Amanda Doulos is a digital editor for Love What Matters based in New York City. She will graduate from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of English Literature and Spanish in Spring 2023. She loves staying involved as vice president of the mock trial team and secretary of Spanish Honor Society. In her free time, she loves reading, traveling, and spending time with friends.
‘She’d set a bowl of fat-free yogurt in front of me, hand my sister ice cream. ‘No one wants a fat daughter.’: Woman details battle with binge eating disorder, depression
“When my mom and siblings were asleep, I shoveled crackers in my mouth in the bathroom. I ate snack cakes on the kitchen floor. Food didn’t care I was depressed and anxious.”
‘My mom bought me pink shoes. ‘Those are for girls!’ When she asked if I’d rather be a boy, I said no.’: Non-binary, autistic person with ADHD shares journey
“When I born, the doctor said, ‘You’re going to have your hands full with that one.’ Even from a young age, I never felt like a girl. I wondered what was ‘wrong’ with me.”
‘My mom said, ‘I wanted to hold you and tell you it was going to be okay… but I wasn’t sure if it would.’: Woman with Major Depressive Disorder urges ‘you matter’
“I fought back tears all day. I’d have breakdowns in the back of the classroom. I didn’t talk to my sisters for 6 months while living under the same roof. I’d never felt so alone.”
‘I was this awkward, chubby girl. ‘If I was skinny, none of this would be happening.’: Woman on self-love journey urges ‘to all my little fat girls, keep being you’
“I went into situations thinking, ‘They all hate me.’ I didn’t want to admit I had a drinking problem. I was in denial until I hit rock bottom.”
‘My brother pointed out, ‘It’s common for siblings to have it.’ A lightbulb went off in my head.’: Woman with autism raises awareness for neurodiversity
“I always knew in my gut my brother was different, so the diagnosis wasn’t shocking. I didn’t see myself in that image, but I began to research. Boy, did I research!”
‘You’re not good enough! You’re alone! No one loves you or cares about you!’: Woman struggling with depression, anxiety says ‘I’m worth it’
“I was alone in my apartment, overwhelmed by this pain in my chest. I grabbed a knife and sat in the dark. Tears ran down my face. The only noise was coming from my head and it was screaming at me.”
‘Only middle-aged men get that disease.’ I was only 22 and my body was falling apart.’: Woman with Ankylosing Spondylitis becomes wellness life coach
“On days I didn’t work, I spent the whole day on the couch. When I managed to get to the grocery store, I felt like a robot that had powered down. My brain just didn’t work.”
‘Do you want to be my friend?’ They’d laugh and walk away. There were unwritten rules to friendships.’: Nonbinary person shares autism diagnosis
“I remember thinking, ‘How is it so easy? Do you just go up to someone and say you want to be friends?’ I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong.”
‘After a life of pretending to be normal, I finally let myself be me.’: Woman diagnosed with autism, ADHD as an adult
“It felt my identity had been built up like a Jenga tower. I started removing bricks and at the same time, I was piling new bricks on top. It led to a complete collapse. I broke.”
‘I was the youngest person in the waiting room with a walker.’: Chronic illness warrior says diagnosis proved ‘how strong I really am’
“I couldn’t lift my leg to get in the shower. I was 29 years old, feeling like a senior citizen. My family had to help me do everything. I was no longer myself.”