I wrote it from place where I am still reeling from the argument
So I decided it was better to delete it
As I'm sure we'll be back to normal pretty soon
So I decided to do a general update instead
On the whole
Things are good
The best they've been in a long time
My mood is better
I've accepted that my base line mood is probably lower than the average person
It's just in me to be on the melancholic side
But that's ok
It just makes my happier moments all the sweeter
I tend to be more of a pessimist than an optimist
A kind of expect the worst, hope for the best type of person
But that's ok too
It just means I enjoy it all the more when things do go right
My weight is stable
Praise the Lord my weight is stable!
Like I would let you forget that little nugget of information
I know
I often write about my weight
But it's a big thing for me (excuse the pun)
As I'm sure it is for any one struggling with an eating disorder
And those in recovery
Those numbers become ingrained in our brains
I only have to look at a photo of myself
And I can tell you exactly what weight I was then
My weight has yo-yo'ed for so long
I've been every weight from emaciated to healthy
And have clothes in all those sizes too
But my weight now seems to have settled at a BMI of about 20
Even though Mary has asked me not to
I still weigh most days
I can't help myself
Sometimes it's to reassure myself
Sometimes to torture myself
Whatever the reason
I weigh a lot
I guess it's all part of the disorder
It's an addiction
And a need to control
My weight fluctuates about five pounds up and down over the course of a month
When it's lower I feel better
And when it's higher I am trying to get it down again
But I'm sure it has a lot to do with periods
And bloating before that time of the month
Looking at myself in the mirror
I think I am seeing myself as I really am
There was definitely a time when I was at my thinnest
That I couldn't see how thin I was
But I think that distortion has gone now
When I look in the mirror
I feel just about ok with what I see
Not disgusted
Not fantastic
Just pretty much ok
And having a tan is a big part of that I think
I know it's not healthy to be tanning
But I feel compelled to do it
As I think it's helping me accept my body
My eyes still go to my flabby bits
My wobbly bits
The round bits
And the bits that used to be toned
But I think that's normal for any woman
Not just someone with an ED
Of course maintaining a healthy weight
Is not just about the aesthetics
It's essential for a healthy body
Underweight
Or overweight
Whatever I may be
It effects my health
My organs
The systems of the body
Hair, nails and skin
Everything
I went without a period for over ten years
And even though they are now back
The are still very irregular
My physical health has drastically improved since regaining weight
I didn't realise how unwell I was
Until I started to feel better
What else?
There is always the subject of my meds
I'm not managing too well in that respect
I misuse them about every second day
Which is not good
I was at a meeting during the week
And someone told me that I looked 'alert'
And that sometimes I look like I am 'nodding off'
I was mortified to hear this
I know some days I've gone to meetings feeling sleepy
But I didn't think I was actually falling asleep
My sister also challenged me about this during the week
So why am I still doing this I hear you ask
I'm deliberately not telling Mary or my doctor
I'm getting my meds dispensed weekly now
So I have the opportunity to abuse them
Again
It goes back to my inability to live in reality
That urge to get out of my own head
To escape
The thing is
I am planning to start a course in September
They rang this week to arrange a date for my interview
Which is in a couple of weeks
I know if I want to do this
And be really present
I have to get on top of this meds situation
Or else I am going to slip further and further down the rabbit hole
Food wise
Things could also be better
But like the veritable ostrich
I am burying my head in the sand
And pretending that everything is ok
The last time I saw Mary
She asked me not to weigh
And to keep a food diary
Neither of which I have been doing
I still believe that if I stop purging
My weight will spin out of control
I guess I won't know this until I try
But I don't know if I want to try
Which is a terrible thing to say
But it's the truth
So I guess
Overall
A lot of work has been done
But there is still work to do
As I always say
Baby steps all the way