Todays quote is taken from a tweet by Sophia Bush a few days ago.
I know an inspirational quote and twitter don't really seem to go together...I myself joined twitter to fuel my latest obsession with a certain Aiden Grimshaw from this year's x factor...but I soon found out that there was a lot more to this latest fad than I initially thought. Yes you can 'follow' famous people and read their tweets, but this doesn't have to be in a negative thing. In this day and age, the obsession with celebrities can be dangerous, particularly on young people, but there are famous people out there who use their influence in a positive way. Sophia Bush is certainly one of them.
For any of you that don't know, Sophia Bush has starred on One Tree Hill for 8 years now. She is also a keen environmentalist and philanthropist. The show has managed to tackle some serious issues over the years, one of the most recent and poignant to myself was Sophia's character Brooke Davis and her reaction to eating disorders and the size zero trend. Her character owned a clothing line which did an entire campaign on the slogan 'zero is not a size', and Brooke refused models for her line who were too skinny, stating that they promote an unhealthy image. I couldn't agree more! Having suffered from an eating disorder myself, I know too well the affect of the media and the television and how they distort your perception of what is 'normal' and what is 'beautiful'. It was so refreshing to have a show fight back and promote the idea that everyone is beautiful.
As anyone who has ever had eating issues knows, you develop a bit of an unhealthy habit of noticing other people's size and weight more than any other person might. In programs like Desperate Housewives, the women are seen to be getting noticably thinner as the series progress, one new character even described it at 'Desperate Housewive's disease'. People getting thinner, and too thin, before your very eyes can provide only further ammunition to the eating disorder inside, no matter how long you have been in recovery. So once more I feel I have to applaud Sophia! She has been on the show for almost a decade now, and unlike the stars of Friends (particularly Monica and Rachel who seem to have a competition on who can become the thinnest in about season 5), she has maintained a similar body weight throughout. Obviously people's weight fluctuates, but again I find it refreshing that Sophia, who has a beautiful figure, does not seem to waste away the more successful the program gets! When actresses do get thinner as a series progresses it associates the concept of being thinner with being more successful and more famous - not healthy to young girls out there.
It's not only Sophia's character Brooke Davis who speaks out against the promotion of eating disorders though. A few weeks ago a man called Kenneth Tong (apparently on Big Brother at some point) started tweeting constantly 'thinspiration' and that everyone should be aiming for managed anorexia. Clearly Mr Tong has never himself, or had anyone close to him, suffer from anorexia! It's not even about the being thin most of the time. The desire to be thin is intertwined with the desire to succeed, to have control, to be perfect at something, to be the best, to comfort us when we seem unable to be able to do anything else right. It is not something anyone should desire, it's a phsycological problem, and NOT just an extreme diet. Anyway, Sophia, along with other celebrities such as Ashley Greene, Rhihanna, Simon Cowell, openly spoke out against Kenneth Tong and was not afraid to share her views.
A famous peron who we do not know should not be able to influence us so strongly. But the harsh reality is that they DO. I think it's amazing that Sophia is using her fame to remind us all that we are *all* special, we are *all* 'more than enough'. In this day and age, with the obsession with celebrity culture, we need more people like her who are promoting a healthy, happy lifestyle. She has become my 'inspiration' and helps me avoid any 'thinspiration' out there, as she is beautiful, healthy, and most importanly happy. Thank you!
xxxx
Monday 31 January 2011
Sunday 30 January 2011
I get by with a little help from my friends
What wise words from the beatles!
The trouble with living with any mental illness, especially an eating disorder, is that it can be incredibly isolating. How can I tell my mum that I binged on 5000 calories worth of food the other day when i spent money which I don’t actually have going over my overdraft limit? How can I tell her I did it last week and spent the money she gave me for my doctors note which enables me to have mitigating circumstances at uni? How can I tell her that I was so desperate to stuff myself with food so as to numb any other feelings and thoughts that at the time this didn’t even matter to me? How can I tell her that I have been eating stuff around the house constantly and my eating has been getting worse again since going back to uni last monday? I can’t. I have to find a way to pick myself up.
