little/LONG life update: I’ve taken a few weeks away from social media (which has been very helpful mentally) but I wanted to jump back on to share a little bit for mental health awareness month. This photo was taken during a time that on the outside, physically, I thought my body looked good/fit but on the inside, mentally, I was very lonely and depressed, and didn’t want to speak up. This is the hard part about what we see in media. We see images that portray unrealistic bodies. This picture is one of them. During the past weeks, I’ve done a lot of reflecting and I want to talk about something I’ve struggled with for a long time but have hidden from the outside world. Over the years I have struggled with body image issues and different eating disorders. I never opened up about it bc I felt ashamed and embarrassed. Being a competitive female athlete my entire life, I was always strong and fit, but during college a switch flipped that left me not motivated by the same reasons. I wasn’t giving my body love, I was hurting my body. Today, I felt scared to share this... but I don’t feel ashamed, it actually feels good to talk openly about it. For me it’s been important to recognize that the negative voice in my head is just that— a negative voice in my head. That this type of disorder is a mental health condition, not something bad or wrong with me. This can be hard to recognize, I still am working through a lot of this every day, but I wanted to share my story because I believe being honest and vulnerable is powerful. Often in media we don’t see the hardships, the struggles, the deeper shit that people don’t want to talk about... but I’m ready to talk about it. Years ago this negative voice and disorder had complete control over my life. Currently, I go many more days without that negative voice telling me I’m not good enough... BUT some days the voice creeps back in and it’s something I have to be patient with. The reason I am sharing this is because I hope that it may help someone recognize they are not alone and inspire someone to ask for help. Being open with friends and family and seeking professional help is important. [READ MORE IN COMMENTS]