Advice From Don Nielson...

Advice… (As answered by Don Nielson, Co-Founder and Chair-Elect of The National Eating Disorders Association, Seattle, Washington) 1) What eating disorder(s) have you personally experienced in your life? My daughter was sick for 14 years from age 11-24, but has recovered and is now married and a mother of two. 2) What was your lowest point concerning it/them? We had an intervention with her at age 21, after we had run out of options and were losing our other two children because of our constant worry about our daughter. 3) How has God brought you through it/them? We prayed a lot during all those years. Our prayers were eventually answered. 4) In what ways does God specifically help you in day-to-day living? God constantly supports us and is a strength to lean on, even when things seem hopeless. 5) What advice, spiritually, would you give a female or male currently afflicted with eating disorders, food, weight and body issues? Pray for the strength to overcome the illness. Pray for the ability to re-connect to your family and friends. 6) What advice, physically, would you give a female or male currently afflicted with eating disorders, food, weight and body issues? ED’s are killers. Don’t focus on weight or appearance, focus on nurturing your body with healthy food that will support your living a healthy life. 7) What advice, emotionally/mentally, would you give a female or male currently afflicted with eating disorders, food, weight and body issues? ED’s are a manifestation of some other problem or problems. You will need help to be able to understand those and to treat those. 8) What has/have been a scripture(s) that has/have helped you through, giving you hope and peace? All things work together for good through our Lord Jesus Christ. 9) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns food? Food is not the issue, it is something else. You must find out what that something else is, before you can recover. 10) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns food holidays (i.e. Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.)? These are stressful times and a time when you must show your strength. Dish up your own plate and don’t worry about what others do. 11) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns stress? People afflicted with ED’s are constantly in a state of stress. That won’t change until the root cause of the problem is identified and treated. 12) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns swimsuit (summer) season? Probably something to avoid as it will just add stress. 13) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns exercise? That’s part of the illness and don’t worry about it. However, don’t use it as a way to lose weight, but as a way to stay physically healthy. There is a big difference. 14) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns family/relationships? These are tough. In the family, it is important for family members to study information about the illness and recognize that eating/food is not the problem. They, therefore, need to not focus on that issue alone. Family will always want you to eat enough to live and that is to be expected. 15) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns personal issues? Don’t know what to say here. 16) What advice can you give someone afflicted with eating disorders when it concerns therapy? You will need therapy to get better. Find someone you really like and who has the capacity to understand you. 20) Any other comments, advice? ED’s are not anything to play with. You need to take the issue seriously and you will need help to recover.