Whether you have an eating disorder or simply want to gain a better understanding of them, there’s no shortage of resources available. It can be overwhelming to know where to start, so I’ve pulled together my top picks — some on recovery, some on others’ personal journeys and some on mental health overall. Enjoy!
This interactive workbook came as a recommendation from my therapist to help implement the work we had done together in our sessions. Dr. Cash takes a non-judgemental approach to changing the way you view yourself and your perceived imperfections. Recovering from any body image issues in an appearance-obsessed world is hard enough, but The Body Image Workbook makes finding acceptance and inner peace a realistic goal.
A staple in therapist offices everywhere, Life Without Ed was one of the first books I read about eating disorder recovery — and I’ve since reread it multiple times. Jenni personifies her eating disorder as Ed, comparing it to a relationship with an abusive partner. The chapters are short and digestible, perfect for a wandering mind that’s bogged down by ED thoughts. One of my favourite lines comes near the end: “A divorce from Ed is more than just the end of an abusive relationship — it is a decision to live.”
Orthorexia Bites chronicles Jason’s journey with orthorexia and advances the much-needed conversation around men’s mental health. He’s relatable, honest and funny while covering a broad range of topics — like health anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and battling internalized homophobia with his own sexuality. The tagline for his blog sums up his mission perfectly: “Men battle eating disorders too. Trust me, I know a guy!”
When I began doing research on other ED bloggers, I stumbled across Rebecca’s anorexia recovery website and have been a fan of hers ever since. She’s truly inspirational and has led talks, workshops and training around eating disorders and mental health. Her story was even included in a BBC feature on eating disorders in UK sport where she poignantly shares her hard truths: “It started out so innocently just trying to lose weight for me to achieve my dream of becoming a professional athlete … I feel sad now to think that my dream got taken over by the eating disorder.”
Once you hear how soothing and calming Josie’s voice is, you’ll understand why this podcast is a favourite of mine. Josie offers short affirmations on topics ranging from body acceptance to self-love to managing stress. Affirmation Pod is an essential part of my Sunday self-care routine, making a perfect soundtrack to my wind-down bath and skincare ritual. A go-to episode for me is “Affirmations for Body Positivity.”
In the aftermath of a long-term relationship breakup, I turned to the Savvy Psychologist for an episode on resilience and overcoming loss. The show had me hooked with its quirky humour, down-to-earth advice and and evidence-backed research. I’m always learning something from new host Dr. Monica Johnson, a clinical psychologist with a focus on treating marginalized groups of people, and I particularly enjoyed the recent episode on fighting sizeism.
