A long-awaited announcement - Key to Life is now offering MentorConnect, a forum to connect mentors and mentees to share the recovery journey together. We have received our first email from a reader who is offering to serve as a mentor for any of you who may need it. I HIGHLY recommend that you contact her if you are interested! In my own role as first a mentee and later as a mentor, I have gained profound insights into my own recovery process and inspiration to continue growing in recovery. Now, through MentorConnect, you can receive the same opportunity, whether you choose to participate as a mentor, or mentee, or both!

An update - thanks to YOU, our collective I Have a Dream of a World FREE from Eating Disorders Petition of Hope to Congress to lobby for mental health parity is growing - we already have more than 300 signatures!. If you haven't yet signed the petition, PLEASE consider weighing in on this important issue as part of your NEDAW contributions, and forwarding the petition on to your loved ones as well. You can learn more about the petition below.

Oh, and before I forget - in support of NEDAW, I will be out and about quite a bit over the next few months. Be sure to check my Tour schedule to see when I might be in your area! Also, drop by my TOUR BLOG for the latest updates on my adventures!

What do you do when your sense of hope for your own future begins to flag? Have you ever paid attention to how you regain your hope when it has gone missing? For me, it often finds me – in the form of small, red and black, winged creatures called ladybugs. Over the years, these little emissaries of hope have found me in the strangest of places – for instance, I have found them clinging to the inside of my guitar case after a concert, living on my bed comforter for a whole day (and even sleeping through the night with me!). .......for complete article click HERE

Editorial NOTE: Lynn is working away at a special project this month and so we are replaying her wonderful article on working the Fourth Step. Traditionally considered to be a 'hot button' Step, it also provides limitless opportunity for true relief, release, growth and transformation. Lynn & I highly recommend it! :)

Shannon has generously asked me to share my experience, strength and hope around working the 12 Steps of recovery in a series of Good News articles. Before beginning this one, I want to clarify that these articles are based on my experience, both in personal recovery from alcoholism and codependency, and as a sponsor helping others to recover from these addictions and various eating disorders.....to read full column click HERE

To read more about Lynn, click HERE

It happened at Easter… don’t remember anymore when exactly my anorexia started. I can’t remember a date. I just slipped into it. It was a slow process… so slow that I did not even notice it at first. I do – on the other hand – very well remember when my bulimia took over. It all started on an innocent Easter Sunday morning, one month before my 18th birthday….. to read full column click HERE

To read more about Andrea, click HERE

I think I am finally starting to get caught up on all of your questions! If you do not see the answer to your question this month, please be patient and know that I will answer each question in the order it is received....your questions are the backbone of the recovery process, and are my PRIORITY each month!

Finding Help Outside of Your Family
Q: hi... i saw your video on youtube and it was very inspirational. I am currently suffering with anorexia and bulimia....
A: I recommend a four-step approach to overcoming eating disorders ...to read full Q&A click HERE
Misdiagnosis & Parenting
Q: I don't have bulimia. I don't fit the criteria. I do fit the criteria for binge eating though. It is so frustrating....
A: I DO hear you. And, for what it is worth, you are not at fault for not being able to help...to read full Q&A click HERE
Question for another Good News Reader
Q: I just have a question for the lady who wrote about her stomach being paralyzed....
A: While we are not able to share this reader’s contact information with you, your question....to read full Q&A click HERE
Should I Worry About A Loved One?
Q: I noticed my niece drinking water from her hand (from the bathroom sink) when we went to the restroom....
A: I ALWAYS encourage those who are concerned about a loved one....to read full Q&A click HERE
Self-Starvation Manifesting In Other Ways
Q: i am very curious about the link between starving one's self of food and starving one's self of sex....
A: There is some research to suggest that a phenomenon known as ‘addiction transference’....to read full Q&A click HERE
Main Reason ED's Develop in Adolescent Girls
Q: What do you think is the main reason young girls get eating disorders?
A: There is no one reason why an eating disorder develops in a young person....to read full Q&A click HERE

We have launched an exciting new venture to lend support to the vital work the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC)is doing to make eating disorders a public health priority through the U.S. Congressional Hearings for Mental Health Parity. We already have close to 300 signatures - will YOU be the next to add your name to the list?

By signing the 'I Have A Dream' of a World FREE from Eating Disorders Petition, and sharing your dream with the EDC, public policy makers, and others who struggle, we all become immeasurably STRONG in our resolve to fight until eating disorders no longer leave their deadly mark on our lives, our families and our communities. The EDC is establishing a link to this petition on their site, and wants me to convey their thanks to you in advance for your support.

So sign the petition today so we can all enjoy a better, safer, healthier world tomorrow - and then PASS IT ON!

REPRINTS: You may reprint any of the content found in Good News in your own ezine or website. Simply send an email requesting permission by clicking HERE. Please be sure to include the full Key to Life bio box at the end of any reprint, as follows:

Shannon Cutts is known as a compassionate and charismatic advocate of our right to feel good about ourselves, our bodies and our lives. Reaching out to students, youth, parents, educators, healthcare professionals, and communities, her unique and powerful Key to Life programs bring personal transformation and life fulfilment into sharp and exciting focus. As the author of Letters to a Young Anorexic: Recovering the Lost Art of Mentoring in the Age of Eating Disorders, Shannon has dedicated her life to 'bringing healthy back' into the lives of families at home and around the world. Visit www.key-to-life.com to learn more!

 

NOTE: Good News is sent by invitation and subscription only - if you have received this e-newsletter in error
or no longer wish to receive it, please hit reply and let us know! Peace.