Rewriteyourstory

Over the course of 2016/17 our colleagues at RWYS have been developing a groundbreaking whole system approach to supporting, promoting and protecting the emotional wellbeing of children and young people with eating disorders, their families and other professionals. PETS 1 & 2 Psycho-Educations Therapeutic INtervention Strategy (PETS for short) Is support that extends beyond the reach of traditional services, recognising that early intervention is key and early results support this. Read more about our pilot project and the outcomes we have achieved through PETS Interim report. Download it here. EEDR The European Eating Disorders Review journal (EEDR) is Beat’s bi-monthly academic [...]

Getting Help... Therapy Partners Their team of qualified, friendly professionals offer a variety of services for those suffering from and affected by eating disorders, including group and individual therapy, training for schools and organisations, workshops and seminars. Visit the website Finding Help Find Get Give is an online directory of mental health support services that work with 13-25 year olds. One of the websites unique selling points is that young people can give feedback on the services they’ve received. Their database is constantly growing, and offers quick access to a range of services for different mental health issues. If you are [...]

Here you will find links to helpful websites and services specifically aimed at helping those with and affected by eating disorders. Book an eating disorder awareness training for your school or organisation – connect@rewriteyourstory.org.uk Recommended books and guidance Eating Disorders: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Children and Young People (CBT with Children, Adolescents and Families) – Simon G Gowers and Lynne Green Overcoming Binge Eating: A Comprehensive Guide to Symptoms, Causes and Treatment of Your Overeating Disorder – Edward Standmore Overcoming Perfectionism: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques (Overcoming Books) – Roz Shafran, Sarah Egan and Tracey Wade The Clinician’s [...]

As a family member, friend or carer of someone suffering from an eating disorder, you are not alone. Eating disorders can have a huge impact on the lives of the people around the sufferer, which is why support, counselling, individual and family therapy is very important to help with some of the feelings and emotions that arise. These can include; Self blame Depression Shame Sense of loss Confusion and hopelessness Isolation Anxiety If you are experiencing any of these or if you think someone that you know might be, please contact Rewrite Your Story today for help at connect@rewriteyourstory.org.uk Do’s [...]

Being consistently underweight can cause long term health problems, will affect all your body systems including your physical, psychological and social functioning and even change the way you are as a person. Some of the effects described here are direct effects of sustained under-eating rather than a low weight and can affect anyone who is markedly under-eating regardless of their weight. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS Thinking -  Your brain needs a lot of energy to function properly so without adequate energy your thinking will become rigid and inflexible and you are unable to switch easily between subjects. -  Making decisions also becomes [...]

Being consistently underweight can cause long term health problems, and have an effect on all of your bodily functions, including physically, psychologically and socially. Psychological effects Thinking: Difficulty in decision making Pre-occupation with food Disinterest in hobbies and activities Less spontaneous Feelings: Easily irritated or upset Isolated from friends and family Unwilling to maintain friendships Behaviour: Obsessional, ritualised behaviour and routines Setting rigid rules around what you must not eat or must not do A need to be clean and tidy or hoarding behaviour Physical effects Heart and Circulation: Loss of heart muscle Lower blood pressure and pulse Heart beat [...]

‘To lose confidence in one’s body, is to lose confidence in oneself’ – Simone de Beauvoir (writer, activist) In our current society, we are bombarded with images of what we are supposed to look like and are presented with an unrealistic, warped ideal of what beautiful is. Social media, television, celebrity culture and the media reinforce the notion that we are not good enough, telling us how we need to look to achieve ‘perfection’ which in reality is often unachievable. Due to these societal expectations, our body image and the way we see ourselves can become distorted, and as our [...]

There are different types of eating disorders that are categorized by their symptoms and health affects. Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms include: Over evaluation of shape and weight and control Judging self-worth largely and even exclusively in terms of shape and weight and the ability to control Active maintenance of low body weight – less than 85% of that expected or a body mass index of 17.5 or below Inadequate food intake Fear of weight gain Obsession over weight and food Inability to understand the severity of the situation Bulimia Nervosa Symptoms include: Over evaluation of shape and weight Recurrent binge eating [...]

It’s that time of year again, the shops are full of Christmas Fayre, the lights are lit, and pretty much anyone dealing with an eating disorder in their midst will be trying to quell that nervous feeling that Christmas is around the corner. So here is our Christmas Toolbox. There are lots of different ideas so pick and choose those that might work in your household. Please feel free to forward this on to anyone else who might find it useful. A little bit of pre-planning in the weeks up to Christmas can really help to keep things calmer and more [...]