Health is Wealth

There was a recent article released by Western University that claims that anorexia nervosa, or eating disorders in general, should be called a 'passion'. According to the authors, a passion is something that one finds enjoyable, but can be destructive in excess. (See http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2014/week33/Thursday/14082209.htm  for details). Now, allow me to tell you what I think about this 'discovery'. EDs are mental illnesses. Some people think of ED as an addiction in that it becomes obsessive and difficult to stop or control. This I understand. My issue with defining ED as a passion is that a passion denotes something positive, something we love and strive to always follow. Now, EDs do become obsessive, and patients always strive to focus all energies and thoughts on the disorder. However, EDs are in no way, shape, or form enjoyable. ED is not something the patient loves . It is not fun, exciting, or life-enhancing. Calling ED a passion makes it...

Three weeks ago, I was contacted by a reporter from CBC Toronto, asking me if I could do a story on the increase in eating disorders that is occurring. Wanting to help, I readily agreed...not realizing that they wanted me to do the story the next day! Needless to say, it was a last-minute request. But being featured on TV AND raising awareness about ED and mental health? Who could say no?!   This news story is highly relevant to society and what is happening in our world today. Although short, the feature highlights the fact that there has been a staggering increase in the prevalence of eating disorders within the past few years. Unfortunately, this has not been met by an increase in treatment. Perhaps even more frustrating is that there is still a lack of knowledge and awareness on eating disorders, prevention, treatment, recovery, and mental health. There still exists stigma around issues such as mental health. My hope is that by speaking out, we can make a difference. Pleas...

What is the best way to ensure that your goals will succeed? How do you make yourself believe that you will accomplish your goals and have success, as well as feel accomplished? Is there a relationship between goal completion and satisfaction? There is no doubt that setting goals makes life easier. If you want to get a promotion, what do you do? You take the time to think about what steps you must take. Maybe you need to finish your next assignment on time. Maybe you need to get to work on time, and be more optimistic. If you are trying to improve your health, maybe you will drink more water, eat a variety of foods, enjoy an active lifestyle, reduce stress, etc. Whatever your goals are, the key is to make a plan of action. But how do you 'make' this plan? I personally love to write things down. I find that when I do this, I see an organized plan for what I have to do, what I need to accomplish, and where I am going. It also helps me look back and see what I have done, wha...

Once again, my work has been published by Made4More, an organization dedicated to helping others live through everyday challenges faced in the world. This post is about true beauty, and what it means to be 'beautiful', and how this relates to our needing to feel loved, special, and unique: http://made4moreministry.com/2014/08/18/you-are-beautiful-and-i-mean-it/ Looking at this way, we see that beauty doesn't only to women. Nor does it mean how we dress, what our bodies look like, or what make-up or watches we wear. That is what the world wants you to think beauty is all about . Why? Because the world lives off of this misconception. The media and companies fool us into thinking that we need the latest brand-name clothes to look 'cool', or that we need to have that designer-brand watch because it shows others that we can afford it. For women, there is the pressure to be thin and tall. For men, there is the pressure to be muscular and strong. All around us, we see...