EATING
eat AWARENESS
TEAM
Looking Ahead to a Fantastic 2010
Centre Update
Tena koutou katoa and Christmas greet-
ings to EAT’s newsletter community!
Summer is finally almost here and the
festive season is upon us. EAT would like to
wish all our readers a very happy, peaceful
and enjoyable Christmas and New Year
period. We realise that this time of year can
be stressful so we encourage you to take
care of yourselves, notice and respond to
your needs, and to take time out when you
need to.
Many thanks to all of the extended EAT
community who supported our fundraising
art and craft auction – crEATe – in October.
Thank you to those who donated items for
the auction and to our generous bidders.
We initiated crEATe as an effort to raise
much needed extra funding for EAT and it
was a successful venture that we hope to
grow and develop next year – so we will
appreciate any donations from budding
Give to EAT!
artists and craftspeople in the second half of In this newsletter:
2010!
EAT has been a hive of busy-ness over EAT Update! 1
the last few months. In addition to the one-to-
one counselling services provided at EAT, Fond Farewells! 2
counselling staff have delivered programmes
and workshops at Chisnallwood Intermedi-
How to Cope Over Christmas! 2
ate, Bluelight Canterbury's Wahine Toa
camp, and the Bridge Programme, and Ra-
The Year of the No D’s" 3
chel completed the GO GIRLS programme
with a group from Hillmorton High School.
Julie also continued to run a fortnightly
group at EAT for people with binge eating
issues. Prefer email?
Earlier this year a support group was
formed at EAT for parents and caregivers of
If you’d rather receive this news-
people struggling with eating disorder is- letter electronically, simply join
sues. This group meets on the second Tues- the mailing list by sending an
day of each month and is run and coordi- email to eat@chch.planet.org.nz
nated by the members. If you’d like more with ‘subscribe’ in the subject
information about the group please contact line.
EAT on 03 3667725. (continued overleaf)
If you’d like to donate to EAT, here’s how:
Give a Little: www.givealittle.co.nz/org/eatingawareness
Cheque: payable to Eating Awareness Team
Direct Credit
Account Name: Eating Awareness Team Inc.
Account Number: 030855 0393532 00
 Jackie & Julie’s Farewell: (Standing L-R) Monica,
Jackie, Julie, Charlotte, Fiona. (Seated L-R) Monica,
Kate, Anita.Rachel and Lucy were also present.
Fond Farewells
We bid farewell to two
wonderful women who
have been part of the
EAT team over the last
few years.

Julie Loan has been working as a

counsellor at EAT since 2006 and in
that time has connected with many of
EAT’s service users. In addition to her
work with individuals, Julie has facili-
tated several groups at EAT, the latest
being a support group for people
with binge eating issues. Julie initiated
this group motivated by her belief in
the empowerment and support that
can occur within a group setting. Julie
and her family have decided to take
Centre Update (continued) up a more rural, seaside life near
Enclosed with this newsletter is a membership form that enables you to formally join the Kaikoura and while we will miss her
Eating Awareness Team. We want to extend and enliven the organisation’s membership, so presence and input at EAT, we wish
we welcome new members. Membership enables people to support EAT, through both the her all the best for this latest venture
membership fee and by forming a community with whom we can consult about the activities in her life.
and directions of the organisation. Members are entitled to attend and vote at EAT’s AGM
and any special general meetings, and to receive EAT’s annual report and newsletters (you’re Jackie van Litsenburg has been a
still able to receive the newsletter even if you don’t become a member). Gestalt Psychotherapy placement
student at EAT since 2007. While
EAT will be closing for the Christmas and New Year period at 5pm on Wednesday 23rd Jackie has had a relatively small client
December and will re-open on Monday 25th January 2010. We wish everyone all the best for load, she has been a conscientious,
their New Year. dedicated and supportive member of
the EAT team. Jackie leaves EAT to
take up a counselling position at the
Until next time, Petersgate counselling service and we
! the EAT team. also wish her all the best for this new
endeavour.

Many thanks to Julie and Jackie

for their work at EAT!
How to Cope With Stresses and Difficult Feelings
Christmas is not always an easy time for people and may trigger stresses and worries or
bring up difficult memories. Many services, like EAT, also close up during the summer period,
and this may mean that people are without their regular support. Below are some tips for
coping with stressful or difficult feelings:
• Pause, and take three deep breaths (making sure that you breathe out as well as in). Re
-main alert to your breathing & ground yourself with deep breaths whenever you need to.
• Take time for yourself and get space when you need it.
• Try to catch stresses as they’re building, and intervene early. Library Notice
• Make your own needs a priority – ask yourself “what do I need at the moment?”
If you have one of EAT’s library
• Enlist support from people who are available, willing and who you feel comfortable with
books we would really love to have it
• Be open with supportive others about how you’re feeling – the more they understand how
back when you’re finished with it.
you’re feeling, the more they’ll be able to support you (you never know, they might be
Sadly, many of EAT’s books have not
feeling the same way!)
been returned by borrowers and have
• Try to predict what might trigger stresses and make a plan in advance of how you can
disappeared from our library. Our
avoid, limit or cope with stressful situations. And again, enlist support where possible.
library is a vital resource for our serv-
• Find ways to express your feelings and to support you as you feel them – journaling, talk
ice users, so if you have one of our
-ing, drawing, listening to music, being in nature, walking, resting, painting, jumping, danc-
books – even if you’ve had it for what
ing, whacking cushions, singing, reading, lying on the floor, breathing, laughing, crying …
feels like an embarrassingly long
• Remember what has helped you to cope in the past.
time! – we’d love to have it back.
• Trust and remember that your feelings are okay and will shift and change – you just need
looking after in the meantime.

