My Eating Disorder Story || RED-S + female athlete triad

TW: discussion about eating disorders, body image, loss of period, etc.

~hi everyone!  I have been wanting to make this video for quite a while now.  However, I never really felt that I was in the right place mentally or emotionally to do so.  With that said, I have grown a lot in the past year and feel confident enough to share my story.  While it may be scary and nerve-racking to do so, I feel that I owe it to you all (and to myself) to be truly honest and authentic.  Eating disorders are unfortunately very common amongst society and so many individuals suffer alone in silence.  But I want people to know that you're not alone and that recovery is possible...and so incredibly worth it.  I gained more than just weight this year...I gained happiness, laughter, joy, energy, and love for life again.  Now, as a disclaimer, I know that I still have a lot to work on.  Recovery is a process and something I will need to continue to work on each and every day.  I'm choosing to be vulnerable and open with you all to hold myself accountable and continuously grow stronger.  We are all worth SO much more than a stupid number on a scale.  I know it's much easier said than done...but trust me: life is much more enjoyable when you stop worrying so much about what your body looks like... and instead, focus on all the amazing things it allows you to do and experience :)

~References:
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Boston Children’s Hospital. (n.d.). Relative energy deficiency in
sport (red-S). https://www.childrenshospital.org/con...
Eating Disorder Hope. (2022, July 7). Eating disorders in long distance
runners. https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/ri...
/long-distance-runners
Eating Disorder Hope. (2024, April 11). Eating disorders in
athletes. https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/ri...
Natural Womanhood. (2020, May 12). Reasons women need periods:
The menstrual cycle & bone health. https://naturalwomanhood.org/reasons-
women-need-periods-you-need-a-period-the-role-of-the-menstrual-cycle
-in-bone-health-development-2020/
Runners World. (n.d). Red-S: The condition all runners need to know
about. https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/healt...
deficiency-running/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, March 13). Relative energy deficiency in
sport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativ...

#eatingdisorderrecovery #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #athlete #neda