More Than a Body
Why do we place so much worth on our bodies and what are we beyond them? For years, I’ve derived all of my self worth from what my body looks like and how others view it. I’m not the only one, and the more people I talk to, the more I realize how uneducated we are about the narratives surrounding food and body. Learning to love oneself beyond outward appearance is not easy– it’s a one step forward and two steps back kind of process. Negative relationships with food and body are more prevalent than ever. Eating disorder incidence rates have skyrocketed. Some children as young as eight are already beginning to think about the connotations of food. Despite this, affordable care is nowhere to be found. The issue is silenced and commonly undiscussed. My goal with this podcast is to take even the smallest step in changing harmful narratives centered around eating and exercise. I’m only one person with a head full of curls and a fat crush for peanut butter, but if this reaches just one girl who feels lost and in despair, please know you’ve made it all worth it. This one’s for you.
More Than a Body
Episode 8: Surviving Self Harm: Let's Unpack It
If you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please text CONNECT to 741741 for free, 24/7 help for self-harm.
Suicide and Crisis Hotline: Text or dial 988
For people who don't have a history with it, self-harm can be difficult to understand. While it develops as a way to cope with difficult emotions, they can be challenging to identify. Self-harm is something I always saw existing in my life in some capacity. Today marks a year since I have done so and I have no intentions of going back.
I share my struggle with self-harm as it became my primary method of coping while I navigated a later discovered misdiagnosis. I also explore how the development of an eating disorder became a new method of self-harm which led to less of a reliance on cutting myself. dThis episode unpacks the comorbidity between eating disorders and self-harm, as well as what someone engaging in these behaviors feels they can receive from it. I hope this can make some feel seen, and give others a greater sense of understanding and compassion.
I promise you it gets better. I promise you, it is possible.
*Trigger Warning: This episode details events of self-harm. This could be triggering to some audiences. If you feel this episode might be harmful to you, please do not listen and go pet a dog instead. :)