Bodies

The first time I cut myself, I didn't even realize I was doing it. I was at a high school party with one of my favorite people, whose effortless brand of "Naturally Glamorous with a Heavy Dose of Irreverent Wit" had once again commanded the attention of everyone in the room.

After the breathless panting of my previous panic attack had converted over time to lust, I found myself with my new love having sex in the shower. Bent over the rim of the claw-foot bathtub, I felt the past being replaced with the new joys of the present.

So what’s the difference between dieting and eating disorders? Not much. It all depends on how obsessive you are with it, and how much mental and emotional space it takes up in our minds. Like most things, eating disorders exist on a spectrum.

One of the top things a doctor can do for a patient is to empower them to be part of the decision-making process by giving them a full range of options around their treatment. The days of paternalistic practitioners are in decline.

I worry so much with every mood episode, with every burst of rage, every down day, every fit of tears that I am scarring my children. I worry that I am causing them irreparable emotional harm. You see, my children are young. They do not fully comprehend that their mother has a chronic mental illness.

When our bodies and minds are constantly under stress we begin to break down. Stress floods the body with stress hormones which has been linked to a weakened immune system, slow metabolism, inflammation, disease, decreased attention span, decreased productivity and creativity, impaired memory, fatigue, depression, and irritable moods ... and this is an abbreviated list!

So many things I read about adult ADHD rang true for me. I get distracted easily and have trouble concentrating on dense materials and tedious tasks; that is, if they aren’t interesting to me — if they are, I become obsessive and can’t let go of the idea.

I feel like indirect communication is a common thread amongst women. Since women are socially conditioned to not make a fuss, ruffle any feathers or have permission to speak our minds, indirect communication becomes inevitable. Or conversely, if we communicate directly, we’re often labeled in a negative manner, like bitch.