“I’m so proud of my journey”
The ALLIANCE Humans of Scotland, shares and showcases short stories about the everyday lives of the people we engage with.
“Following all the publicity on social medial I’m sure you’ve heard of ACE’s or a term called Adverse Childhood Experiences. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic experiences that can have a huge impact on children and young people throughout their lives. Childhood adversity can create harmful levels of stress which impact healthy brain development. This can result in long-term effects on learning, behaviour and health; for me it was my behaviour, mental health which in turn had a detrimental effect on my physical health.
Today I sit at the ripe old age of 21, just 5 years after I received my first intervention for my anorexia. And I’m so proud of my journey. At that time in my life I had no idea why I needed to have so much control over what I ate or why I wanted to deprive myself of vital nutrients to stay healthy; but in time this became clear.
As a younger me I had seen things young people shouldn’t have seen, I had experienced verbal and mental abuse and I had a group of friends who in fact were so far detached from being friends, but I didn’t see it.
During high school that’s when I noticed a change in my friend’s attitude, when I was naturally developing into a young lady, losing weight and boys were starting to notice me. One comment from my closet from was “we miss the fat you, you were more fun”. Of course I was, hiding behind the laughter of my horrible experiences. That’s when my weight plummeted.
With support through CAMHs, good family members and ditching old friends, I am on my road to recovery. I know life will never be a bed of roses, but I’m learning to avoid the thorns and have found new meaningful relationships that build me up, not bring me down.
I’m fit and healthy, love hill walking, play rugby, cycle and travel, but most of all even on stormy days I know I have support and good friends that help me dance in the rain.”
Read more Humans of Scotland stories on our website.
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