"I have struggled with my eating disorder for years. It has hands down been the most debilitating, exhausting, agonizing, and paralyzing “experience” of my life. I wish I could go back to my young self and tell her it is not worth it. All of the obsessive calorie counting, deeming foods as “good” or “bad”, body comparisons, nights spent alone rather than out with friends, tears shed… none of it was worth it just to look a certain way. I think the worse part was loving the control and addiction to losing weight even though I knew what I was doing was wrong. Throughout recovery, I’ve learned that my eating disorder did not just affect me, but everyone around me. I’ve learned that no one is associating you with your appearance or the number on the scale. I’ve learned that accepting yourself is the best form of happiness. My eating disorder has allowed me to help so many others who have struggled with their own personal eating journey. Although it breaks my heart to see those so close to me struggle, I have learned how my experience and growth can positively impact another’s recovery. Having an eating disorder can feel so isolating, and even embarrassing at times. Being able to help others around me by simply acknowledging their pain and letting them know they are not alone is an act that can mean so much to someone struggling with an eating disorder. My goal is to never allow someone to feel as alone as I did." - Anonymous (Age 24)

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"Growing up I’ve always struggled with body image. I’ve always worn baggy clothes and have always seen something wrong when I looked in the mirror. I didn’t develop an earring disorder until Covid started. That’s when we started having family meals. I would look at everyone else’s plate of food and would worry that I had too much on my plate. That feeling grew to be more consistent. Every bite of food would make me feel insanely guilty. It got to the point where I couldn’t stop thinking about eating. And the way I knew how to cope with this was to eat. I started to hide food in my room and binge eat. It would make me feel physically and emotionally sick. It affected every aspect of my life. I would dread getting dressed every morning and no matter what the weather would be, I would have a sweatshirt on. Beginning high school made it worse if I’m being honest. An eating disorder looks different in everyone no matter your size or eating habits. I think that has helped me a lot. Although I have not recovered, knowing people have gone through similar experiences makes me realize that I’m not alone. I think that in order for people to get through an eating disorder, we have to bring awareness to how common it is."

- Anonymous (Age 16)

"Eating is something I started struggling with a few years ago. During middle school I compared myself to my friends all of the time. I started altering my eating in a healthy way. As I grew older and started using social media, the images and videos of girls that were the “beauty standard” started getting in my head. I started struggling with body dysmorphia and feeling as if I wasn’t enough. Even if I was skinny, I wasn’t skinny enough. Even if I was pretty, I wasn’t pretty enough. It took me some time to realize that everyone is genetically built differently, and photoshop and makeup and posing and angles all still exist. It’s important to love yourself the way you are, and even though I still do struggle a bit with eating and body dysmorphia, I’m starting to re-realize that I am beautiful the way I am and that social media takes a heavy mental toll on the way that many people in our generation perceive themselves." -Anonymous (Age 16)

"Eating isn't easy. It's like a battle in your mind every day. In the morning you wake up, stand in the mirror, think about anything you could do today to keep yourself from breaking your rules. It starts as an issue, then it becomes your life. Everything is stressful and your mind is filled. Eating is no longer eating. Its pain and suffering, the mirror and scale become your only friend and the world becomes a shadow. But now it's different. I have learned to care a little less. It's doesn't just take a day, or a week. it takes a lot out of someone in order to work towards a fresh start. I started to try new recipes and learn how to balance out. It's not an easy ride but I am so much happier where I am today. Struggles are always going to be thrown at you.  Life will move on and life will grow into better experiences and one day the present will be a better time." - Anonymous (Age 15)

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"I have struggled with eating and body image for as long as I can remember. The moment I felt it truly became a major part of my life was when I was in fourth grade. I would constantly weigh myself, obsess over my reflection, overanalyze pictures of me, compare myself to classmates, and think about every piece of food I put into my mouth. I felt like each year it just got worse and worse. I vividly remember the night before the last day of school in sixth grade. I was sobbing to my mom about having to wear a bikini to the pool with my friends. It was the first time I have ever worn a bikini because all my friends were wearing one. The next morning, I did not allow myself to drink or eat anything, even when my friends were enjoying their pizza and ice cream sandwiches. After this day, I realized that hating my body just became a part of who I was. My internal struggles affected every aspect of my life. No matter the weather, even 100 degrees, I would wear a sweatshirt to cover my body. I didn't even take a second to realize the terrible habits I formed and thought it was okay to do. Now I am in 9th grade, and to be completely honest, it is still very hard for me to love the way I look, but it is something I am working very hard towards. I’ve made it a goal to end those habits and I’ve come to the realization that life should not revolve around my appearance. I should be able to eat whatever I want and let go of my crazy “rules” and worries. I’ve only opened up about my story to very few people, but I have realized it is extremely important to spread awareness, let people know they are not alone, and try to help others as well." - Anonymous (Age 15)

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