I spoke to several classes at a local high school this week, sharing about the messiness of life. During my talks, I offered students the choice of three stories: the first about failure, a second about eating disorders, and a…
Bonus: Nope, You’re Not Crazy
I published a book last year — Nope, You’re Not Crazy: Rising from the Swamp of Disordered Eating. Part memoir, part notebook, and part food for thought, I wrote the book I’d have liked to have found when I was…
Our Mental Health: Not in a Vacuum
How many struggle with mental health? I would guess many. I think it can be easy to get into the space of: You are messed up inside and need to be fixed!, though even if something does need to be addressed,…
The First Binge
Life is messy. And sometimes hearing about the stories of others helps us to feel less alone (and can start a shift). In this vein, I’m sharing part of my struggles in my teens/twenties with eating disorders (and depression). I…
Suicide, Fixing, Boundaries, and Contrast
Today’s food for thought is a bit heavier. And real life is heavy and messy sometimes. We all experience struggles and challenges at different points in our lives, and sometimes hearing the stories of others can help. I attempted suicide…
Depression = Helpful
Today’s food for thought is around reframing something that seems “bad,” like depression: What if depression is actually kind helpful? What if it’s a helpful thing, a pointer that something is out of whack in life? When things start to…
Everyone is a Mess Sometimes
A love note for a day when you or your teen are feeling like a hot (or not so hot) mess, all over the place and the opposite of together. The past week I’ve felt like a hot mess more…
The D-Word and How Not to Capsize
Today’s food for thought is around depression, recovery, and staying upright: I went through a big round of depression in college (which I see now started towards the end of high school and then continued over the next few years…
Drowning, Lost, and Still Clutching the Weight of Perfection
Today’s food for thought is from the space of experiencing the need for perfection. I was holding onto the weight of perfection — and drowning. Why didn’t I drop it, let it go, watch it float away? I don’t know.…
The Safe Zone
Thoughts from a teen’s head: I feel alone. Sometimes I’m actually alone, sometimes in the midst of others. I maybe be with someone but I’m not really present. Living in the real world hurts, so I stay up inside my…