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Healing and Support

Learning Library

Empowering Your Journey to Healing and Support

Discover mindfulness, movement, and self-care practices for a healthier, balanced life.

What, How & Why

Unlocking the Power of Healing and Support

WHAT

Explore additional supports to complement your recovery process. From yoga and art to music and mindfulness, discover proven methods that promote growth, balance, and well-being in your daily life.
  • Promotes mindfulness and self-awareness
  • Helps with emotional regulation and stress management skills
  • Helps build self esteem Increases self- compassion
  • Provides routes for more holistic healing
  • Gives additional opportunities to find community & connection

HOW

This guide provides valuable information, evidence-based insights, and practical steps to help you integrate healing and support into your life. Keep reading to explore effective ways to enhance your recovery journey!
Use this guide for information, evidence, and implementation ideas! Keep reading for more information.

WHY

Healing supports boost mindfulness, reduce stress, and enhance well-being. They foster self-awareness, resilience, and connection on your recovery journey.
  • Enhancements
    Additional supports to add to your recovery process.
  • Supports
    Discover ideas and proof of improvement with implementing supports such as yoga, art, and music into your life.

Disclaimer: This will not replace professional treatment, but it can assist emotional and physical well-being, reduce stress, and promote relaxation, all of which are essential for those on a healing journey!

Healing and Support Practices

Empower Your Journey with Mindful Healing

Yoga

Enhances mindfulness, flexibility, and inner peace through movement and breath.

Mindful Movement

Yoga fosters a mind-body connection, reduces stress, promotes intentional movement, and offers long-term healing within a supportive community.
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Music

Soothes the mind, reduces stress, and promotes emotional healing.

Healing Sounds

Music uplifts mood, reduces stress, and soothes anxiety through calming and uplifting melodies.
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Aromatherapy

Uses natural scents to relax, uplift, and support overall well-being.

Soothing Scents

Aromatherapy is an accessible, low-cost tool that supports well-being and healing.
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Art

Express emotions, reduce stress, and foster creativity through visual storytelling.

Expressive Healing

Art creates a safe space for expression, promotes relaxation, and offers a calming, meditative experience.
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Creative Journaling & Writing

Reflect, heal, and gain clarity by putting thoughts into words.

Reflect & Release

Journaling fosters self-reflection, emotional release, and creative expression, helping you gain clarity and new perspectives.
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Self-Care / Self-Talk

Nurture your well-being with positive affirmations and mindful practices.

Empower & Nurture

Positive affirmations and self-care foster self-love, resilience, and emotional well-being, helping you build confidence and maintain balance in life.
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About ANAD

healing and support about

About ANAD

At ANAD, we believe that healing and support is most effective when individuals feel supported and understood. As the leading nonprofit organization in the U.S., we provide a free peer support community for anyone struggling with eating disorders. Our mission is to offer a safe space where people can connect, share their stories, and find strength in one another, knowing they’re never alone in their journey to recovery.

In addition to our peer support network, we offer a comprehensive Learning Library filled with valuable resources. From articles and videos to expert advice and practical tools, our library is designed to empower individuals and their loved ones with the knowledge they need to better understand eating disorders and the recovery process.

At ANAD, we’re here to guide you every step of the way!

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Guides & Resource Hubs

ANAD Approach Guides are designed to educate our community on caregiving, pregnancy, binge eating, and navigating eating disorder treatment.

Learn More

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).

Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.

 

  • 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).

Explore trusted resources and products to support your healing journey.

  • 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)