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Support · Connection · Community
We believe people heal better when they know they’re not alone. As the leading nonprofit in the U.S., ANAD is a free peer support community that is here to help anyone struggling with an eating disorder.
Understanding Eating Disorders
Eating disorders affect people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights. Learn more about eating disorders, their warning signs, and your treatment options.
ANAD Eating Disorders Helpline
ANAD’s free, Eating Disorders Helpline is here to provide you with support and encouragement when you need it. We also answer your questions and can even provide treatment referrals.
Help starts here
ANAD is a support organization that is peer run and professionally supported.
Joining an ANAD Support Group was the cornerstone of my recovery. I felt support, guidance, and unity during each meeting. ANAD changed my life.
Cayden / ANAD Beneficiary
ANAD Blog
Some recent posts – you can check out the full ANAD Blog here.
JourneyED: Stories of Healing and Support
Every Story Matters. Check out more stories here.
Thanks to our Treatment Center Partners
Upcoming Events
What’s coming up soon for ANAD – you can view all scheduled events here.
Self-Care / Self-Talk
Why
Positive Self Talk
- Positive affirmations are short, encouraging statements that can help build our self-esteem and challenge negative thoughts.
- Repeating these statements daily can help foster a more loving relationship with yourself over time.
- “Mirror-work” is when you look into the mirror and say kind, positive affirmations to yourself. It might feel awkward at first.
- Try statements such as “I am enough,” “I am deserving of all the good things life has to offer,” or “I am strong, capable, and confident in everything I do.”
- This can help build mental resilience, making it easier to cope with challenges and setbacks.
- They can elevate your mood and promote a more optimistic view of life.
- They help build confidence and self-worth by focusing on your strengths and capabilities.
Self Care
- Self-care directly impacts emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.
- Engaging in regular self care practices helps maintain balance and resilience, ensuring we can cope with life’s challenges.
- Regular self-care allows the body and mind to recover, recharge, and maintain a sense of calm.
- Taking care of yourself helps prevent burnout by ensuring you have the energy and mental capacity to meet the demands of life.
- Without regular self care, you may become overwhelmed, leading to fatigue, frustration, and decreased productivity.
- Giving yourself mental space helps clear your mind, improving focus, decision-making, and problem-solving.
- Allows you to engage in activities that bring you joy, pleasure, and fulfillment. These experiences elevate mood and provide moments of peace and happiness.
Stats
Positive Self Talk
Affirming personal values has been linked to boosting ones happiness and meaning in life (Nelson et al., 2014). MRI’s show that self- affirmations affect brain activity! (Cascio et al., 2015).
Self Care
“Engaging in a self- care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy and more. From a physical health perspective, it has also been clinically proven to reduce heart disease, stroke and cancer” (Glowiak, 2024).
Discover Powerful Healing Resources
Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.
POSITIVE SELF TALK
- Affirmation cards
- Intelligent Change Daily Affirmation Cards: get 10% off orders with an
email sign-up - Amazon: Little Frogs Affirmation Cards
- Affirmation Calendar from Amazon
- Hardie Grant Books “I Am” Series: Amazon
- Intelligent Change Daily Affirmation Cards: get 10% off orders with an
- Affirmation apps
- Affirmation websites
- Affirmation journal
- Sticky notes: write affirmations on them and place them on the mirror, door, or wall around your living space to see throughout the day.
- Find at most stores: Target, Walgreens, CVS, Staples, Walmart
- Online at Amazon
SELF CARE
- Up to personal preference, ideas listed in the guide
Examples of Self Care
- Sleep: Make sure you get enough hours in
- Making time for hobbies: painting, gardening, etc.
- Doing chores: cleaning dishes, doing laundry, cleaning space, decluttering
- Spending time outdoors: taking nature walks, sitting in a park
- Being with people you love: friends, family, partners
- Reading or learning: something of interest, and limiting technology/screen time
- Personal care: shower, bath, deep breathing, meditation, massaging
- Treating yourself: occasionally indulging yourself with something you love (ex: buying a new book, or a coffee from your favorite shop)
- Mental care: attending peer support groups (for free with ANAD!), going to therapy (we can help connect you with someone)
Creative Journaling & Writing
Why
- Journaling allows space for self reflection, and emotional release.
- Free writing can help you connect to your inner voice without judgment.
- This can look like a steam on consciousness, a short story, or even poetry.
- Both of these can give you space to problem solve, and look at a situation from a new angle.
- Try out a prompt, or guided writing exercise if free writing isn’t your thing.
- Examples & resources below!
Stats
Positive writing has been shown to promote positive emotions, as well as positive cognitive mechanisms in the general population (Lai et al., 2023).
Discover Powerful Healing Resources
Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.
- Apps on phone with guided prompts/reminders:
- Pen and paper
- Notebooks
- Gratitude Journal from Amazon
- Notebooks from Amazon
- Two Minute Mornings, a guided journal from Staples
- Self-love prompts by Rupi Kaur: Amazon
Journal Prompts
- What are three things I’m grateful for today?
- Write a letter to your future self. What do you want to tell them?
- Write about a positive affirmation you want to start telling yourself.
- How do you like to relax? Write about your favorite way to unwind.
- What does “peace” look like to you? How can you bring more of it into your life?
- What is something that always makes you laugh or brings you joy?
Art
Why
- Art can help provide a safe space for communication.
- It can promote a sense of relaxation, and become a calming, meditative like experience (especially in “flow state”).
- Gives an outlet and coping mechanism for managing difficult emotions.