But I don't have to go it entirely alone, not even close. My best advise to anyone out there who feels they are struggling on their own is to confide in someone...people surprise you, they are capable of much more love, compassion and support than you can ever imagine. I am lucky to have an incredible support network of close friends and family, a total of about 10 people in my life know everything that I have been through over the years, and I cannot put into words how grateful I am for those people and how much having them there for me helps. Of course nobody can solve your problems for you, and not everyone supports in the same way, but whether they take you completely out of yourself by doing something fun or crazy, whether they are there for you to cry to if you are having a really bad day, or whether they are there to pick up the pieces when you hit rock bottom, everyone has a place. I am not going to pretend that there have been people over the years that I have exposed my weaknesses too and they have been incredibly hurtful or judgemental, but for all those that have disappointed me, it has been worth it and I would take the disappointment one hundred times over just to find one of the supportive people in my life.
They remind you that you are not alone. You don't have to be. There are people who love you and who will support you in any way possible. My family are so tolerant of my problems that I seriously don't know how to thank them. They have put up with anorexia, depression and binge eating disorder from me over the last 8 years, and they still love me, and help me find the person inside that I know I can be. I have friends who have had similar experiences, who will come over when I can't even summon the energy to get dressed, but I also have friends who are there for me in a different way - they take me away from all my problems for a day/evening/ week by ensuring I still plan fun things in my life.
I guess what I am trying to say, in an incredibly round about way, is simply that we cannot get by WITHOUT our friends. Please take the plunge and confide in people. Even if it is just via online support networks. One of my best friends was actually found on an online support network, and we email each other every day...as for both of us writing down our thoughts and feelings helps. We have also met up, and our friendship has blossomed over the last years. Do not underestimate the love people in your life will show for you. and do not think you are alone.
xxxx
The trouble with living with any mental illness, especially an eating disorder, is that it can be incredibly isolating. How can I tell my mum that I binged on 5000 calories worth of food the other day when i spent money which I don’t actually have going over my overdraft limit? How can I tell her I did it last week and spent the money she gave me for my doctors note which enables me to have mitigating circumstances at uni? How can I tell her that I was so desperate to stuff myself with food so as to numb any other feelings and thoughts that at the time this didn’t even matter to me? How can I tell her that I have been eating stuff around the house constantly and my eating has been getting worse again since going back to uni last monday? I can’t. I have to find a way to pick myself up.
But I don't have to go it entirely alone, not even close. My best advise to anyone out there who feels they are struggling on their own is to confide in someone...people surprise you, they are capable of much more love, compassion and support than you can ever imagine. I am lucky to have an incredible support network of close friends and family, a total of about 10 people in my life know everything that I have been through over the years, and I cannot put into words how grateful I am for those people and how much having them there for me helps. Of course nobody can solve your problems for you, and not everyone supports in the same way, but whether they take you completely out of yourself by doing something fun or crazy, whether they are there for you to cry to if you are having a really bad day, or whether they are there to pick up the pieces when you hit rock bottom, everyone has a place. I am not going to pretend that there have been people over the years that I have exposed my weaknesses too and they have been incredibly hurtful or judgemental, but for all those that have disappointed me, it has been worth it and I would take the disappointment one hundred times over just to find one of the supportive people in my life.
They remind you that you are not alone. You don't have to be. There are people who love you and who will support you in any way possible. My family are so tolerant of my problems that I seriously don't know how to thank them. They have put up with anorexia, depression and binge eating disorder from me over the last 8 years, and they still love me, and help me find the person inside that I know I can be. I have friends who have had similar experiences, who will come over when I can't even summon the energy to get dressed, but I also have friends who are there for me in a different way - they take me away from all my problems for a day/evening/ week by ensuring I still plan fun things in my life.
