Often, when people around us are struggling with their mental health, we can feel at a loss as to what to do. This can be particularly true if somebody is struggling with an eating disorder as it seems to make so little to sense to people on the outside and can be so physically damaging as well as mentally.

There have been a lot of people around me who have come and gone over the last 18 years throughout my struggles with anorexia, some more helpful than others. I thought it might be useful to put a little guide together of things that have helped me over the years, and this is something a few of you have asked for.

Don’t blame them – or yourself
Nobody has an eating disorder by choice – they are potentially deadly illnesses that are absolutely torturous to live with. Equally, eating disorders come…