Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Written by Kalin Huberman, RD
February 1st through 7th marks Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW), and the theme this year is Embracing Possibilities.
Our team at The Nourish Collective has been reflecting on what ‘embracing possibilities’ means to us. While we honour that the concept of healing means something different for every person, at the heart of our practice is helping humans heal from disruption in their relationship with food and body so that they can live a full and joyful life.
Many of our clients have expressed how difficult it can be to navigate their lives while so much space is being occupied by their eating disorder. It may not initially feel this way, as we know that for many, eating disorders serve as a way of coping, and often feel like a lifeline. Over time though, it becomes exhausting to continue engaging in, and may begin to feel like it pulls you away from the things that matter most in your life.
In honour of this year’s theme, we want to highlight how healing your relationship with food and nourishing yourself helps you have capacity to embrace the possibilities in your own life.
Nourishment is a need we all have, and supports us in having the capacity to show up in our lives in meaningful ways.
Can you imagine how it would feel to be able to go for brunch with your friends with more ease, have the energy and interest to try a new hike, or feel you have the capacity to volunteer?
Allow yourself to reflect on what you would be doing more of if you were nourished, what possibilities come to life?
We often use the analogy of climbing a mountain when we are exploring the idea of healing our relationship with food and body. It may feel like the summit is so far away - how will we ever reach it? And then we turn around, and we see that we’ve reached a different point on the mountain with a wide open view. Little by little, each step forward brings more possibilities.
In honour of every human that has been impacted by an eating disorder, we are sharing the poem ‘Encouragement for the Climb’, written by one of our incredible clients (shared with permission).
“You lose your breath
at how far you've come.
It seems impossible.
With all the stumbles,
storms,
and set backs
that you've managed to make it,
closer to the summit
than you've ever been before”
If you or someone you love is in need of support, please reach out here. For information on local events during EDAW 2025, please visit Eating Disorder Support Network of Alberta (EDSNA).