I guess what I am trying to say, in an incredibly round about way, is simply that we cannot get by WITHOUT our friends. Please take the plunge and confide in people. Even if it is just via online support networks. One of my best friends was actually found on an online support network, and we email each other every day...as for both of us writing down our thoughts and feelings helps. We have also met up, and our friendship has blossomed over the last years. Do not underestimate the love people in your life will show for you. and do not think you are alone.
xxxx
Saturday 29 January 2011
Courage does not always roar...
..sometimes it is simply the quiet voice at the end of the day that says 'I will try again tomorrow'.
I spotted this quote on the wall about 18months ago when I was having a massage at my local Natural Practices therapy room. Massages are one of the few things that really help me to relax and let go. Anyway, since reading this quote it has become a sort of mantra to me; small words providing big comfort on the days that don't go so well.
For anyone suffering from any mental illness or even emotional turmoil, you will know as well as I do that every day can be a battle, and we can be left feeling weak, helpless and hopeless, with no strength left to fight. This quote reminds me that we *are* incredibly strong. That we fall, we fail and we have bad times. But we pick ourselves up. We carry on. We fight. And that, my friends, is true courage. To wake up every day knowing that life is not as you hoped it would be, and just getting out of bed and cleaning your teeth, or just getting through a mealtime can take all the strength we can muster...yet still we carry on, we go to school, to university, to work and appear to an outsider as any normal person would do...but in reality it has taken 10 times as much energy and courage to get through that one single day as it would to any other person...yet still we do it. Don't you think that's kind of amazing? Don't you think the fact that no matter how many bad days we have, how long we have struggled, how tired we are of fighting, we still try again the next day is incredible?
I am currently in third year studying maths at university, and last term was a really tough one for me. I went to see my mental health advisor at the university, and told her how I was feeling: weak, pathetic, a failure...those were some of the words that came up. Her response was that how could I think myself weak when I was on track to get a first in my degree, despite ALL the problems I have had over the years...when I got a first in my second year despite an incredibly bad bout of depression at exam time which meant I did next to no revision. At the time it was small comfort, but in heinsight I see that she was absolutely right! So lets congratulate ourselves, and celebrate, on all we do achieve in spite of our obstacles.
Let's have courage, and say to ourselves, 'I will try again tomorrow'.
xxxx
I spotted this quote on the wall about 18months ago when I was having a massage at my local Natural Practices therapy room. Massages are one of the few things that really help me to relax and let go. Anyway, since reading this quote it has become a sort of mantra to me; small words providing big comfort on the days that don't go so well.
For anyone suffering from any mental illness or even emotional turmoil, you will know as well as I do that every day can be a battle, and we can be left feeling weak, helpless and hopeless, with no strength left to fight. This quote reminds me that we *are* incredibly strong. That we fall, we fail and we have bad times. But we pick ourselves up. We carry on. We fight. And that, my friends, is true courage. To wake up every day knowing that life is not as you hoped it would be, and just getting out of bed and cleaning your teeth, or just getting through a mealtime can take all the strength we can muster...yet still we carry on, we go to school, to university, to work and appear to an outsider as any normal person would do...but in reality it has taken 10 times as much energy and courage to get through that one single day as it would to any other person...yet still we do it. Don't you think that's kind of amazing? Don't you think the fact that no matter how many bad days we have, how long we have struggled, how tired we are of fighting, we still try again the next day is incredible?
I am currently in third year studying maths at university, and last term was a really tough one for me. I went to see my mental health advisor at the university, and told her how I was feeling: weak, pathetic, a failure...those were some of the words that came up. Her response was that how could I think myself weak when I was on track to get a first in my degree, despite ALL the problems I have had over the years...when I got a first in my second year despite an incredibly bad bout of depression at exam time which meant I did next to no revision. At the time it was small comfort, but in heinsight I see that she was absolutely right! So lets congratulate ourselves, and celebrate, on all we do achieve in spite of our obstacles.
Let's have courage, and say to ourselves, 'I will try again tomorrow'.
xxxx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)