Anorexia StoriesThis is where you can read anorexia stories by people who have recovered. Recovery ispossible, and if we've done it, so can you! These anorexia stories are here to inspire and give hope to sufferers and those who know someone they care about who is suffering. This story is courtesy of The Something Fishy Website, dedicated to raising awareness and providing support to people with Eating Disorders, and their loved-ones... since 1995 Recovery anorexia story by Melinda Hutchings 2003I was about 13 or 14 when I got this illness and I was ill for probably three to five years. The first two years were the most difficult, but recovery took another three years. And although I probably looked well to other people during those last three, I was still struggling inside. I think that stage is where a lot of people tend to lapse or relapse. At that particular time there wasn't a lot of literature available to either parents or sufferers themselves about the condition. So it was very difficult for both myself and my family to really understand what was going on. I wanted to turn my negative experience into something positive; to help other sufferers find their own road to recovery. So that's why I wrote the book.Q: Is there a common pattern amongst people who get this condition? Why do some young women get it and not others? I think there are similarities among people who have eating disorders. One of those is the perfectionist trait, the feeling that everything has to be perfect. Another is over-achievement. You put a lot of pressure on yourself, you feel like nothing that you do is ever good enough, and you keep pushing and pushing yourself until you reach breaking point. For instance, you can get obsessed with exercise. The more laps you can do around the oval, or sit-ups, or push-ups, then the more calories you're burning. And the sad thing is that you keep pushing and pushing yourself to do this exercise, but no matter how much you do, it's just never enough. You punish yourself because you haven't done 18 laps around the oval. You've only done 12. Q: What led you to the point where you began to recover? I got to the point where everything had gone. I was just a shell of a person. I had nothing in my life apart from my illness, and I realised that there was so much more. I really wanted to chase my dreams, find myself, fall in love and have a great career. I wanted all those things, I just didn't know how. So I began to hate my illness, and everything it had taken from me. And at that stage I put up my hand and I asked for help. I said: "I really want to get over this, please help me". And that's when my parents found me a wonderful therapist. I had the will to recover and I'd made the decision to do it. That's what made the difference. I think a lot of people are finally beginning to realise that anorexia is a very serious psychological illness. It's not something that people embark on to attract attention or to get the love they feel they're missing. It's something that goes so much deeper than that. It's great there is so much awareness about it now, because people can finally understand that in order to recover from this illness, you need psychological treatment from a therapist. Someone you feel that you can talk to, and trust. I think that is so important. Q: Why do people tend to relapse during that recovery period? One of the major hurdles in recovering from anorexia is overcoming what I call 'the voice', because you've got this part of your mind constantly saying to you: "You're a failure, you're fat, you're ugly, you're never going to be a success, if you eat that you're going to get fat...". This voice is ever-present. To recover, you have to find the strength to drown this voice out and say to yourself things you sincerely believe are positive. That can take a lot of time, strength, and persistence. I'll be adding more anorexia stories soon - keep checking back!
|
