Today is my 35th birthday. And for the first time in a long time, I can truly say, I’m so glad I was born. I’m so glad to be alive. I’m glad that my attempts to leave didn’t work, and in honor of being 35—still alive—here are 35 lessons I’ve learned in life.
Read MoreAfter 18 years of therapy, I feel…fine. Not euphoric, perfect, or “healed” like I used to aspire towards. I feel fine. In a wonderfully simple, stable, and settled kind of way. I’m fine. I’m enough. Life still throws curveballs, I get stressed, I feel insecure and fumble in conversations and struggle to go to sleep. I wonder how I’ll pay bills and freak out about a pimple. I get overly excited about french fries and spill beer…everywhere. I panic at meals sometimes and wonder if I’ll ever really love my body.
Read MoreI care deeply about how my actions impact those around me, and pay attention to when the limits of my responsibility are met so that I don’t extend beyond the boundary of prioritizing my wellness or maintaining integrity of my identity. Beyond these boundaries is the realm of emotional babysitting, and that is what I am no longer participating in.
Read MoreIn 2005, when I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with Anorexia. At that time there was so little discussion about eating disorders within our culture (outside of the occasional tabloid headline or celebrity weight loss scandal). For the most part, eating disorders were not spoken of, and support and recovery for those who needed it was kept quiet. As a result, my eating disorder and therapy was a secret for my entire high school career.
Read MoreWhen I arrived in Bali, I was quickly faced with a harsh truth: I didn’t know how to take care of myself. I learned, that for years, I had been dependent on anyone other than myself to take care of me when shit got hard. And suddenly, I had no one to give me the answers. I had to figure it out myself.
Read MoreToday, I have been in recovery for 5 years, and I am swimming in self-love, in great part because of my affirmation practice. I am a better partner because I take care of and love myself. I am a more thoughtful and considerate friend because I believe in my skills as a listener and empath. I work smarter, not harder, because know I deserve breaks to recharge. I want to share with you my affirmation practice, because it has evolved dramatically from those first few months in treatment. I want to teach you how to go from writing simple, generalized affirmations to powerful, uniquely your affirmations.
Read MoreDo you ever get lonely? I do. Like all the time. As in right now, and earlier today, and yesterday. I get lonely a lot. I often wonder what loneliness is. I know it’s a feeling, or maybe a state of being. But what is loneliness, and how do I get rid of it?
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