It’s been a long and difficult journey, but I’m ready to share my story. I’ve been struggling with anorexia and binge eating for most of my life.
At first, it all started out with little things—skipping breakfast or having a smaller than normal lunch—and after a while, these choices graduated into more drastic ones. My weight started to become an obsession. I would starve myself for days only to binge on unhealthy foods the next day. It was like I had no control over my own mind and body anymore.
Things became even worse when I was in high school and college —my eating disorder got so out of hand that it completely consumed me. The thoughts around food became overwhelming and the guilt after binging was too much to bear; every time I failed again at restricting my food intake, the cycle would intensify even further until it became unbearable.
Finally one day something shifted within me; I couldn’t keep going on like this any longer so I decided enough was enough and that no matter what, I was going to break this cycle of health destruction. It wasn’t easy —it still isn’t—but everyday gets easier as I continue to take small steps towards recovery. Slowly but surely, I’m learning how to replace maladaptive habits with healthy ones that nourish both my body and mind.
I’m still not perfect —far from it—but through slow progress, dedication, support from those closest to me, and some self-compassion thrown in there too, there’s nothing stopping me from conquering this beast once and for all!