Introduction to Hollay Ghadery, Author of 'Surviving ED'

I'm Hollay Ghadery, a new contributer to HealthyPlace's blog Surviving ED. I don't pretend to have all the answers when it comes to eating disorder (ED) recovery, but I do know that answers are more likely when we bring eating disorders into the light. After all, if we can't see the problems we're working with, we can't make anything better.

Hollay Ghadery's Struggle with Eating Disorders

I have struggled with eating disorders since I was a pre-teen. It started as food deprivation, then, alternately swung between anorexia and bulimia. I still struggle with disordered eating and don't always have the healthy relationship I'd like to have with food, but, it's not the living hell I experienced for most of my adult life, and this improvement keeps me motivated to keep making changes.

Hollay Ghadery Talks Eating Disorder Recovery

One of the reasons it took me so long to get my eating disorder recovery underway was because I kept looking at recovery the wrong way. Not only did I think that one recovered and that was that--you were cured--but I assumed that the only ways to get better were through the traditional routes: eating disorder therapy, meditation, or group support. Understand: I am not saying these are not roads to recovery, simply that they are not the only roads. I was also depending on the system of mental health resources to give me more support than it did. The truth is there is still a tremendous stigma attached to mental health issues, and while this fog is being lifted, the subject is still misty. It's still often taboo.

As difficult as it is to accept, the only person who has the power to save you is you. Get support and educate yourself when and where you can, but recovery is founded in a perhaps floundering, but ultimately, an unfailing belief in yourself.

More About Hollay Ghadery

Learn more about Hollay Ghadery's recovery and what she hopes people will get from her writings on Surviving ED.