“I won’t lie, I loved it. I loved the praise, the increased Instagram likes, the attention. I always saw myself as the chubby awkward girl and was in awe of my skinnier friends, but now I had a chance to be like them, to be accepted.”
‘Wow, you’re looking great, you’ve definitely lost some weight!’ ‘Tell me your secrets!’ I truly was living a double life.’: Woman battling eating disorder says ‘I refuse to let it beat me’
‘Yes, you are neurodivergent, but you’re an adult so you can deal.’ I am anticipated to pour from an empty cup.’: Neurodivergent mom expresses the impact of labels, lack of support
“Without my label, I wouldn’t have the family, life, and job that I love and I wouldn’t be writing this very article that illuminates it.”
‘I posted online and a man responded with a simple, ‘Needed this.’ It opened the door to the rest of our lives.’: Abuse survivor details meeting love of her life on Instagram
“Jason was in the middle of a divorce. My life felt like a series of breakups. So you can imagine my skepticism when someone wanted to fly down to take me on a date without having met him in person before. But it’s when you stop having expectations that life begins to unfold into the beautiful story it’s meant to become. At least it did for me.”
‘You have the joy of The Lord. Why go to a counselor if you can go to the Mighty Counselor?’: Christian woman opens up about mental health struggles
“I felt stuck in the deepest, darkest hole. I had a decision to make—be hurt by these statements people are saying about me or help end the stigma in the Christian community.”
‘Silvery, beautiful tattoos,’ my daughter said as she traced the stretch marks on my tummy with her fingertips.’: Mom shares journey with eating disorders and self-acceptance
“If we want to feel beautiful, we have to let ourselves be beautiful.”
‘It’s not that we don’t feel loved. We don’t feel like anyone really wants to hear about our struggles.’: Special needs mom urges ‘listening is an act of love’
“I know what it’s like to join the conversation, only to feel the air in the room slowly dissipate. I know what it’s like to open up about your day, only to have someone quickly change the subject to something more ‘light.’ It makes us feel invisible.”
‘I walked out of the hospital, feeling the sun on my face for the first time in 6 months.’: Heart transplant recipient becomes cardiologist, gets to ‘be on both sides of the stethoscope’
“There were so many emotions, I was almost numb. I don’t hide how tough it is. I know what they’re going through, and I feel blessed I can bring an honest approach to how I interact with my patients.”
‘I was moving uncontrollably, filled with fear. It happened overnight.’: Young woman vows sudden Tourette’s syndrome won’t stop her from ‘living her best life’
“As the tics increased, I worried whether I would hurt myself, hurt someone I’m with, or say something offensive. I didn’t know how other people were going to react; I didn’t want to be the center of attention. I was terrified.”
‘You can believe all violence is wrong AND believe there are instances where grace can be extended.’: Viewer weighs in on Will Smith’s altercation with Chris Rock at 2022 Oscars
“It’s easy to get caught up in the outside looking in perspective and wag your finger, but it would be a whole lie to pretend as a human we have never had a moment we weren’t proud of.”
‘All everybody saw was how much weight I lost, and I thrived off that validation. My biggest fear was to backtrack.’: Woman shares journey from eating disorders to healthy relationship with body
“Don’t stress over the scale: take the picture, post the picture, and don’t care about what others think. I PROMISE you’ll be glad you did.”