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Guides & Resource Hubs

ANAD’s Resource Hubs provide free, evidence-based guides and toolkits designed for specific populations and communities navigating eating disorder recovery including:

anorexia nervosa eating disorder warning signs

Eating Disorder Resources for Loved Ones & Caregivers

Who It’s For

  • Primary Caregivers: Parents, spouses, and partners navigating daily recovery realities.

  • Support Networks: Friends, siblings, and relatives wanting to offer non-triggering support.

  • Burned-Out Advocates: Individuals seeking free, peer-led community spaces.

Core Focus Areas

  • Communication Frameworks: How to start sensitive, low-friction recovery conversations.

  • Caregiver Mental Health: Actionable strategies to prevent burnout and isolation.

  • Clinical & Peer Ecosystems: Navigating professional treatment and free support groups.

Key Takeaways

  • Learn to safely intervene using structured conversation scripts.

  • Manage at-home care with the Support At Every Stage Toolkit.

  • Protect your boundaries by connecting with free virtual networks (like F.E.A.S.T.).

Access ANAD's Loved One Resource Hub

Eating Disorder Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community

Who It’s For

  • LGBTQIA+ Individuals: Queer, trans, and non-binary individuals navigating body image, gender dysphoria, or disordered eating.

  • Mental Health Clinicians: Providers seeking culturally competent tools to screen and support marginalized sexual and gender identities.

  • Families & Allies: Loved ones looking to establish an affirming, trauma-informed support system at home.

Core Focus Areas

  • Intersectional Risk Factors: How minority stress, systemic discrimination, and coming out impact mental wellness and body image.

  • Gender Dysphoria & Restriction: Understanding why non-binary and trans individuals may alter eating patterns to achieve specific physical presentations.

  • Culturally Responsive Screening: Overcoming common medical barriers, clinical biases, and treatment disparities in healthcare spaces.

Key Takeaways

  • Identify the unique biological and psychological intersection of eating disorders and gender identity.

  • Deploy actionable harm-reduction strategies using ANAD’s Inclusive Eating Disorder Care Guidelines.

  • Access safe, identity-affirming spaces through ANAD’s free, virtual weekly LGBTQIA+ peer support groups.

Access ANAD's LBGTQIA+ Resource Hub

Eating Disorder Resources for Educators & Schools

Who It’s For

  • K-12 Faculty: Teachers uniquely positioned to notice early shifts in youth behavior and body image.

  • School Support Staff: Counselors, social workers, and nurses managing crisis and student re-entry.

  • Athletic Leadership: Coaches and trainers in high-pressure sports environments.

  • Higher Education Leaders: Campus administrators looking to launch student wellness resources.

Core Focus Areas

  • Intervention Frameworks: Documenting warning signs and conducting non-judgmental welfare checks.

  • Parent Communication: Approaching families with a focus on student health over physical weight.

  • Inclusive Classrooms: Dismantling diet culture, food-shaming, and weight-based bullying.

Key Takeaways

  • Spot early warning signs in children as young as 12.

  • Intervene safely using the structured Starting a Conversation Guide.

  • Coordinate academic accommodations and supportive 504 plans for post-treatment re-entry.

  • Access specialized role manuals (General Educator, Social Worker, and Coach Guides).

Access ANAD's Educator Resource Hub

Eating Disorder Resources for Athletes & Coaches

Who It’s For

  • Student-Athletes: Competitors juggling body image, performance goals, and relationship with food.

  • Coaches & Athletic Staff: Trainers, nutritionists, and directors tracking player health and drive.

  • Families of Athletes: Parents and spouses navigating high-pressure competitive environments.

Core Focus Areas

  • The Athletic Risk Profile: How perfectionism and high pain tolerance mask disordered eating.

  • High-Risk Sports Pressures: Weight-sensitive and aesthetic sports (running, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming).

  • Hidden Behavioral Red Flags: Spotting rigid food rules, skipped team meals, and overexercising.

  • Gender-Specific Stigmas: Addressing amenorrhea in females and lean-muscularity pressures in males.

Key Takeaways

  • Distinguish healthy athletic dedication from medical pathology.

  • Screen for physical damage like stress fractures, chronic fatigue, and energy deficits.

  • Build a multidisciplinary care team for safe return-to-sport planning.

  • Access ANAD’s free, virtual weekly peer support groups tailored for athletes.

Access ANAD's Athletes Resource Hub

Eating Disorder Resources for the Black Community

Who It’s For

  • Black Individuals & Youth: Black folks navigating body image, cultural beauty standards, or disordered eating patterns while facing unique systemic barriers.

  • Families & Support Pillars: Parents, partners, and loved ones seeking resources to address mental health openly while dismantling structural and cultural stigmas.

