Sharing the story of my journey through an eating disorder has been a multifaceted process, taking place over a long period of time. The first time I shard my story with anyone was when I started my own blog. For me, this was a safe way to express myself and share what I was feeling, as I knew a relatively small audience would be seeing it.
The next stage of sharing my story came when I started contributing at Libero.
Sharing my story here was exciting, because I knew I could reach a much larger audience and possibly have a positive impact on someone who was browsing the site. It was also a step for me personally, because I knew it would be published and my “secret” could get out to friends and family who did not already know. Here is the post from when I first started at Libero.
Last year during Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I felt it was really important to make as many people as possible aware of the struggle with eating disorders faced by many men and women.
I was tired of worrying about what people would think of me, or if they would treat me differently.
I wanted my friends to know so they would realize that someone they know struggles with an eating disorder. So I posted a status on my Facebook and Twitter, put the banner up as my timeline photo, etc.
This was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done when it comes to sharing personal details about my life.
I was so surprised at the number of positive responses I got from friends and family.
Today, I share my story with friends, family, and others when the topic arises or when it is relevant. I still don’t tell everyone I meet about my experience with an eating disorder because it doesn’t define me. I do, however, tell close friends and family whose view of me I know will not change.
You can see for me, the process of sharing my story has been evolutionary. It started small, and slowly became something I shared with more and more people as I felt comfortable doing so. The more I have shared my story, the more comfortable it has felt.
The more I have shared my story, the more I have affirmed to myself that my eating disorder is behind me.
It seems counterintuitive, but it is as if the more I talk about it, the more confidence I have that it no longer has any power over me.
So that is my story of sharing my story. I don’t want you to walk away from reading this feeling as though you have to or should share your story in any way.
What I do want you to do is to take a moment to consider what sharing your story would mean to you, how much you have shared, and how it would impact your recovery.
You may or may not decide to share your story right now or ever, but I assure you that looking back upon your story will show you just how much progress you have made in your journey.
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