- Helps develop healthy habits and routines for self-management.
- Increases an individuals sense of awareness and understanding of their emotions and thoughts.
Stats
Art can boost cognitive function, emotional resilience and self-confidence. It has also been shown to reduce stress and aid in conflict resolution (Hudson University, 2024).
Discover Powerful Healing Resources
Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.
- Coloring books
- Self Care
- Well-Being coloring book
- Healing Vibes: Walmart
- Mindfulness Coloring Book: Walmart
- Colored pencils
- Markers
- Sketchbook
- Air Dry Clay
- Watercolors
- Digital Drawing
- Digital Coloring Book
Ideas
- Coloring books
- Digital coloring or drawing
- Collaging
- Sketchbook/journaling/ diary
- Painting
- Water coloring
- Air dry clay (model magic) or traditional clay (ceramics)
- Photography (use your phone!)
- So much more!
Aromatherapy
Why
- Aromatherapy can be a helpful, low- cost (or free) tool for people managing eating disorders.
- Aromatherapy involves using essential oils to help manage emotions and restore balance.
- Scents can help ground people, encouraging mindfulness about physical and emotional sensations.
- Can promote a tranquil environment and give a sense (& scent) of peace.
- creates an atmosphere for individuals to feel safe in processing emotions
Stats
Lavender has been shown to reduce anxiety levels. It is seen as a “anxiolytic” solution to providing a coping method for those with anxiety disorders (Yoo & Park, 2023).
Discover Powerful Healing Resources
Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.
- Sets
- Amazon: Laguna Moon
- Amazon: Well-being set
- Can also find individual bottles at most grocery stores or health stores
- Diffuser: Amazon
- Diffuser & Oils:
About the Scents
- Lavender: calm, sleep, relax
- Chamomile: calm
- Rose: anxiety reduction
- Lemon: energy, nausea reduction, concentration
- Orange: brighten, uplift
- Jasmine: anxiety reduce, sleep
- Peppermint: alertness
- Ylang ylang: calming, stress and anxiety reduction
- Rosemary: focus
Music
Why
Music can have a powerful effect on people’s mood
- listening to uplifting or calming songs can help reduce stress and anxious feelings.
- Music stimulates the limbic system, the part of our brain responsible for processing emotions
- music triggers the release of serotonin and dopamine, which are associated with reducing feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress (which are often associated with eating disorders)
- Slow tempo music has been shown to decrease cortisol, our stress hormone, as well as lower blood pressure and reduce heart rate.
- Music increases the brains neuroplasticity, enhancing brain functions like mood regulation, decision making, and memory.
Stats
A study done by Mindlab International revealed that the song “Weightless” by Marconi Union resulted in a 65% reduction in participants’ overall anxiety (Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson).
Discover Powerful Healing Resources
Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.
- Songs
- Headphones
Artists to check out
- Ludovico Einaudi
- Claude Debussy
- Johann Sebastian Bach
- José González
- Laraaji
- Bill Evans
- Vance Joy
- The Paper Kites
- Moby
- Tycho
Yoga
Why
- Reconnect with one’s body
- Promotes mind-body connection, awareness of self, and acceptance.
- Stress and anxiety reduction
- Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting our body’s stress responses.
- Deep, slow breathing can reduce cortisol levels (stress hormone) and help calm our minds.
- Intentional movement
- Yoga provides a space to mindfully enjoy movement and explore a healthy form of exercise.
- Long term healing
- Provides a practice to safely and sustainably lean into.
- A space for community and support
- Oftentimes, yoga is done in a group setting, which can increase feelings of connection and lower feelings of loneliness.
Stats
After the completion of 7–12 yoga classes, a statistically significant decrease in anxiety, depression, and body image disturbance was seen (Hall et al., 2016).
Discover Powerful Healing Resources
Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.
- Mats
- Videos
- Group Classes
- Corepower offers a free week! However, please be mindful when taking
these classes, as many are heated. Be sure to listen to your body cues.- Recommended class: Corepower 1: Fundamental Flow, with low heat and low-medium physical intensity.
- ClassPass offers 2 free weeks! Look into and try studios near you before having to commit to one.
- Many local studios will offer a free or discounted class for you to try. Contact them for more information.
- Corepower offers a free week! However, please be mindful when taking
- Apps
- Insight Timer: a free meditation app
Note
Some classes are targeted for rigorous exercise, such as “heated flow” or “power flow.” Please be mindful with what you practice, and look for “slow flow,” “yin,” “vinyasa,” and “restorative” yoga in non-heated rooms.
Yoga
Why
- Reconnect with one’s body
- Promotes mind-body connection, awareness of self, and acceptance.
- Stress and anxiety reduction
- Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting our body’s stress responses.
- Deep, slow breathing can reduce cortisol levels (stress hormone) and help calm our minds.
- Intentional movement
- Yoga provides a space to mindfully enjoy movement and explore a healthy form of exercise.
- Long term healing
- Provides a practice to safely and sustainably lean into.
- A space for community and support
- Oftentimes, yoga is done in a group setting, which can increase feelings of connection and lower feelings of loneliness.
Stats
After the completion of 7–12 yoga classes, a statistically significant decrease in anxiety, depression, and body image disturbance was seen (Hall et al., 2016).
Note
Some classes are targeted for rigorous exercise, such as “heated flow” or “power flow.” Please be mindful with what you practice, and look for “slow flow,” “yin,” “vinyasa,” and “restorative” yoga in non-heated rooms.