Allow Me to Introduce Myself...

I actually have no idea how to really approach this, so I'm just going to write.  One of my reasons for creating this is because I have often heard that journaling can be very helpful and sometimes crucial to eating disorder recovery, but it's never been a habit that I can stick to.  So I'll try this out and see if it's any more motivating, since it creates at least the idea that other people are reading this and/or finding comfort in seeing that they're not alone.  I have struggled for years with various eating disorders and truly know what it is to suffer the pain that is involved with an ED.  So I plan on using this site as a way to express myself as I would in a private journal, so that I may rid myself of anxiety during difficult times and also in hopes that others who are enduring similar trials may find a place of understanding.  Comments are welcome, insults are not.

So it would be impossible for me to summarize what life has been like for me thus far, but I'll try to give a succinct overview:

• I am 21 years old and stand at 5'2"
• I am a student at one of the Ivies
• I struggled with over- and under-eating throughout high school but never knew just how disordered I was
• It was only last year that I was officially diagnosed with an ED
• I have attended OA (Overeaters Anonymous) for an entire summer (2007)
• I have seen several therapists.  At the height of my struggle with anorexia, I had 3 appointments per week with doctors/therapists/nutritionists during a semester of college.  I currently see a nutritionist once a week and an eating disorder specialist (the best in my area) once a week.
• My situation is unique in that I struggle with anorexia and binge eating, a combination that is proving extremely difficult to treat effectively.  I have seen the depths of both, often times feeling as though I'm the only one with this somewhat curious affliction.

On a lighter note, some of my favorite things include museums, Chanel nail polish, art & art history, philosophy beauty products, reading James Joyce, Vogue & Architectural Digest, interior design,  Marilyn Monroe, strawberries, Zac Posen, and lazy Saturday afternoons.

It is very likely that I will update often, as I am a partial insomniac (unfortunately, and I hope none of you can relate).  Later or tomorrow, I'll do a post explaining the title I've chosen, in case that's of interest to anyone.  I hope that writing candidly about my experiences with over- and under-eating will allow people with various ED struggles to find some sort of peace with themselves by seeing that it's not just them.  Until then, I will leave everyone off with some words of wisdom from William James:

"The hardest sort of judgment, the judgment which strains the attention most, is that about the smallest things and differences."