Feb 8, 2021
With Christie Tate, NY Times Bestselling Author
Maintaining our mental and emotional health is as important as our physical health. How can we overcome our emotional barriers and find support within the community? Sometimes the power of sharing your challenges in a group setting makes all the difference. There are many kinds of support groups; some require membership. Some groups may include facilitators, therapists, or coaches, some may not. In a society that teaches us from a young age to be very careful of what we reveal in public, it may be hard to take that first step and reveal our challenges to others. But the best way we can gain support from others and make ourselves feel better is by stripping away that façade and allowing others to get to really know us and accept us for who we are. Today, we are going to talk about the power of the group. My guest is New York Times bestselling author, Christie Tate. Her memoir entitled, Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life, is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection and was voted one of the top nonfiction books of 2020. In the book, Christie describes how sharing the most intimate details of her daily life with her group helped her find a path to mental and emotional health. Christie discusses how her challenges with eating disorders began, when she knew she needed help, and how group therapy helped her achieve stability and fulfillment in her life.
What You’ll Hear on This Episode:
- Christie experienced deep isolation and depression despite her successful façade.
- Why Christie’s eating disorder might have begun in childhood.
- How Christie’s focus on body image began while she was a ballerina.
- When did Christie enter a 12-step recovery program for her eating disorder?
- What is Christie’s family life like, and do they know about her ED history?
- What caused Christie’s feeling of “wanting to die”?
- What was the first group Christie attended where she felt comfortable?
- Is Christie still in the group?
- How can someone find a group?
- Does Christie still have feelings of depression?
- When did Christie decide to write a book?
Today’s Takeaway: After many hours in group therapy, the biggest thing Christie learned was to trust others and to share her challenges. But how do you do that? For starters, you have to be open, honest, and real. It’s also important to have friends or a partner that doesn’t judge you. In my many years in WW meetings, I’ve seen how much easier it is to lose weight when I’m allowing others, who aren’t judging me, to help me. Finding others who share your common goals and understand your struggles is so important. Being with others that have the same interests can help you achieve success, and in turn, you can also encourage others to reach their goals. Perhaps most important of all: we must accept our failures, move on, and focus on our successes. There are so many things that I like about myself and I’m sure that each one of you can find so many things that you like about yourself. Make a list of all the things that you do like about yourself! On the other side of the paper, list the things that you don’t like that you can change. Don’t put down things you can’t change. Then, work on it.
There are three things that will
help you to live longer: movement and proper nutrition are
fundamental but the most important is group support or
socialization. If you don’t have that socialization and people that
you can depend on, you should start looking for them. If you start
each day by practicing self-love and self-acceptance, you’re on
your way to living a happier, healthier, and more fulfilled life.
Remember that every single day is a gift! I’m grateful for my
guest, Christie Tate, and all of my listeners. I wish you all
health and happiness. I’m
Florine Mark and that’s “Today’s Takeaway.”
Brought to You By:
Mentioned in This Episode:
Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life