Unlearning the Shoulds by T

I have an idea
It takes shape and forms in my brain
I project it onto paper
I can see it
Colours and shapes and lines
It is beautiful
I hear a sound
I think about what it would look like
As a physical thing
It isn’t always pretty
To destruct is to create
It isn’t always light
What is stopping you?
You don’t have to be good at it
The words don’t come
My mind is a blank
I feel like I am failing
Fear is like waves
They will raise and fall
The water will calm
There is a tiny man
Inside your mind
Telling you it is wrong
Tell him him to piss off!

In My Shoes by T

Beyond all the facts,
Beyond the text books,
Beyond the statistics,
Beyond the assumptions,
Beyond the expectations,
Beyond outmoded attitudes,
Beyond stereotypes,
Beyond gossip,
Beyond ignorance.
There are so many layers to everyone's story.
What you see is just a manifestation of my journey,
My way of coping with what I've been through.
Do you know what its like to see through my eyes?
To see beneath the surface?
To begin to understand.

Hold pen to paper by T

Words flowing out from my mind
My stream consciousness
Pictures are like words
Images to the soul
If someone could see me
How to share feelings
Develop your expression
Learning to write and draw
Unlearning the Shoulds
I began to trust my voice
Writing my journey
Turning the inside out

Body Image by C

You see to me
I am not a pretty sight
You think you see me
Flawless and bright
But inside the head of mine
The image is twisted
So our views will not align
I don’t see myself
In my fractured reflection
As much as I suffer
To create perfection
Trapped in the mirror
Im faced with disgust
And your reassurance
I can’t help but mistrust
Its more than dislike
A stranger stands in my stead
Something is broken
Be it body or head.

The darkness does not last forever by H

After its dark, it gets light again.
Just keep focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel.

The flashbacks never leave by C

Poltergeists from the past
Sending tremors down my spine
But this time.
It doesn’t hurt as much
It doesn’t last as long becausethere’s a real hand laced in mine right now, present.
Keeping my past in the past and sprinkling kisses onto my future.

My mind feels like a mishmash of different things

Some are dark thoughts and some are brighter and more positive.

However it can still be difficult to deal with information overload with no time or space to process it all.

Some days I feel nothing

An ebbing numbness in my soul
Some days I feel everything
A thousand emotions at once
Somedays I feel connected
Like i can live as you expect
Others I am not myself
And I live as someone else.
Often I drift between the two
The living and the dead
In truth I don’t know where I belong 
A constant fight within myself.

Walk in my shoes

My shoes change just like everyone else’s.
My shoes lead me in all different directions, not always in the right one.
My shoes are old, battered and worn.
They have holes and scuffs and my feet get wet when the rain comes down.
They have taken a lot.
Been through a lot.
But they aren’t completely broken.
They still function and they do the best thing can.
They still continue to work even when the rain comes down, even when it seems like they are ready to be thrown away.
They keep going.
They taught me to keep going despite the holes, the rain or the path they walk along.
Because there is always another path.
There is always a sunny day on the way.
And it doesn’t matter what they look like, because other people have shoes just as old as me.

Click Here

When the tables turn

When the tables turn and things have gotten difficult, its time to receive help and refrain from giving it out as much.
Giving out all of your energy is draining yours.
Let someone share their energy with you. Remind yourself that you need it.
You can’t run on empty.
Everything needs energy to function, even you.
Sharing and receiving energy is how we support each other and gain strength.

"For someone who follows the Islamic practice and is recovering with an Eating Disorder, or currently has an Eating Disorder, Ramadan may be a challenging time for you. It may trigger a relapse, and you’re Eating Disorder may skew your mindset away from fasting for faith to fasting for your eating disorder.”

“I really wanted to get help for my Eating Disorder but I was so worried that everyone would find out, and in my culture, this would be very shameful. However, when I came to EDSOTT I understood that my treatment was confidential and that it wouldn’t be shared with anyone, with certain exceptions. This made me feel as though I could go ahead with the treatment”

“I’m really thankful for the Eating Disorder service because I didn’t have much support in my community, the only help on offer is through prayer but I need a dietitian and therapy and a support network to overcome this”

“I’m Black and my Eating Disorder started in my thirties, asking for help was difficult as I felt I should be able to deal with it on my own, and didn’t know anyone in my community that had the same issues”

“I know now that asking for help, is a strength, not a weakness”