blog will see it as well, as it will be posted there too. The special message on September 4th will detail my experience sharing the beauty message with others and I will also share my thoughts on beauty. In addition, there will be a video posted that relates to the topic at hand.

Join me in telling yourself that you are beautiful each day for the next days. Please?