EAT Staff and
Collective Officers
Contact Us
phone: 03 366 7725
website: www.eat.org.nz
email: eat@chch.planet.org.nz
THE YEAR OF NO D’S
During the festive season a few years back, I was struggling
with a non-abating eating disorder. The previous year had been
hell so I decided that in my quest to get well I would write some
resolutions or guidelines for the year to come.
I thought I would share these with you
here. I fondly named it the “The Year of No
D’s”
The first rule was: NO DIETS.
As a dedicated dieter this was going to
be tough. I decided to distance myself from
people who talked about diets or ask them
not to talk about them around me. I didn’t
buy books, watch TV or read anything that
would give me tips on how to diet. It was
truly one of the most difficult things I think I
have ever done but I began cautiously by
trying to listen to what I really wanted to eat,
to trust that my body would let me know
when to start and when to stop.
The second was: NO DRUGS.
It’s not like I was a hard core drug user
but nowadays there is a lot of socially ac-
cepted drug use around. I was always easily
persuaded by the promise of a good time. I
knew all to well the downside of drugs was
devastating for me: the down, that panicky
feeling that wouldn’t leave me, the imbal-
ance, the loneliness just weren’t worth it this
year I thought. So again I distanced myself
from the ‘scene’ and made sure I told my
close friends about my decision, so they
could support me. Every time I said no I felt
stronger.
The third rule (which interlinks with the
first nicely) was NO DISTURBING IMAGES.
Which really means I would stop feed-
ing my brain with material which further fed
any obsession with body image, body size,
and diets – essentially this meant NO maga-
zines. I was a sucker for buying the latest
NW, which is full with bad crappy rubbish
about who has cellulite and how some star
lost 60kg’s in a week.
Since that New Years I have stuck to my
guns with my three rules and although get-
Rachel Lattimore Fiona O’Neill Lucy Allen-King
Youth Counsellor Chairperson (Collective) Media (Collective)
Kate Yeoman Jacqueline Anne Anita Harrison
Adult Counsellor (Collective) Administration & Finance
(Treasurer)
Charlotte Murphy
Fundraising
Ideas for Looking
After Yourself this
Summer:
• Put on your favourite song or
album. If it’s dance-able -
DANCE!
ting well took more effort than this, having
• Curl up in a sunny spot and
some personal rules that I believed in, and
read your favourite childhood
my friends and family's support, really made
book.
a difference. My rules have effortlessly be-
come part of me now. I never buy maga- • Go to your local garden, bo-
zines, unless they’re about music or events or tanical or community, and soak
things that really interest me. I don’t take up the energy of things grow-
drugs because feeling like crap for days and ing.
days outweighs one good night and I still
don’t diet. It wasn’t easy but it gave me the • Explore a new skill that you’ve
sense of responsibility I needed to take care always wanted to try. Learn to
of me. I was gifted with more time, now that I knit, grab a camera and take a
wasn’t reading crappy mags and diet books, trip around town, learn html -
to focus on finding the things that interested whatever gets you excited.
me as a person. I treated myself to massages
and nice walks on the beach and days in bed • Take a bus to the beach. Dig
reading my favourite novels and, best of all, I your toes into the sand and let
got better. the sun warm you right
through.
I hope by sharing this that you will take
• Animal Love! Take time out
some time this summer to consider what your
with your or other people’s
2010 will look like because, ultimately,#it’s
pets, they can be pretty under-
your responsibility to take care of you, you
standing and undemanding .
deserve only good things and I wish you all
the best. • If you’re into scents, burn fra-
grant oils and make your house
Lucy Allen-King is EAT’s Consumer Liaison or room be pervaded with the
and Volunteer Co-ordinator. smell of something you love.
Need Help While We’re Closed?
While EAT is closed, the following services will be operating:
•Warmline: mental health peer support phone service operating 7pm - 1am, 7 nights,
providing non-crisis confidential support. Ph. 03 379 8415 or 0800 899 276.
•Youthline: free counselling/helpline service that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Ph. 03 379 4794 or 0800 37 66 33.
•Lifeline: free and confidential 24 hour, 7 day phone counselling service, with crisis
counselling 11pm - 9am. Ph. 03 366 6743 or 0800 543 354 or email chris@lifeline.co.nz
•Psychiatric Emergency Service: 24 hour urgent and emergency psychiatric assessments for
all ages. Referrals can be made by anyone, including self-referrals. Ph. 03 364 0482.
• You can also make contact with your GP.