  • Culturally Informed Practitioners: Therapists, doctors, and dietitians looking to understand specific diagnostic biases and improve equity in eating disorder care.

Core Focus Areas

  • Underdiagnosis & Implicit Bias: Addressing why Black patients are significantly less likely to be screened or asked about eating disorder symptoms by medical professionals.

  • Intersecting Disordered Eating Risks: Unpacking the unique behavioral triggers within the community, including high rates of bulimic behaviors and binge eating.

  • Decolonizing Healing & Food: Navigating the complex relationships between historical trauma, ancestral food traditions, and modern diet culture.

Key Takeaways

  • Understand the stark reality of eating disorder symptoms across diverse racial demographics.

  • Connect directly with culturally competent provider directories 

  • Access grass-roots, healing-centered operational training via specialized collectives

  • Find validation and shared lived experiences through ANAD’s completely free, virtual weekly BIPOC peer support groups.

Access ANAD's Black Community Resource Hub

Eating Disorder Resources for the Muslim Community

Who It’s For

  • Fasting & Observing Muslims: Individuals navigating the complex intersections of faith, spiritual fasting, and eating disorder recovery.

  • Families & Faith Communities: Loved ones and community pillars wanting to host supportive, low-trigger Iftar and Suhoor gatherings.

  • Islamic Spiritual Leaders: Imams and community mentors seeking clinical literacy to provide safe religious exemptions for medical illness.

Core Focus Areas

  • Fasting Accommodations: Understanding religious exemptions from fasting for individuals managing physical or psychological health conditions.

  • Navigating Seasonal Triggers: Shifting the focus of Ramadan away from food deprivation and toward spiritual, internal, and communal growth.

  • Faith-Aligned Healing: Overcoming isolation, shame, and guilt by exploring alternative ways to build taqwa (God-consciousness).

Your Key Takeaways

  • Download the specialized, actionable Non-Diet Ramadan Guide for balanced structural support.

  • Find faith-based mental health hotlines and crisis networks Connect directly with dedicated global and local support groups 

  • Access expert clinical and spiritual insight via curated articles exploring religious fasting and recovery paths.

Access ANAD's Muslim & Ramandan Resource Hub

You Might Also Be Interested In

Learning Library

ANAD Learning Library Welcome to the ANAD Learning Library! We hope this new resource hub will help dispel the myths around eating disorders, answer questions you…

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Yoga

  • Reconnect with one’s body
    • Promotes mind-body connection, awareness of self, and acceptance.
  • Stress and anxiety reduction
    • Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting our body’s stress responses.
    • Deep, slow breathing can reduce cortisol  levels (stress hormone) and help calm our minds.
  • Intentional movement
    • Yoga provides a space to mindfully enjoy movement and explore a healthy form of exercise.
  • Long term healing
    • Provides a practice to safely and sustainably lean into.
  • A space for community and support
    • Oftentimes, yoga is done in a group setting, which can increase feelings of connection and lower feelings of loneliness.

After the completion of 7–12 yoga classes, a statistically significant decrease in anxiety, depression, and body image disturbance was seen (Hall et al., 2016).

Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.

Some classes are targeted for rigorous exercise, such as “heated flow” or “power flow.” Please be mindful with what you practice, and look for “slow flow,” “yin,” “vinyasa,” and “restorative” yoga in non-heated rooms.

Music

  • Music can have a powerful effect on people’s mood

    • listening to uplifting or calming songs can help reduce stress and anxious feelings.
  • Music stimulates the limbic system, the part of our brain responsible for processing emotions
    • music triggers the release of serotonin and dopamine, which are associated with reducing feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress (which are often associated with eating disorders)
  • Slow tempo music has been shown to decrease cortisol, our stress hormone, as well as lower blood pressure and reduce heart rate.
  • Music increases the brains neuroplasticity, enhancing brain functions like mood regulation, decision making, and memory.

A study done by Mindlab International revealed that the song “Weightless” by Marconi Union resulted in a 65% reduction in participants’ overall anxiety (Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson).

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  • Ludovico Einaudi
  • Claude Debussy
  • Johann Sebastian Bach
  • José González
  • Laraaji
  • Bill Evans
  • Vance Joy
  • The Paper Kites
  • Moby
  • Tycho

Aromatherapy

  • Aromatherapy can be a helpful, low- cost (or free) tool for people managing eating disorders.
  • Aromatherapy involves using essential oils to help manage emotions and restore balance.
  • Scents can help ground people, encouraging mindfulness about physical and emotional sensations.
  • Can promote a tranquil environment and give a sense (& scent) of peace.
    • creates an atmosphere for individuals to feel safe in processing emotions

Lavender has been shown to reduce anxiety levels. It is seen as a “anxiolytic” solution to providing a coping method for those with anxiety disorders (Yoo & Park, 2023).

