How to Raise Eating Disorder Awareness
Do your research., Go to eating disorder events., Have materials to pass out., Talk to people in your day-to-day life., Tell your story.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Do your research.
To be really be effective at raising awareness, it helps to know your material first.
Even if you have experience with an eating disorder, reading up on how it affects other people can be helpful.
Put in some time reading up on eating disorders so you can help educate others.Pick a good site, such as the NEDA's site for more reliable information.
Look for .gov, .edu, and .org sites for the best information.
There are lots of eating disorder resources available at: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/resource-links -
Step 2: Go to eating disorder events.
You'll find there are conferences, seminars, and other events across the country that provide information on eating disorders.
You can become informed yourself, as well as meet other people who want to raise awareness about the problem.Attending support groups as a participant or as an observer can help you to gain great first-hand knowledge about eating disorders.
Ask around at your local colleges about events.
You can also check with local counseling centers.
Some national organizations organize information on events, such as Eating Disorder Hope., If you do want to talk to people about eating disorders, it can be helpful to be prepared with something the person can read.
The NEDA provides handouts that you can print out and have on hand, so that you're ready if someone asks for more information., If you can, try to incorporate information about eating disorders in your everyday life by identifying times where it makes sense.
For example, if someone makes an ignorant comment, such as, "I wish I had anorexia.
Then I'd be skinny," you can respond with a kind, but informative comment, such as, "Anorexia is actually a terrible disease.
It causes X number of deaths a year.
Please don't make light of it."
Sharing your experiences can help to normalize it, and it may also help other people to recognize that they might have a problem.
If you have a personal story to tell, that's a great way to help people understand where you're coming from.
Of course, that can make you feel a bit vulnerable, so it's a good idea to get what you want to say straight ahead of time.
Try writing out your story.
Once you've gotten the raw story out, spend a little time editing it.
Try to make sure it's short enough to connect with people.
Anything more than a couple of paragraphs (or five minutes spoken) will likely be too long for most situations.
Use your story by sharing it with people and on platforms like social media. -
Step 3: Have materials to pass out.
-
Step 4: Talk to people in your day-to-day life.
-
Step 5: Tell your story.
Detailed Guide
To be really be effective at raising awareness, it helps to know your material first.
Even if you have experience with an eating disorder, reading up on how it affects other people can be helpful.
Put in some time reading up on eating disorders so you can help educate others.Pick a good site, such as the NEDA's site for more reliable information.
Look for .gov, .edu, and .org sites for the best information.
There are lots of eating disorder resources available at: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/resource-links
You'll find there are conferences, seminars, and other events across the country that provide information on eating disorders.
You can become informed yourself, as well as meet other people who want to raise awareness about the problem.Attending support groups as a participant or as an observer can help you to gain great first-hand knowledge about eating disorders.
Ask around at your local colleges about events.
You can also check with local counseling centers.
Some national organizations organize information on events, such as Eating Disorder Hope., If you do want to talk to people about eating disorders, it can be helpful to be prepared with something the person can read.
The NEDA provides handouts that you can print out and have on hand, so that you're ready if someone asks for more information., If you can, try to incorporate information about eating disorders in your everyday life by identifying times where it makes sense.
For example, if someone makes an ignorant comment, such as, "I wish I had anorexia.
Then I'd be skinny," you can respond with a kind, but informative comment, such as, "Anorexia is actually a terrible disease.
It causes X number of deaths a year.
Please don't make light of it."
Sharing your experiences can help to normalize it, and it may also help other people to recognize that they might have a problem.
If you have a personal story to tell, that's a great way to help people understand where you're coming from.
Of course, that can make you feel a bit vulnerable, so it's a good idea to get what you want to say straight ahead of time.
Try writing out your story.
Once you've gotten the raw story out, spend a little time editing it.
Try to make sure it's short enough to connect with people.
Anything more than a couple of paragraphs (or five minutes spoken) will likely be too long for most situations.
Use your story by sharing it with people and on platforms like social media.
About the Author
Marie Torres
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow creative arts tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: