I am open about my experience navigating anorexia recovery. I have also published some empirical research on the topic. Concerned friends, siblings, and parents sometimes contact me, asking for help supporting their loved one with a potential ED.

Here are my suggestions:(1/12)

1. Take this seriously. While EDs are often trivialized, EDs have an alarmingly high mortality rate and can cause irreversible damage to the body and soul. Encourage your loved one to seek professional help. Offer to facilitate in any way you can: drive, pay. But also... (2/x)

2. Be prepared for pushback. It can take a while for someone with an ED to come around to the idea that they may need help. They may see their eating as something they are proud of. Do not yell. Do not push. Be gentle and ready to give when they are ready to receive. (3/x)

3. Cultivate a safe space for recovery. An environment where weight gain is demonized and weight loss is praised can exacerbate disordered eating thoughts & behaviours. Encourage eating a variety of foods and snacking; encourage rest and joyful, gentle movement. (4/x)

4. Normalize eating. This may be controversial, but if you truly, genuinely care about the well-being of the person suffering, do not engage in restrictive eating behaviour around them. Particularly if you are a role model, they will view your behaviours as optimal. (5/x)

5. When praising your loved one, emphasize character compliments, rather than comments about appearance. Even well-intentioned appearance compliments may backfire and make the loved one feel self-conscious because these comments draw attention to the person's body. (6/x)

6. Invite your loved one to meals. If they say no, offer coffee or another non-food related activity instead. Unless they explicitly tell you to leave them alone, do not stop inviting them, even if they continue to say no. Do not leave them to deal with this on their own. (7/x)

7. Support their passions, particularly those that get them off image-based social media platforms such as Instagram. Images and videos are often digitally manipulated to create the illusion of bodily perfection, and social comparisons can drive body dissatisfaction. (8/x)

8. Shut up about your own and others' weight. I mean this sincerely. While you may also be working through your own internalized fat phobia, engaging in conversation that perpetuates fat phobic narratives does nothing but harm for the individual and for society as a whole. (9/x)

9. Ask them how you can support them. There may be something they need or want but fear they will appear needy by asking. Given them the opportunity to tell you what they need, and be prepared to help. If you cannot offer what they need, help them find someone who can. (10/x)

10. Help them cultivate a self-compassionate self-perspective in all areas of life. Our research & dozens of other studies have found that self-compassion can buffer the impact of body image threats on body attitudes and behaviours. Encourage self-kindness and acceptance. (11/x)

But also, be kind and gentle to yourself through all this. Helping a loved one through an eating disorder is no easy task. Remember that eating disorders have biological, psychological, and social roots, and this is not your fault. Take time for yourself when you need it. (12/12)