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  • Lavender: calm, sleep, relax
  • Chamomile: calm
  • Rose: anxiety reduction
  • Lemon: energy, nausea reduction, concentration
  • Orange: brighten, uplift
  • Jasmine: anxiety reduce, sleep
  • Peppermint: alertness
  • Ylang ylang: calming, stress and anxiety reduction
  • Rosemary: focus

Art

  • Art can help provide a safe space for communication.
  • It can promote a sense of relaxation, and become a calming, meditative like experience (especially in “flow state”).
  • Gives an outlet and coping mechanism for managing difficult emotions.
  • Helps develop healthy habits and routines for self-management.
  • Increases an individuals sense of awareness and understanding of their emotions and thoughts.

Art can boost cognitive function, emotional resilience and self-confidence. It has also been shown to reduce stress and aid in conflict resolution (Hudson University, 2024).

Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.

  • Coloring books
  • Digital coloring or drawing
  • Collaging
  • Sketchbook/journaling/ diary
  • Painting
  • Water coloring
  • Air dry clay (model magic) or traditional clay (ceramics)
  • Photography (use your phone!)
  • So much more!

Creative Journaling & Writing

  • Journaling allows space for self reflection, and emotional release.
  • Free writing can help you connect to your inner voice without judgment.
    • This can look like a steam on consciousness, a short story, or even poetry.
  • Both of these can give you space to problem solve, and look at a situation from a new angle.
  • Try out a prompt, or guided writing exercise if free writing isn’t your thing.
    • Examples & resources below!

Positive writing has been shown to promote positive emotions, as well as positive cognitive mechanisms in the general population (Lai et al., 2023).

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  • What are three things I’m grateful for today?
  • Write a letter to your future self. What do you want to tell them?
  • Write about a positive affirmation you want to start telling yourself.
  • How do you like to relax? Write about your favorite way to unwind.
  • What does “peace” look like to you? How can you bring more of it into your life?
  • What is something that always makes you laugh or brings you joy?

Self-Care / Self-Talk

Positive Self Talk

  • Positive affirmations are short, encouraging statements that can help build our self-esteem and challenge negative thoughts.
  • Repeating these statements daily can help foster a more loving relationship with yourself over time.
    • “Mirror-work” is when you look into the mirror and say kind, positive affirmations to yourself. It might feel awkward at first.
    • Try statements such as “I am enough,” “I am deserving of all the good things life has to offer,” or “I am strong, capable, and confident in everything I do.”
  • This can help build mental resilience, making it easier to cope with challenges and setbacks.
  • They can elevate your mood and promote a more optimistic view of life.
  • They help build confidence and self-worth by focusing on your strengths and capabilities.

Self Care

  • Self-care directly impacts emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.
  • Engaging in regular self care practices helps maintain balance and resilience, ensuring we can cope with life’s challenges.
  • Regular self-care allows the body and mind to recover, recharge, and maintain a sense of calm.
  • Taking care of yourself helps prevent burnout by ensuring you have the energy and mental capacity to meet the demands of life.
    • Without regular self care, you may become overwhelmed, leading to fatigue, frustration, and decreased productivity.
  • Giving yourself mental space helps clear your mind, improving focus, decision-making, and problem-solving.
  • Allows you to engage in activities that bring you joy, pleasure, and fulfillment. These experiences elevate mood and provide moments of peace and happiness.

Positive Self Talk

Affirming personal values has been linked to boosting ones happiness and meaning in life (Nelson et al., 2014). MRI’s show that self- affirmations affect brain activity! (Cascio et al., 2015).

Self Care

“Engaging in a self- care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy and more. From a physical health perspective, it has also been clinically proven to reduce heart disease, stroke and cancer” (Glowiak, 2024).

Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.

POSITIVE SELF TALK

 

SELF CARE

  • Up to personal preference, ideas listed in the guide
  • Sleep: Make sure you get enough hours in
  • Making time for hobbies: painting, gardening, etc.
  • Doing chores: cleaning dishes, doing laundry, cleaning space, decluttering
  • Spending time outdoors: taking nature walks, sitting in a park
  • Being with people you love: friends, family, partners
  • Reading or learning: something of interest, and limiting technology/screen time
  • Personal care: shower, bath, deep breathing, meditation, massaging
  • Treating yourself: occasionally indulging yourself with something you love (ex: buying a new book, or a coffee from your favorite shop)
  • Mental care: attending peer support groups (for free with ANAD!), going to therapy (we can help connect you with someone)