Be the person you needed as a kid…
I’ve been going on about this series for a while now and I’m so thrilled to share this with you. A big thank you to Jennifer, who this wouldn’t have been possible without and to all of you for your endless support and kind words. If you’d like to learn more about Friday 6PM or possibly be a part of it I’ve left all the info at the end, but I’ve rambled enough,let’s get straight into it.
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Get to Know Me questions
How would you describe yourself to a stranger?
Ā I would say, āIām a short, wild haired, goal obsessed, ball of energy!ā
If your life was a movie what would it be called?
Ā āHow to Move Mountainsā
Which 5 songs are on the soundtrack to your life?
1. Dreams by The Cranberries
2. Wolves by Selena Gomez
3. Better by Maggie Rogers
4. Dreams by Fleetwood Mac
5. You Learn by Alanis Morissette
What are some of your short term goals?
1. Financial Freedom
2. Get my small business off the ground
3. Stay being consistent
Do you ever see yourself blogging full time?
Yes, writing is my passion and I seriously pray that one day I can say Iām a full time blogger.
Who inspires you?
Rachel Hollis, hands down.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
āListen boo, chin up. Respect yourself. Love yourself so fully that you donāt need any āmanā to. Shush your mouth, get up for work and hustle. Write down your goals, actually have goals. Speak up for yourself. Donāt take yourself so serious. Life is fun and beautiful. Live in the present. Send handwritten notes to your friends. Live a little, live responsibly.ā
General Mental Health Questions
Why do you think mental health has been a topic people avoided talking about for such a long time?
I think people avoided it, because they were told to. It was taboo, because people said it was. Everyone expected their lives to come off as prim and proper, there wasnāt room for mental illness. It was shameful. But now, I think mostly due to internet access and social media, our human connection has become so great that we realized, āhey this isnāt so taboo, thereās a lot of other people out there like meā. And I think thatās truly beautiful progression.
Do you think receiving an official diagnosis matters?
Nope, I really donāt. I think self awareness is really powerful and thatās the first step to realizing you need help.
How do you deal with family/people that donāt understand or believe you about your mental health issues?
Iāve really not come across anyone that has challenged my eating disorder or depression. If someone were to, Iād simply ignore it. I know my truth and thatās all that matters.
Does time really heal?
Time really does heal all wounds. Thereās no set time frame on when itāll happen, but yes one morning you will wake up and your pain wonāt be the first thing you think of.
Eating disorders
When did you first begin to feel like you needed to get help?
I never initially felt like I needed help for an eating disorder. I truly just felt like I was dieting and doing a damn good job. It wasnāt until I went to my general practitioner for help with my depression that I was put on Celexa (antidepressant) and began to gain weight from that medicine. It wasnāt until I gained healthy weight back, that I realized I had a problem.
How did your parents and friends react to finding out about your eating disorder?
My mom was fighting cancer at the time. She had 13 surgeries over the course of 3 years. She didnāt realize I had a problem, because she just was going through so much. I know, looking back, my dad was worried. He would say things like, āyou donāt eat enough to keep a bird alive.ā and he would fix me food sometimes in an attempt to help. No one else ever said anything to me about my anorexia until after I was healthy again. They said things like, āYeah you did get really small. I was worried.ā But that didnāt do much for me in my struggle.
Whatās the worst reaction youāve had to telling someone about your eating disorder, and how has that experience taught you to deal with negative reactions since then?
Iāve not had a bad reaction. I recently for the first time talked about my eating disorder publicly on my blog. I had a lot of women come to me and thank me for sharing. Some even told me about their current eating disorder they are seeking help for and they are in my prayers so fiercely
What was the turning point for you that motivated you to start your recovery journey?
I realized after my kidney transplant that Iād never took the time to allow myself to heal from my ED. I decided that since I got a new lease on life, I wasnāt going to let my ED creep back in and control my life. I decided I would be in control this time around and would be the healthiest version of me that I can possibly achieve.
What’s been the hardest thing about your recovery?
Self talk. Not allowing myself to talk down on myself. I practice looking at my reflection and say out loud the things I love, even if itās hard.
What are a few things you wish you’d known at the start of your recovery journey?
I wish I had known that talking about it, is okay. That talking about it would lead to ultimate healing.
Body image
As you’ve got older, have you become more or less self-conscious about your body?
Much less self-conscious.
What was the largest contributing factor to the security/lack of security you have in your body?
Growing up I had a lot of people in my life that would comment negatively on my body. Their voices lingered in my mind for years and eventually morphed into my own voice. Beating that voice, changing that voice in my head, has been a life changer.
Do you think teenage boys or girls have a worse body image and why?
Honestly, I think it is probably more intense within teenagers in general. Especially now with social media. Itās so easy for them to see thousands of girls and guys who are what they would consider āaverage peopleā on Instagram that are ābody goalsā or āinsta modelsā or whatever they put into the world. Those things are fine, but I think a younger audience is more swayed by that and it can be really damaging to a not fully matured mind.
What advice would you give someone with poor body image?
Love yourself fully. Find the motivation deep inside you to fight for yourself. Youāre more than worth it. Your body is strong, itās a temple, itās a vessel. Take care of it and your body image will improve by tenfold. Speak your self-love into existence!
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I started blogging because I needed a space where I didn’t feel restricted when it came to voicing my opinions and sharing my emotions and I found that, I found this amazing community of people who’ve changed my perspective about and opened my eyes to a lot of things.
I’m a better person because of those people.
From the very beginning, mental health was always something I wanted to talk about because it’s something very close to my heart and something I’ve struggled with for a very long time. Right from the get go I told myself that someday I would talk about my own issues, that, I would do it regardless… Continue readingĀ FRIDAY 6PM
xxxChips
