Welcome to Every Step, Another Story. My name is Jess, and I am full of life, happiness and aspirations. Sadly, these qualities were more recently disguised with weakness, isolation and despair due to a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa. However, after several months in treatment, I am determined to use this blog to show that positivity can always be created from negative situations.
Dani Follett wrote this poem about recovering from an eating disorder and wanted to share it with others to help and inspire them.
So, going back 13 years…… I made a friend who wanted to lose weight and I helped her. We went on walks, ate light lunches and were generally ‘healthy.’ I basically went on a diet by mistake and of course lost weight when I didn’t need too. As a result people around me were worried. But I felt the happiest I had ever felt.
19 years old. I was living in Sheffield with my best friends. I was in a long term relationship, studying for a Psychology degree and working at HMV - I had it all. I was loving life.
Then I went on a diet.
“I’m going to transform myself and come home looking like a completely different person – beautiful, tan and in control of my life”. This was the thought that I had sitting in my grandmother’s living room on a sunny day in June.
This is just a brief testimony of how I've benefited from the support of Syeda over the last few years. Initially I attended the Support Group. This was at a time when I was just coming to terms with the idea that I might have an eating disorder and needed a space to talk without feeling judged. I felt understood by the people I met there. The facilitators at the time gave me strong role models of what recovery looked like. I also used the group to keep me motivated as I moved further into recovery from anorexia.
When I arrived at the University of Sheffield I had just been diagnosed with anorexia. I had not discussed it with anyone at this point except for the GP who diagnosed me. It is only looking back on it that I realise how confused I felt. Part of me was desperate to talk about it to someone. However, I must admit that part of me was reluctant to seek treatment.
Your body is beautiful, it’s the home in which you stay…