“I began cycling through extreme weight loss programs, plans and fads. My efforts backfired, and I soon had a new sinister predicament with which to contend with.”
‘My weight fell to that of an 8-year-old. I thought I was FAT.’: Woman battles anorexia, binge eating disorder, ‘Recovery has helped me discover myself’
‘Sometimes, I felt in control. Then I was a prisoner in my own head.’: Mom battles antidepressants, misdiagnoses to find ‘understanding’ of PMDD
“I was unhinged. I used to imagine watching my children from heaven, making sure they were safe. I would visit the doctor, pleading for someone to help me. I didn’t know what was wrong with me.”
‘I left work to become a stay-at-home mom. I ceased to ‘exist.’ I expended all my energy, but had little to show for it.’: Mom starts journaling business for kids, ‘I wanted to work on MY TIME’
“There were things which took me by surprise when I left the corporate world, the most important realization was I didn’t WANT to be a stay-at-home mom. My feelings of loneliness led me to create a practice of gratitude.”
‘I want a divorce.’ I was blindsided. In one moment, my entire life turned upside down. I needed to escape it all.’: Woman shares healing journey after divorce, ‘You WILL be happy again’
“They say in New York you only get two out of three: a great career, love, or apartment. I had all three. By all accounts, I had a perfect life. Then my husband dropped a bomb on me.”
‘I’ve had my accounts hacked. I’ve had my words twisted and changed to reflect me as a horrible person. I feel stronger.’: Woman who was hacked says ‘never give up’
“A boyfriend of years left me for another girl. I grabbed my phone and I wrote while my baby gnawed on my nipples.”
‘You’re too intense.’ My heart beat out of my chest; there wasn’t enough air. I became addicted to the relief of self-harm.’: Young woman diagnosed with OCD after years, ‘I learned so much about myself’
“Someone honked their horn. Was I just involved in a hit-and-run and didn’t even know? I had hallucinations of objects flashing before me.”
‘I turned thirty years old. ‘I wanna talk to you about something. You know I want to be pregnant and have a family?’ I am getting a sperm donor’: Mom to-be journals her IUI journey during COVID
“Don’t you want to wait for the right guy?’ Single parenting is hard, are you sure you can afford it?’ I cried. I was so emotional, I was like this can’t honestly be happening to me right now, everything is ready to go. Being a mom has always been my dream.”
‘What will you tell your kids? They look trashy.’ I’ll tell them what my tattoos mean to me.’: After lupus diagnosis, sexual assault survivor uses to tattoos to ‘help me reclaim myself’
“Unsolicited, I have been ‘advised’ on my body art. I’ve been asked, in horror, ‘What will you tell your kids?’ I’ll tell them what my tattoos mean to me, and when they’re older, they can get tattoos if they want them. ‘You’re inviting people to judge you.’ Actually no, I’m not. ‘Can you get a job with those?’ Firstly, none of your business. Secondly, yes. Then there are the people who find my tattoos TOO appealing. ‘Where ELSE are you inked?’ ‘So, you like pain, huh?’ ‘Wanna see MY tattoo?’ Seriously, be less sleazy.”
‘Your daughter will never be more than 2 feet tall.’ My husband and I broke down in tears. ‘…If she survives.’: Mom births baby with rare Thanatophoric Dysplasia, ‘I will never give up on her’
“The news broke me and honestly ruined my pregnancy. I prayed our baby girl would grow, that her little chest would expand to survive this birth. I wanted Paisley to have a life, no matter if it was only for a few seconds or a few years. She deserved the world and I was determined to give it to her.”
