Eating

TW: ED

This is going to be short, but it’s important to me. I personally know two people who have struggled with eating disorders—my friend in seventh grade, who stopped eating and was hospitalized for almost two months, and me.

I wanted to stop eating so badly, but it felt like my body wouldn’t let me. I thought something was wrong with me. I tried to eat nothing, but I would end up eating more than I wanted to, and then I’d hate myself for it. That guilt just made everything worse, and I felt trapped in a cycle I couldn’t escape.

For a long time, I didn’t even see a way out. I didn’t suddenly have a big moment or a dramatic realization. One day, I just understood that I didn’t want to live like that anymore. I wanted to be healthy, and I knew I would never be truly happy if I kept hurting myself.

Maybe this won’t be enough to stop someone else from struggling, but if you are, please know you’re not alone. I understand how lonely it can feel. You matter, and you deserve to be healthy and at peace. Binge eating isn’t the same as anorexia, but it can still deeply affect someone, and it deserves to be taken seriously.