A 15-year-old girl is using her blog and Instagram accounts to promote a positive message of recovery from eating disorders, calling herself an advocate of healthy living.
"During my recovery from an eating disorder, I used my love for food to pull me up and spur me on to a full recovery and now it has evolved into a full blown passion," the blogger, known only as "Lin," writes on her site, "So Fine Was the Morning." Lin also shares photos of her food and recipes on her Instagram account, @tumblinbumblincrumblincookie. She has more than 107,000 followers.
Lin's online message of health and nourishment is the opposite of the so-called "thinspo" sites, which are dedicated to encouraging people with eating disorders down their paths of destruction. While these sites attract thousands of visitors and do untold harm to their health and well-being, eradicating these is not in and of itself a solution. That's because whether or not these sites exist, the psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of their users will continue to cause disordered eating. Recovery must involve a transformative mental, emotional, psychological and physical shift, such as the one that Lin seems to have experienced.
At Fairwinds Treatment Center, we understand that eating disorders don't exist in a vacuum. They are often caused, triggered or exacerbated by underlying psychological, emotional or mental issues, so treating the disordered eating habits alone is ineffective. That's why we use a dual diagnosis treatment plan to help patients adapt better habits while also healing from the inside out, with intensive, personalized psychological support and nutritional guidance. If you believe that your loved one has an eating disorder, contact the Fairwinds Treatment Center in Clearwater, Florida, where we treat both the mind and body.