I am just getting ready to go live on radio and talk about something that I have always found difficult. A few girlfriends and I started a little experiment a year or so ago and it has gone a bit crazy. Our goal was to celebrate womanhood and encourage women in the fact that we are not each others competition.
Life around my house lately has been quite wild, so writing here has been difficult but I am back and excited to be making a contribution even when it hurts.
My topic today for the live interview is eating disorders and I will be sharing my story about how difficult it was to overcome one in my life in my late teens and early twenties.
Our world is slightly (okay a lot) obsessed with our exterior image, but we don’t realise that everything shaped on our exterior begins its fruition on our interior.
The root cause of my eating disorder was worrying about what others thought about me and my desire to fit in. I may not be throwing up my food any more but I still battle this problem everyday. I battle after two babies in three years, a complete change of lifestyle and career, to find my equilibrium and use food as a fuel rather than a reward.
I grew up in a culture when there was always another diet or fad on the cards, I grew up in a dancing school that promoted ‘The skinnier the better dancer’, I grew up in the eighties wanting to fit into those MC Hammer pants and not look like a Oumpa Lumpa.
Many years of culture and decisions have left me as an adult wondering, will there ever be a day where I am not battling what I am eating from the moment I wake up.
My goal this Spring and Summer has been to walk everyday with my family.
To lay down my phone and engage with my family.
To make my food choices about wellbeing and health, rather than quick weight loss and shame.
How about you?
What are you struggling with this Summer?
We all are, just some of us are more open to confront it than others.
Tune in here: at 8.40 perth time for my interview, or take time to encourage another towards wellness this Summer rather than a desire to fit into a culture that promotes skinny as best.
Skinny is not successful, skinny can be very unhealthy.
Wellness, health, fitness these are brilliant pursuits.
Skinny can be very deceptive.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, get in touch with a health professional today and find strength in being honest and seeking health.
All my love
So brave and beautiful. You are all you need to be. Xx
Thanks Elaine you are always so ever encouraging.
Thank you so much for sharing Amanda. Sadly I think this is something that more of us have battled with than we realise. I actually wrote a song about it called Beautiful. About how I found my beauty in how God loves me and not what other think of me 🙂 bless u. Xx
Thankyou Mel. I would love to listen to your song. Xxoo Amanda