Introduce yourself to the 7 Cups Eating Disorder Community!
Hi im ethan happy to be here
Be happy always
Welcome everyone! My name is Dan and i just wanted to say hi and hope everyone is doing well
I'm 18 and I've been struggling with depression and self-hate for 5 years, and I'm over it now. But I am still struggling with bulimia. I've been bulimic for 3 years now, I can purge until 5 times a day. It has become an impulse of some sort and I actually feel bad, anxious and stressed if I haven't purged. I joined seven cups today when I stumbled upon a website that tells me about 7 cups on tumblr. I feel like I wanted to try changing because I actually feel exhausted, my body hurts, stomach cramps, dizziness, etc. So I hope with the help of 7 cups' members &/ listeners I can beat bulimia nervosa! :)
@shortayy - Welcome! You've already made the first two difficult steps - admitting that it's a problem and that you're ready to recover, and reaching out for support. I know that neither of those are easy, but they are so important! I think the question now is what is your next step going to be? What is one thing that you can do today to move yourself towards recovery?
If you ever want to chat, feel free to PM me - I've been through recovery and while it's not easy, it is possible.
Hi I'm new here. I have schizoaffective disorder, various anxiety disorders substance abuse issues (though I'm good with that now) and binge eating disorder. I just started attending OA meetings recently. I haven't tried to get treatment because I don't think my insurance would pay and anyway my co-pays have made any kind of therapy out of my price range. It's been a struggle and I need to find a sponsor soon so I get some guidance.
@blondiefk - It sounds like things have been really tough lately, but I'm proud of you for taking steps to move forward - both going to OA and reaching out here. I'm personally a bit believer in taking small steps forward at a time. What do you think one small step you can take this weekend is? If you ever want to chat and get some extra support, feel free to PM me.
Hi I am 19 years old and have been suffering on and off for the past 3.5years with anorexia - binge purge subtype. I want my life to be perfect and I guess from the outside it is however I'm falling apart and I'm so ashamed. I want to get better but I am stuck. I don't want anyone to find out.
@Ssully14
If you want to PM me we can talk it over?
@Ssully14 - I think the feelings of shame and not wanting anyone to know are some of the hardest to overcome, but are critical in recovery. Let me ask you this - would you tell someone who had cancer that they should be ashamed? Because even though we apply more stigma to mental illness than to physical illness, there is no more shame in one than the other, and both are worthy of getting support from those around you. It's hard to start to feel that, I know, but I think starting to recognize that this isn't your fault anymore than a physical illness is can help.
@Anomalia thank you.
Hello all
I thought i would introduce myself
Im Izii, im 20, ive suffered with an eating disorder since i was around 13, I was lucky to go into treatment in 2013 and in and out for 2 years.
I am in recovery..still have my ups and downs
Here to support anyone, things can get better.
Take care all.
Izii
@IziiTaylor - I'm glad to hear that you've been in recovery for the last couple years - ups and downs are definitely a part of that, but I think it's incredible and inspiring to hear from people who have come through the disorder to the recovery side.
What was most helpful to you in your recovery?
Hello I'm 22 and I've been struggling with an eating disorder since I can remember. At the current moment food is my worst nightmare. I hate it. I've gained recovery this past year and now in the past few months I've been falling back into old habits, don't really know what to think about things
@Melroh sorry that you are struggling right now. It's often hard to not fall back into old behaviors. I would encourage you to reach out and use whatever you have to get right back into recovery. The longer you wait, the harder it will become. Here if you need anything
Hello, I'm Luna, i'm 25 and my ED started when I was 15. I was dianosed with Bulimia and Anorexia at different times in my life, eventually it became a mixture of them both. When I was 21, I went to Intensive Outpatient at an Eating Disorder Clinic for 12 hours a day, it probably saved my life because I was so underweight. However, I dropped out prematurley because even though I really liked the program, I had a problem with my psychiatrist and therapist there. Only a month later I got pregnant. When I was pregnant and breastfeeding for 3 years, I didn't engage in the eating disorder at all, for my daughters sake. But in the last 3 months, I have been relapsing. I have been going through a lot of stress and other triggering events. I also just graduated from a year long DBT (dialectic beahvioral therapy) program last october. It was the most healing thing and I can say it made me a completely different person. I was doing so well and then all of a sudden...now I am back in my old habits again and can't seem to implement the skills. I don't want to erase all my progress :/ This is why I am here, to get support in positive ways when I have urges to do negative...
@LunaLilith - I'm glad you're here and reaching out. That's not always easy to do, but I know well that recovery requires support, and I hope that you find that support here. What do you think is making it more difficult to use the skills you learned in DBT or other areas in recovery this time around? Is it an issue of motivating yourself to do it, or when you do it, are they less effective? If it would help to talk through, feel free to message me anytime. Stay strong, lovely - you have fought so hard, and I know that you are capable of maintaining recovery.
hi i'm Kasey i'm 20 years old and have had my ED since 6th grade when I was perscribed an ADD medication that had "loss of appetite" as a main symptom.
Once i noticed how much weight i was losing just by not eating when i wasn't even hungry, i became obsessed. I have been obsessed with weight since i can remember and it escalated to the point that my doctor threatend to take me off the medication that i really needed.
Ever since then (i'm a rising senior in college) i have had my ups and downs and just when i thought i was free from my ED, i started using starvation as a form of self harm. Whenever i was stressed about school, boys, the "friends" who bullied me and made my life hell in high school, or basically anything i could use as an excuse, i would skip meals. The pit in my stomach from not eating was my way of punishing myself for doing things wrong; For being ugly, for being weird, for not fitting in or getting good grades.
Now that i'm living far from home doing an internship and finally feeling happy, my college friends have turned into jealous monsters and go out of their way to make me feel horrible every day so i have been starving again. I even spent my grocery money on a romper today because i was happy i fit into a smaller size and if i got groceries i wouldn't be able to fit into it...
@8123meanseverything - It sounds like you frequently find yourself in positions where you are comfortable with your life and happy with where you are at, but then the people around you bring you down and you find yourself using your eating disorder as a way to cope or to punish yourself. Given that it does seem so tied to how others are acting, do you think that these relationships might be toxic ones? Do you have people in your life who are supportive and helpful, rather than jealous and tearing you down? You deserve friends who help you be your best self.
@Anomalia i do have non toxic friends but the problem is that they are in my hometown and i'm 40 minutes away from them with no car at school. So i'm stuck with the shitty ones.
@8123meanseverything - What do you think you could do to start to build healthier relationships closer to where you are? And outside of that, what do you think you can do to work on your recovery now? It doesn't have to be 100% change in an instant, but small progress.
@Anomalia i have no idea and that's why i'm so scared to move back home once my internship is over. I dont want to fall back into the same habits and go back to being a doormat
@8123meanseverything - If you want to talk about it and see if we can brainstorm strategies to work on standing up for yourself and maintaining recovery, feel free to PM me (or any other listener)!