Health is Wealth

I am very honoured and blessed to have been asked by the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine to give a presentation at PriMed 2017 , the annual largest conference for healthcare professionals in Canada! I was invited to speak about my own experience with anorexia nervosa, and to integrate research and guidelines about how clinicians can identify, treat, and manage patients with eating disorders. This was a great experience! I had the opportunity to share my story, but also use this to help doctors and nurses understand how they can effectively support their patients towards recovery from this illness.  Eating disorders (EDs) are mental illnesses . There are documented brain changes that occur in patients with eating disorders, and these alterations in neurotransmitters (or brain 'chemicals') make recovery, eating, and weight gain extremely challenging. Recovery is a hard, painful process. The emotional and mental struggles that patients endure are difficult. Howeve...

Our thoughts have a major impact on our feelings and actions. I know what you're thinking - this is something we all know already! But lately, I have truly felt this happen in my life. And I wanted to reflect with you all on this important topic. It is no surprise that life can get crazy at times. Right now, I find myself being overwhelmed by many things to do. I have to study, volunteer, go to Church, spend time with friends and family, think about my future career and life goals, concentrate on my health, engage in self-care, and so forth. And at times, I simply do not want to do anything at all. Nothing. Not sleep. Not work. Not eat. Not play. Not study. Not spend time with anyone. Not spend time with myself. NOTHING. I am bored, tired, and exhausted. Life is pointless. There is too much to do and no time to do it. I am bored and frustrated. I cannot do all of these things, and I feel that it is impossible. I have no idea what the future will bring, and this makes me ...

Life. Is. Crazy. Today has been one of those days when I am absolutely exhausted. There has been so much going on. My days at school have been long and full of lectures, studying, and so forth. I've been trying to catch up with my friends, and finding time to balance this with everything else is challenging. Oh, yes. And all the while, I'm trying to make sure I stay healthy and sane! At one point today, I just had this feeling of complete exasperation. WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS?! Why do we have to be so busy? Why is life so complex? Why do we have to feel stressed? Why did I choose such a hard and busy career path? I began thinking about what I would be doing if I wasn't studying medicine, or taking care of my health. Or spending time with my friends and family. And to be honest, I couldn't think of what else I would rather be doing. YES. Life can get stressful. Yes, studying and work is hard. Yes, time is limited. Yes, there will be days when you don...

'Take it easy!" I find myself having to remember this statement often. I need to learn to 'take it easy'. Life is tough. There are so many struggles, challenges, and obstacles. Some of them are under our control. Some of them have solutions. But others are beyond our control, are unpredictable, unexpected, and difficult. Some situations become 'too much to handle', and we are left feeling hopeless and helpless. Personally, I hate feeling like I cannot do anything to address a problem that I have, or to help someone who needs assistance. Feeling like I am stuck and can do anything makes me feel powerless and vulnerable...and sad and confused. But there comes a point when I have to slow down and remember: JUST BREATHE . Take it easy. This is not your fault. This is out of your control. You cannot control the ACTION (or what happened already), but you can control your REACTION . There will always be challenges. Some days, I find that I am so busy and I ...