Sharing Your Eating Disorder Recovery Story on Campus

Contributor: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, Director of Content and Social Media at Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope

The beauty about recovering from an eating disorder is that everyone has a different journey, and no story is alike.

In a culture where there are many stigmas attached with eating disorder sufferers, hearing the testimonies of others who are in the process of recovery can be refreshing, encouraging, and hopeful.

The more that eating disorders are discussed and talked about openly, the more others are encouraged to do the same, effectively challenging the stigma and stereotypes that too often circulate in society today.

College Campuses As a Platform for Recovery

College students have a unique opportunity in their lives to begin exploring more about their individuality and further developing an autonomy and identity. The years spent in college can be a tremendous time of growth, learning, and understanding in many different facets of life.

For those college students who are recovering from an eating disorder, this time can bring with it many new challenges, even after being in remission for a significant length of time. Many individuals have found that sharing openly about their eating disorder and recovery story can actually be therapeutic, healing, and even serve as form of accountability.

College can be an excellent platform, in terms of having opportunity to share about eating disorder recovery. It is important to use discretion about when, where and with whom to share. It may be appropriate to share an eating disorder recovery story within a support group setting, during a mental health awareness event, or advocacy awareness as some examples.

Assessing Your Readiness to Share Publicly

If you are a college student in recovery from an eating disorder, it is important to know that you should never feel pressured to share your story and should only do so when you feel ready.

While there may be fear associated with speaking openly and honestly about what you have struggled with, you may find that speaking about your journey helps alleviate some of the shame previously experienced.

You might also encourage other college students who may be secretly struggling to connect to the help they need for recovery.

If you are interested in sharing about your eating disorder recovery, talk with your treatment team about what this might involve as well as mental health professionals on your college campus.

Community Discussion – Share Your Thoughts Here!

How can openly sharing about recovery help support others who might be struggling?

About the Author: Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on August 14, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com