BodyWhys-Eating Disorders Association of Ireland
Donation protected
So as some of you may know, I'm going to be running 250km (ish) in a few weeks, and I'm being asked why I'm doing it/ if its for a cause etc.
And so some of you may also know that I had struggled with an eating disorder for most of my teens and into my early 20s.
At the beginning of this prep for the run, I wanted to bring awareness to an eating disorder group. However, I had been battling with this idea in my head as I'm aware that it may be triggering / enforce the idea of exercise for weight loss / going to the extremes to lose weight. And this is the complete opposite of what I want to do. I want to be mindful of where people are in their recovery process and how they view exercise. But. I want them to at least have a process, to be aware of the help that's out there. Sadly, I had absolutely no idea about groups like this, and I have no recollection of it ever being mentioned in school or just in life. So if some crazy challenge gets attention and helps bring awareness to a worthy cause and helps at least 1 person reach out to Body whys (or any organisation) or just gets help with their relationship with food, then that's something.
Exercise isn't going to solve your eating disorder. Your mind will.
I just want to show what our bodies and minds are capable of, that we can push passed our "perceived" limits in whatever we do. I'm doing this to build a stronger mindset for myself, so that when life throws challenges at me, hopefully they will be more manageable, and sure look, if not, at least I've had the chance to run around a beautiful lake for 70+ hours.
And so some of you may also know that I had struggled with an eating disorder for most of my teens and into my early 20s.
At the beginning of this prep for the run, I wanted to bring awareness to an eating disorder group. However, I had been battling with this idea in my head as I'm aware that it may be triggering / enforce the idea of exercise for weight loss / going to the extremes to lose weight. And this is the complete opposite of what I want to do. I want to be mindful of where people are in their recovery process and how they view exercise. But. I want them to at least have a process, to be aware of the help that's out there. Sadly, I had absolutely no idea about groups like this, and I have no recollection of it ever being mentioned in school or just in life. So if some crazy challenge gets attention and helps bring awareness to a worthy cause and helps at least 1 person reach out to Body whys (or any organisation) or just gets help with their relationship with food, then that's something.
Exercise isn't going to solve your eating disorder. Your mind will.
I just want to show what our bodies and minds are capable of, that we can push passed our "perceived" limits in whatever we do. I'm doing this to build a stronger mindset for myself, so that when life throws challenges at me, hopefully they will be more manageable, and sure look, if not, at least I've had the chance to run around a beautiful lake for 70+ hours.
Organizer
Rachel Kearney
Organizer
County Wicklow
