Chasing Freedom

I Am Not My Eating Disorder

By January 16, 201310 Comments

It’s March 23, 2012. I am standing barefoot on the cold tiled floor of my bathroom. I say a silent prayer to thank God that my roommate and suitemates are not home to hear me crying. It’s storming outside, as I hear another clap of thunder I think to myself that the storm going on outside does not come close to the one inside. My hands grip the edge of the cold sink as I lean forward to stare closer at the girl looking back at me in the mirror above it. I have no idea who she is. Her eyes are empty and hollow; all hope and life has left them. Who is this girl looking back at me with tears streaking her face? I no longer recognize myself. I crumble to the tiled floor, curl my knees up to my chest, and weep. “What have I become” I cry out “God, how did I get to this place again?” It’s March 23, 2012 and I have no idea who I am.

That day was almost a year ago. That day was the day I finally decided that I wanted to recover.

In treatment, my therapist would ask me over and over the same question, “Who is Bethany?” She and I both knew that if I was going to break free of the eating disorder, I was going to have to learn who I was without it. You cannot just remove a destructive behavior without replacing it, which is what has tripped me up in the past, trying to remove the eating disorder but not knowing who to be without it. This past March, when I sat on the bathroom floor, I realized that the eating disorder had consumed every part of my life and become my identity. It changed the way that I related to those around me. It dictated my feelings and choices. It influenced so many aspects of my life that I did not even know what I did or did not like anymore. The eating disorder was an ever present voice in my head that dictated my every move.

So who is Bethany? She is a photographer and artist. She is a girl that loves to knit. She is a girl who watches a bit too much “Doctor Who,” reads Harry Potter more than the average person and would rather spend her evening in a book than out on the town. She is a tender-hearted girl who loves her friends deeply and gets hurt easy. She is a girl that is still learning who she is and what she loves, and that’s okay. Most importantly, however, she is a girl that is loved deeply by her King.

Over the last year, 1 John 3:1 has become one of my favorite scriptures. In The Message it reads, “What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.” This verse tells me who I am. I am a daughter of God. A child of the most High. That is where I need to find my identity, not in a number on a box made of springs, metal and dials. I am not my eating disorder, and neither are you.

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Join the discussion 10 Comments

  • Amber Wiley says:

    Bethany, this is beautiful! I’m so happy you are finding yourself without ED! Life is so beautiful outside of an ED or any other addiction! Love you.

    • Bethany says:

      Thank you, Amber! Girl, without your (loving) push to do whatever it took a year ago, I don’t know that I would be where I am today. thank you.

  • Alexis Burger says:

    Bethany is an incredible human being and I love her dearly.
    That being said, I am so very proud of your growth, lovely. Watching the transformation occur in your life over the past year has been very encouraging, and I am incredibly appreciative of your authenticity.

    • Bethany says:

      LEXIII, you’re gonna make me cry. Honestly, thank for being by my side, friend. you mean a lot to me, too.

  • Jincy says:

    Bethany is a good friend 🙂

  • freedombound says:

    This story is beautiful.It reminds me of my past struggle with bulimia. It is in those quiet desperate times we realize we need help and that even though we may not have been completly present our selves,God has always been there right by our sides

  • Alyee Willets says:

    So very proud of you….this is a beautiful picture of the journey we are all on- finding out who we are in His eyes. (And you are also definitely a writer!!!)