DR MARIANNE MILLER
CARING EATING DISORDER TREATMENT IN SAN DIEGO AND THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, AND WASHINGTON D.C. FOR ADULTS & TEENS
3 Tips on How to Leave Diet Culture and Eating Disorders Behind in London (& Throughout the UK)
Diet culture is so pervasive. It’s like we’re swimming in an ocean of it, and whether you’re in San Diego or NYC, it’s with you wherever you go. Many people who live in London also struggle with diet culture and eating disorders. It can be especially difficult in England and elsewhere in the UK in the winter months (and even some of the spring) because there’s not much sunlight and a lot of gray skies. Here are three tips to help you leave diet culture and eating disorders behind in London and throughout the UK.
Interested in Culturally Sensitive Treatment? Meet Eating Disorder Therapist Dr. Jennifer Douglas
Hello all! I’ve recently gotten to know eating disorder therapist Dr. Jennifer Douglas. She is a clinical psychologist who has worked at some of the top eating disorder treatment centers in the United States, including University of California at San Diego Eating Disorders Center and Stanford University Eating Disorders Program. One thing I really appreciate about Jen is that when treating folks with eating disorders, she takes a culturally sensitive approach. She loves working with people of diverse body sizes, genders, religions, abilities, ages, countries of origin, and sexual orientations. She used to live in San Diego and now resides in San Francisco. She can provide Telehealth anywhere in California. Enjoy getting to know her!
Five Mindful Places to Visit in San Diego When You're Feeling Stressed During the Holidays
As Thanksgiving is coming round the corner, and other holidays are fast approaching, it’s easy to feel caught up in the holiday frenzy. Whether it’s traffic, shopping, or your full calendar, things just can seem crazy. It’s especially challenging while in eating disorder recovery, as there can be more triggers than usual this time of year. Sometimes you just need a peaceful place to go in San Diego where you can take deep breaths and soak in positive energy so you can feel grounded and renewed. I’ve asked top eating disorder therapists and dietitians in San Diego for their recommendations of mindful places to visit, and I’ve listed five of my favorites. Enjoy!
How Can Yoga Help Eating Disorder Recovery?
Curious about how yoga can help you in your eating disorder recovery? Feeling scared to take the first step and start a yoga practice, but don’t know where to begin? It can be nerve-racking in San Diego to get out of your comfort zone and start something new—especially when it has to do with moving your body! I’ve interviewed Christin Conkle, LMFT, who is both an eating disorder therapist in San Diego, a yoga instructor, and a firm believer in how yoga can be a helpful part of eating disorder treatment. She explains how yoga can benefit people in eating disorder recovery, and she shares tips on how to begin a yoga practice.
Three Tips for Taming Anxiety in Eating Disorder Recovery
Overwhelmed with anxiety in your eating disorder recovery? Does it feel like anxiety crashes over you like a huge wave? Is it like you’re walking on the beach in San Diego, and all of a sudden you feel flooded with emotion, left shivering in your soaking wet shoes? Do you just want to scream and run away when you feel anxious? Or, do you freeze like a deer in headlights? However anxiety manifests, it can be very difficult to face.
Four Steps to Stomp Out Self-Criticism in Eating Disorder Recovery
Ever wish you could take a break from negative thoughts—like take a vacation from your brain? Feel like you’re on a self-criticism merry-go-round that you can’t get off? Many people struggle with self-criticism, especially those in recovery from eating disorders. It can be easy to be hard on yourself in San Diego, as you see people around you splashing in the ocean and laying on the warm sand. You might think, “what’s wrong with me that I’m not like them?” Even on social media you see everyone else posting about how wonderful their lives are, triggering negative thoughts that crash over you like a wave. You may feel hopeless and that there’s no way out. I want to convey that you CAN get out of the self-criticism cycle and live a more satisfying life. Check out the four steps in this blog post, and you’ll be on your way!
Three Pointers for Pushing Back Perfectionism in Eating Disorder Recovery
Feel like you aren’t good enough? Always comparing yourself to others? Constantly cataloguing your faults and feeling like a failure? It sounds like you are struggling with perfectionism. It can be so challenging to fall into the “compare and despair” pit when you are in San Diego and there is such an emphasis on perfect looks and perfect achievement, materialistically or otherwise. Even elsewhere in the U.S. and around the world, perfectionism is a trait that can be common in people suffering from eating disorders.
As most eating disorder researchers and experts will say, eating disorders are brain disorders. When compared to brains of people without eating disorders, people with eating disorders have areas of their brains that don’t function as efficiently or effectively. What that means is that if you have an eating disorder, it’s not your fault. It’s not about willpower or about sucking it up to “just eat” or “just stop eating.” It’s about needing to get help to change how your brain works. Struggling with perfectionism AND an eating disorder can lead to (a) feeling like you have to be perfect, so you engage in eating disorder behaviors to try to be perfect, or (b) feeling disappointed or ashamed that you’re not perfect, so you you engage in eating disorder behaviors to counteract these emotions. Either way, perfectionism can be a challenge to recovery.
Four Tips to Navigating Triggering Family Situations in Eating Disorder Recovery
Do you ever struggle with all of the focus on “family” and “togetherness” this time of year? Does it seem as though you can barely get through family events without feeling like you want to run out of the room screaming? Holidays can be such a challenge if you have an eating disorder. A lot of family-focused activities center around food, which can trigger a lot of anxiety and other uncomfortable emotions. It is hard when parents, spouses, grandparents, great-aunt Petunias, or whoever comment about your body and what you are (or aren’t) eating. Especially in San Diego, when in December you can be wearing tank tops, shorts, or a skirt as you take family trips to the beach. It can feel as though your body and how you eat is on display. It may seem that loved ones have free reign to comment on it. It really, really sucks. As an eating disorder therapist, I love helping people navigate family situations that can be tricky and triggering, so I’m here to help you get started.