“As someone battling mental illness who is often alone in her thoughts and without close friendships, it has been years since I’ve really felt ‘seen.’ One day, I will tell her she gave me a reason to keep going.”
‘My niece emerged with a paper. ‘Here, Aunt Melissa, it’s for you.’ My eyes filled with tears. She gave me a reason to keep going.’: Woman battling mental illness realizes ‘love knows no boundaries’ after emotional surprise
‘The pain became unbearable. ‘I know someone who’s healed people through acupressure.’ I FINALLY felt at home.’: Woman details holistic health journey, ‘It gifted me my life back’
“She said, ‘I’ve been waiting for you.’ I went to her house every day for 4 months. She made me feel normal and helped me understand my gifts. I realized I am FAR more capable than I’d originally thought.”
‘I want to swallow a bottle of pills and end it.’ Nothing brought me happiness. All I saw was a girl who needed to lose weight.’: Woman details recovery journey, ‘ALL bodies are good bodies’
“The clothes that once fit became baggy. One day, I tried an old pair of jeans on, and they fit. I CRIED. I had gained weight, and that was absolutely terrifying for me. I was always trying to be the ‘perfect’ girl.”
‘You drive me to drink. I wish I never had you!’ It was a nightmare. We suffered in silence.’: Abuse and bullying survivor urges, ‘Be kind to one another’
“My own mother said, ‘You’re a mistake’ to me and my sisters. I started self-harming and fell into a deep depression. I actually believed what I’d been told.”
‘Nobody commented on my bathing suit. Not only that. My butt. I’m sad now, you see. I was never a bikini kind of girl.’: Woman struggling with body positivity says ‘the world isn’t judging you like you think it is’
“I breathed in deep, walked down the hallway. ‘Oh, there she is.’ I can look at this picture and tell you ten thousand ways I hate it. I disrobed to jump in the hot tub with a bunch of friends.”
‘String cheese and pistachios, that’s it.’ I cut my chicken and slid it into my napkin. He noticed something was wrong.’: Partner helps woman recover from anorexia, ‘He met me halfway’
“Ermes and I met online. He noticed quickly something was wrong. When he saw there was hope, he met me halfway. A week or so later, he proposed to me. Hope.”
‘It’s nobody’s business!’ I’d tell myself. I was in survival mode. I dropped to 75 pounds. I thought I’d never wake up.’: Woman shares recovery journey from eating disorder, ‘I chose a life of fullness’
“I had to navigate the chaos alone. When I finally got to see my fiancé, he was hurt and confused. I was 75 pounds.”
‘Oh, it’s just my skin.’ I’d stare in the mirror, worrying how to look as pretty as the other girls.’: Young woman born with vitiligo skin condition develops eating disorder to look as good as her peers, finally learns ‘recovery is worth it’
“‘As soon as someone notices something is wrong, I will stop.’ I was waiting for the attention. Girls would run away from me because they did not want to ‘catch my disease.’ Every day, while throwing away my lunch in school, or doing sit-ups in my bedroom, I started to feel proud. I was 13, and weighed 60 pounds. Your passions cannot be accomplished if you are struggling yourself.”
‘His scheme to butter me up to lose his virginity worked. ‘Wow, he really cares about me.’: Domestic violence survivor reveals she’s been ‘scared to speak my truth’ for years, but finally realizes ‘I’m stronger for what I’ve been through’
“I was sitting in my room doing homework. His ex-girlfriend called. He was caught red handed. He drove to my house with flowers and sobbed. ‘I’m so sorry. I’m just so insecure because you’re so out of my league – I got nervous and cheated.’ I was so angry. My relationship was destroying my family. Nevertheless, I went to Disney with him anyway. I stood in the middle of Magic Kingdom crying, alone and terrified.”
‘I can’t take the way my dad watches me get dressed. I need to leave,’ I told my friends. A man near us was listening. He was wearing an NYPD shirt. He said he would help me.’
“The man came over, introduced himself and told us he was a police officer. I was scared. My dad was old and I was his caregiver, so I didn’t want to press charges. I just needed to make things better. This man listened. I mean, really listened. I stayed out with him later than usual.”
