On Feb. 16 Active Minds held a “Love Your Body” table sit to promote awareness of eating disorders.
Active Minds is a registered student organization (RSO) that aims to end the stigma around mental health.
They do this by offering educational opportunities to students on campus to learn about mental health and ways to positively manage it.
While Active Minds covers a range of mental health related topics which they feel need more attention in the campus community.
The recent “Love Your Body” event was inspired by National Eating Disorder Awareness (NEDA) week.
Active Minds does a table sit to spread awareness on the topic every year in February as NEDA week typically takes place then.
Shelby Spangler, a senior social work major, is the president of active minds.
“The idea [of the event] is to spread positive affirmations,” Spangler said. Spangler explained the mirror at the table which pointed at approaching students. “By putting [positive affirmations] on the mirror at the event, people can look at themselves while they read them.”
Spangler also offers other suggestions to practice self-love and body positivity, including making time for yourself, recognizing what your body is trying to tell you about its needs, and honoring those needs.
As the event destigmatizes eating disorders, Spangler points out one that must be addressed.
“One stigma about eating disorders is that people often believe that the only people who can have eating disorders are people who are very thin,” she said. “Eating disorders can affect people of any body weight, and just because someone doesn’t fit the societal belief of what it ‘should look like’ doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling.”
Active Minds and the “Love Your Body” table sit seek to create an open and honest conversation about eating disorders where students can feel comfortable cultivating body positivity and learning about resources for help if they need.
“It’s important for people to know they don’t have to struggle alone,” Spangler says. “There’s nothing wrong with needing help(…)there are people out there who want to listen and help them.”
The Campus Mental Health and Wellness Center (Curtis Hall 112) is one place students seeking support for an eating disorder can go.
They can be reached via email at counselingservices@svsu.ed or by phone at (989)-964-7078 to make an appointment.
Another option where individuals can find support for an eating disorder is the National Eating Disorder Awareness Helpline at (800)-931-2237.
The hotline is free to use, confidential, and open 24/7 by call and text.
Those interested in Active Minds are invited to join them on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Brown Hall 127 for their general assembly meetings.
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