What a lot of people fail to realise is that an eating disorder is still a mental illness, it's not just about weight gain. Anorexia has taken away 4 years of my life so far, and even though I've gained weight it doesn't mean I've beaten it. The fight is far from over- gaining weight is the easy part. This picture shows my transformation in recovery. It might not look like much, but it took everything in my power to fight those demons. Some days I'm still not happy about it, but no matter what that voice in my head says- I am proud of myself, and so I should be.
Every year when this week comes around I pray that we can break the stigma around eating disorders so that people aren't afraid to be honest about their feelings. You may not ever be able to fully understand it, but please don't make it even harder for the people suffering.
I was too ashamed to ask for help 4 years ago, I felt silly. But I can definitely say that I would not be in the position I am today if I'd have been honest about my struggles back then. I strongly encourage people to get help if they are suffering, no matter how small or insignificant they feel their problems are! People who haven't been through this kind of thing will never understand it. But let's be honest- they're the lucky ones, right? The fact is, nobody else has to understand it; if it bothers you then it's a problem that needs solving. Please don't ever be ashamed of asking for help. You are not alone in this!
Whatever your problems may be, you can beat them.
"You need to learn to let go of whatever it is that makes you think you're not good enough, because that's how you're going to beat this- when you learn that you matter."
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