Welcome to our blog!
We are passionate about offering a service and community which is inclusive, empathic, understanding and non-judgmental. We believe that support should be available for all those affected by eating difficulties and disorders regardless of age, race, gender identity, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
These principles of equality and diversity underpin our person-centred, service user led approach to mental health and a big part of the reason we decided to launch our blog space. Here you’ll find First Steps ED updates, as well as stories and features from our community. We want to give everyone an opportunity to share stories, introduce unheard voices and discuss important topics around mental health and eating disorders.
Ask the Experts: Alex Light on the Return of 90s/00s Body Ideals
For this month’s Ask the Experts blog, we asked best-selling author and body image speaker, Alex Light, about the return of 90s/00s body image ideals, and her view on the impact this is having.
Binge Eating Disorder vs. Emotional Eating: What’s the Difference?
Understanding the difference between emotional eating and BED helps people recognise when a common behaviour becomes a sign of something more serious that requires support.
From Starving to Starting Lines: My Story of Recovery and Resilience
From Starving to Starting Lines: My Story of Recovery and Resilience Hi Everyone, I'm Mia, and I want to take you on my journey – from recognising and developing my struggle with anorexia and how this majorly impacted my life to the amazing things I have
No-One Left Alone: Pip’s Place and the Power of Peer Support
This December marks ten years since Pip McManus died by suicide in 2015. She was just 15 years old, and had spent her last three years fighting anorexia nervosa...
Atypical Anorexia: Understanding a Misunderstood Diagnosis
Atypical anorexia falls within the category of Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED) in the DSM-5, the manual used by clinicians to classify mental health conditions...
What Is ARFID? A Parent’s Guide to Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, often known as ARFID, is a recognised eating disorder that affects children, young people, and adults. It involves a pattern of avoiding or restricting food intake that goes far beyond what is commonly thought of as “picky eating”.
Two battles, one body
Two battles, one body Finding hope to keep recovering from my eating disorder while facing a fight that I never saw coming. When I received the news that I needed treatment for blood cancer, I was already in the middle of another fight. The quiet and daily
Ask the experts: when does a diet become an eating disorder?
Ask the experts: when does a diet become an eating disorder? Welcome to our monthly 'Ask the Experts' blog, where we put forward some common and challenging questions about eating disorders to our First Steps ED experts. This month, we asked them: When does a diet
My ARFID Journey: Finding the Right Support
My ARFID Journey: Finding the Right Support In April last year, everything changed for me. What started as a bout of sickness, possibly food poisoning, landed me in the hospital. It seemed manageable at first, but by August, something had shifted. I began to notice a
My ARFID Recovery Journey: Finding Hope through Therapy
My ARFID Recovery Journey: Finding Hope through Therapy When I began my 16 weeks of therapy with Rebecca at First Steps ED in early 2024, I never imagined how transformative this journey would be. Not just for me, but potentially for others facing similar challenges with
Finding Hope: A Parent’s Journey
Finding Hope: A Parent's Journey By Zoe, mum to Jack, 8. There were good days and bad days, but during those six weeks of school holidays last year, the bad days seemed endless. Jack's behaviour was completely off the charts – I couldn't control any aspect
Ask the experts: the impact of social media on eating disorders
Ask the experts: the impact of social media on eating disorders Welcome to our new monthly ‘Ask the Experts’ blog, where we put forward some common and challenging questions about eating disorders to our First Steps ED experts. This month, to support our Scroll Safe campaign,
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We are proud to support and offer a platform for individuals who are ready to share their stories and talk about their experiences of recovery. Together we can offer hope to lives affected by eating disorders. If you have something to say, a story to tell or advice to share, you are in the right place.
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