Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Difference a Year Makes


It’s really hard to believe that it’s already October. It’s also really hard to believe that the year of my life that was one of the most eventful went by so incredibly fast. Now last year in treatment definitely wasn’t my first rodeo, but the circumstances were definitely different. It had honestly felt like light years since the previous stay in treatment. I had a solid two years of living “normally.” I had maintained my weight and I didn’t have to go to appointments every week (which was not a good decision).
For the first two years of Tim and I’s relationship I felt like I was in a really good place. I was on track food wasn’t my enemy, I had a few rough spots, but for the most part I was good. Falling in love, real love was all kind of a whirl wind. I guess I’ve always been a romantic believing in true love and managed to always get involved with guys who used and abused. Finally for the first time and only time I found the man that God had for me. I believe he is the only man who knows how to love me the way that I need to be loved. He knows how to support me and he always does.
After we got married and real life started to set in a lot of my old trauma started to resurface. My anxiety and depression got worse and so did the nightmares. I worked in a job where nothing was ever, ever good enough, and if you have an eating disorder I’m sure you would understand how that would be. I tried so hard to tell myself that it was a little slip and I could get back on track but I was fooling myself, its grip on me was almost as tight as it was before. So in a matter of months I was sitting by myself on a plane to Oregon.
It was my first residential experience and I was terrified. It was one of the best and worst experiences of my life. I was away from my husband which made me miserable, but I was also amongst some of the most amazing women that I have ever met in my life. It was hard I cried almost every day but also had some of the best moments of my life. I made friends that I believe are lifetime friends. I miss it everyday and never wanna go back all at the same time.
I know now that without a doubt I want to get my degree in social work and work with people with eating disorders. I want to do whatever possible to raise awareness and help get rid of the stigma of those with eating disorders. I’ve seen too much and lived through too much to not. I know its going to take a long time since my eating disorder took college away from me but I will get there.
Now that it is a year later it seems like a lifetime ago that I went through all of that. With the season everything reminds me of Oregon. Pumpkin spice coming out and getting a SHORT size on Sunday coffee outings, and only letting myself drink half of it. All the pumpkin things at the grocery store in the turnberry house, and watching breaking dawn at the midnight showing. The aweful thanksgiving meal, going to a Christmas tree farm and actually cutting down your own tree and taking it home, and sitting in front of the fireplace and taking naps.
With all of this nostalgia also comes the realization of how much better it would have been if I could have shared it with my amazing husband. I don’t ever want to be in that position again to be apart. Now I want to make the most of this fall and holiday season with my hubby. My eating disorder is still a very real thing in my life every single day, but it no longer makes all of the decisions. Now when I struggle I think of the good support I had at rainrock, but also remember that I don’t ever want to be back there again. I am truly blessed to have the supportive few in my life that I do and an amazing loving husband who is there to act like a ninja after a hard day of trauma therapy. <3

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