I Have So Much to Tell You About What Hating Myself Cost Me

Trigger warning: this episode discusses bullying and eating disorders.This one's a message.To the parents — because what you decide is "perfect" becomes the voice your kid carries for decades.To the bullies — you have no idea how long a person keeps the thing you said.To the people who can't bring themselves to validate anyone — your silence isn't neutral. It leaves a mark.And to the world that profits from us hating ourselves — I see the game now. If every one of us woke up tomorrow at peace with our faces, our bodies, our grey hairs, an entire industry would collapse overnight. The point was never that you look bad. The point is that you spend.I spent a long time believing I was the problem. I wasn't. At 46, I'm perfectly imperfect and finally at peace with that — and this is the conversation I wish someone had started with me a lot sooner.If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, support is free and confidential. In Canada: NEDIC (National Eating Disorder Information Centre), 1-866-633-4220 or nedic.ca. In the US: the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, 866-662-1235 or allianceforeatingdisorders.com.