This week February 26th thru March 4th is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. It is a week to talk about recovery. It is a week to talk about the feelings of those suffering. It is a week to encourage getting the help needed.
From someone who struggled with an eating disorder for around a year, while not being skinny to begin with, it didn't seem like I was struggling with anything. It just seemed like I was changing my eating habits, losing weight, and getting healthy. That comes with the stigma that those suffering especially from anorexia and bulimia are already small to begin with. That needs to stop.
Just because someone does not look like they are struggling with an eating disorder doesn't mean they aren't. When someone willingly opens up to you don't invalidate their feelings because they don't fit the image portrayed by society. This may encourage them that their results aren't enough yet and that they must keep going.
The process of recovery isn't an easy one, but it is possible. As my favorite poet says, "If you aren't recovering you are dying." Relapse is still tempting and the want to be perfect is there but I am finally learning to love myself.
Linked below are three of my favorite poems by Blythe Baird:
