Eating disorders are so commonly glorified these days. Eating very little, exercising in the blazing hot sun; your hair falling in your face. A perfect body for summer - cropped tops, denim shorts and flowers in your hair. No wonder I didn't notice I was suffering with an eating disorder. Eating disorders are not glamorous. Pale skin, exhaustion, fainting spells, feeling so guilty for eating you can't even look at yourself, hair loss, constantly feeling cold. How glorious is that?
When I was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa at the age of sixteen, I thought it was a joke. I wasn't the 'image' of a girl with an eating disorder. I wasn't happy, I was tired and sick. I could barely stand; refusing food and water. I didn't feel pretty, or thin, or worthy. I didn't want to sit on the beach in a crop top and denim shorts. There were no flowers in my fair. The reality of having Anorexia came fast. Spending hours in GP surgeries and hospitals, being taken out of college, having endless amounts of tests, having to face every single meal time, not being able to exercise, the lack of freedom, the tension in my family. That wasn't glamorous.
Looking back in hindsight, Anorexia at its worse was draining me. It was slowly taking my life. The days flew in a blur, each looked the same. Take a Tuesday: It was 7:15am, I'd barely slept. I was running on 3 hours sleep. I was absolutely exhausted. As soon as I got out of bed, I headed to the bathroom. I weighed myself once, then stepped off and weighed myself again. The numbers on the scale not only determined my mood for the day but also determined whether or not I'd be allowed to eat. That Tuesday, just like every other day, the number on the scale wasn't good enough. Despite a rumbling in my tummy, I proceeded to get changed. My nails were turning blue, my skin white and I felt so cold. Throughout the day, I was sluggish. I exercised for as long as I could. I walked laps around the room until I could no longer stand. When it was time for college, I couldn't concentrate. The lecture wasn't my first priority. My tummy rumbled underneath the desk and I hoped no one would hear it. I couldn't even hear the tutor's words as I was too busy trying to work out calories for the day and exercises I could do in order to burn them off. My mind raced on how alone I was, on how utterly worthless I was, how all my friends must have hated me being so down and weak. I was tired; emotional. Even sitting brought bouts of dizziness. After lecture, I could no longer stand it. I needed a nap. I hadn't eaten since the day before, maybe even the day before that. I came home shaky, cold and exhausted; crawling into bed in an attempt to calm my breathing and heart. My skin was pale and a headache raged between my eyes. My hands were as cold as the ice outside my window. The rumbling in my tummy was enough to make me feel nauseous. After a quick power nap, exercise began again. When I fainted and no longer had energy, I allowed myself to sleep, but insomnia came creeping through the door. I was depressed, tired, tearful and irritable. Hot tears rolled down my face. Eventually, I fell asleep, but that wouldn't last for long.
How glamorous was that Tuesday? How glamorous was it really? A tummy rumbling for food, a fainting episode, a flood of tears, extreme exhaustion. None of these are glamorous, but I'll tell you what they are. They are symptoms of a deadly eating disorder. They are signals that something is very, very wrong. Anorexia Nervosa has the highest death rate among all psychiatric disorders.
Please tell me, how glamorous is it now?
Life with an eating disorder is not glamorous. It is not easy. It brings so many difficult emotions - guilt, shame, worthlessness, sadness. It steals your personality, your friends, your passion for life. It makes you bruise so easy that even sitting down hurts. Life with Anorexia is life-threatening.
I hope if you're reading this you find the ability to take a stand for eating disorders. I hope you come to understand the raw reality of suffering with an eating disorder. I hope that if you're suffering yourself, you find the courage to reach out for help - to end the glamour that may be taking over your mind. I simply hope.
Eating Disorders are no type of glamour. They are a serious psychiatric disorder.
About the Author:
My name is Savannah Lloyd. I am 18 years old from South Wales, currently studying in Oxford Brookes University. I am a mental health survivor and therefore aim to advocate mental health as much as possible in order to help others. I have worked with many mental health charities, have written my own books and currently write on my blog.
SavingSavannah.org
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1514187116