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Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that require appropriate treatment and care. According to ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders), eating disorders impact nine percent of the population worldwide. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, deciding to take the first steps toward recovery is not always an easy choice to make. However, it is an empowering decision that can help you discover what life is like without the constant obsessions regarding the food you eat, as well as your weight and body image.

For those who suffer from a mental health condition or emotional sources of pain, neurofeedback therapy— a type of biofeedback  — can be used to train your brain to self-regulate, helping you to stay calm and focussed. This type of therapy can be used to ease the symptoms of several mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, substance abuse disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

If you have ever experienced seemingly random episodes of fear and anxiety that send you into a flight of panic — where your mind races, heart pounds, hands tremble, and body begins to sweat — you may have experienced a panic attack. Panic attacks are a symptom of panic disorder, which is a type of anxiety disorder. These attacks can happen at any time and often occur when there is not a threat or danger present. Although overwhelming and scary, panic disorder is something a therapist can help you navigate and heal from. Experiencing panic attacks can leave you feeling powerless, but there are practices you can use to access your power in moments when it feels like the disorder has control over you.

Mindfulness is the practice of continually choosing to come back to the present moment with awareness and acceptance. It can help you slow down and live life with a deeper intention and compassion for yourself and others.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental health condition. Individuals who suffer from it have reoccurring thoughts — called obsessions — followed by repeated behaviors (compulsions). Living with OCD can be debilitating, overwhelming, and confusing. The most common treatment for OCD is called exposure and response prevention (ERP), in which the individual is repeatedly exposed to fears and obsessions without engaging in compulsions. This is something a therapist can support you with as you learn to make peace with living with OCD.

Creativity is vital to your holistic wellness and being creative can help you during your recovery. Popular to contrary belief, there are many ways to be creative outside of traditional drawing, coloring, and painting. Whether you consider yourself to be an artist or not, there are several ways you can be creative. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Writing can be an excellent practice during your recovery journey. It provides time for introspection and self-reflection, cultivating self-awareness and self-honesty. One of the best parts of writing is that you do not have to actually be a writer to experience its benefits. There is no wrong way to write and you can do it anywhere, even with a therapist. While writing helps to release tension and reduce anxiety, it can also help you process situations and create peace for yourself.

Perfectionism is an insidious force that makes one believe that they — and others — can achieve perfection. A perfectionist may even understand that perfectionism is an illusion, yet they still cannot let that notion go. Learning how to remove the need to always be or appear perfect can have a powerful effect on your life. Here are some tips that can assist you.

Self-compassion is intricately connected to our sense of individual well-being. It is essential in learning how to care for and understand ourselves — rather than remaining judgemental and highly critical. Self-compassion is the medicine that allows us to create a nourishing, loving relationship with ourselves that fuels our growth and prosperity. This way of relating to yourself may feel strange, especially if it is something you have never done before. However, there are simple steps you can take to begin cultivating a more self-compassionate relationship with yourself today.

Do you have a loved one who is struggling with anxiety and are unsure how to help them? What anxiety feels like, and the impact it can have on a relationship is different for everyone. How best to support someone struggling with anxiety depends on the individual, but there are general ways you can help your loved one.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition in which individuals experience obsessive thoughts that are intrusive in nature.  They can lead to the urge to perform repetitive and compulsive behaviors. We often hear about certain types of OCD — such as the fear of germs and contamination, or the need for everything to be in perfect symmetry — but these are just a couple of the vast subtypes of OCD.

Living with anxiety can cause physical and emotional discomfort. The combination of uncontrollable thoughts, intense worry, and physical symptoms — like a fast heartbeat or dizziness — can create even more stress for those struggling with anxiety disorders. If you have experienced anxiety for any length of time, it can be hard to remember a period when you were not consumed by it. You may want to run away from the feelings it produces and pretend as though it does not exist. Although running away from the discomfort of anxiety may seem like the best solution, it is what causes anxiety to continue. Remember that whatever we resist persists. To free yourself from the grips of anxiety, you must lean into the discomfort instead of resisting it. Although this may sound scary, embracing the feelings we are experiencing teaches us that they cannot hurt us. How do you lean in when you want to lean out?