Hello everyone! Some of you may be aware that National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAW) is from the 1st of March to the 7th of March. I've decided to  do a month long campaign to raise money for BEAT eating disorders. I am planning to walk 10,000 steps everyday in march.

Eating disorders are commonly misunderstood to be a "diet gone wrong" or "a choice". Whereas, the reality is that eating disorders are a severe mental illness that can take control over all aspects of person's life. Eating disorders include Bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED), and anorexia which tragically has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, though all eating disorders can be deadly.

The purpose of NEDAW is to campaign to create a future where people experiencing an eating disorder are met with understanding and compassion. The particular focus of NEDAW in 2021 is Binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder will affect 1 in 50 of us in our lifetime. It is the most common eating disorder, but the most misunderstood. It is commonly associated with "being greedy" and "lack of will power" but it is in fact a serious mental illness, which many suffer with alone.

Around 1.25 million people in the UK suffer from an eating disorder, many of them suffering alone and in secret. BEAT provide a national helpline that provides support to people who have or are experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder. With the right support from medical professionals and organisations like BEAT, recovery is very much possible.

As somebody who has struggled in the past with symptoms of an eating disorder, I am campaigning to help make others aware of the devastating effects that these illnesses can have on a persons life. With your support, we can raise awareness of the seriousness and devastating effects of eating disorders, and help provide better support to those in recovery now and in the future. 

If you're able to help in anyway, whether that be donating or sharing this campaign, It would be such a big help!

Thank you for reading this campaign, i'm hoping its helped you gain a more realistic understanding about eating disorders. I will keep you updated about how I get on throughout the challenge on my Facebook :)