*********************************************************
“What Shapes Us?” is a new feature in our Emotional and Binge Eating Blog; “Weigh This Instead!” Our first contributor is Chevese Turner, the woman who single handedly created The Binge Eating Disorder Association. Here is her story.
*********************************************************
As I sit here at the kitchen counter in my joyfully quiet home at 6:29 am two days before Christmas, I am reminded of the place my eating disorder has held in my life. Its purpose and protection. Its rebellion and focus. Its ability to somehow guide me here.
I am grateful.
As a young child, I could not express the emotions I felt about the highly charged situations surrounding me. I had no sense of who I was, where I belonged, or what to expect. I felt alone and abandoned as I shuffled between uncertainty and fear.
As a teen, I used the substances that surrounded me in order to escape, soothe, and medicate: food, alcohol, drugs, unhealthy relationships; the list goes on and on. I endured bullying, teasing, and low self-esteem and longed second-by-second for the flavors on my tongue that distracted me from the thoughts in my head.
In my early twenties,
To Read More, Sign In >>
Members: Login for Full Access
Not Yet a Member?: Learn About Joining. Get Instant Access (21 Day Free Trial)
