Published Writing
I have been published by many online publications over the years, including Cosmopolitan, The Mighty, Healthline, Yahoo, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association), Project HEAL, The Butterfly Foundation and the International Bipolar Foundation.
(Click on each photo to follow the designated link to each writing.)
“The shame between these important pieces of my identity is undeniable, but I am finding the shame becomes more and more distant in the shadows as I step into the light…I feel so loved for who I am today. I encourage you to seek out those safe spaces if you, too, are living at this intersection.”
June 2023
“I felt a heavy pressure to continue being “the brave, resilient one” in moments I deserved to rest, recuperate and simply be a child…”
February 2023
“To understand fully how much this meant to me, I want to take you back to when I was a high school student grappling with who I was. I felt so ashamed and alone. I felt like a problem, out of place and so unlovable...”
July 2022
“An unsafe secret can involve someone who hurt us or someone else who was harmed. We may keep these secrets because we do not know what to do with the information or we may be scared to speak up…“
April 2022
“Most people only show these perfect highlight reels online, which are contrarily, perfectly imperfect. With such highlight reels being the focus of our attention, we may assume people’s lives are truly like this, but in reality; we do not see a full picture…”
February 2022
“At times, I’ve worried that my supporters or friends would not understand me because they hadn’t been through a specific problem themselves; however, empathy proves this fear wrong…”
February 2022
“Whether that message was made clear by being outright refused treatment or more subtly by looking around and being the only patient in the treatment center in a larger body, it wreaked havoc on our minds. It makes sense why, “I’m not sick enough” reverberates in our brains like a dejected, broken record…”
February 2022
“As we envision a healthier workplace that prioritizes mental health, it’s essential for employers to understand this potential for “bad” days and provide the necessary support and accommodations. Additionally, as individuals, we need to be aware of what our personal triggers are and what therapeutic coping skills work best for us…”
February 2022
“While I felt Adele was a wonderful representation of a successful plus-size woman, and that representation is valuable for all plus-size people to know, we must respect each and every person’s path of wellness, as it is their body, their rules…”
October 2021
“While such costumes may seem harmless to some who may not fully understand the extent of harm being done, these labels thoughtlessly slapped onto a plastic bag with cheap, yet harmful contents in the name of raking in money carry a great amount of pain and stigma…”
October 2021
“I was so incredibly shameful in my binge-eating and weight gain that I didn’t believe it was a struggle worthy of compassion or help due to how society often treats it. I kept it to myself. I felt out of control and very alone in this new development of my eating disorder…”
September 2021
“In response, I would binge eat. After binging, the anxiety and desire for control returned. Finally, purging gave me a release, making me feel calm and elated. In some ways, I replicated this cycle when dismissing my sexual identity. I restricted who I was, binged on my self-denial that I felt attracted to any gender, and purged the love and acceptance I so desperately craved because I was not ready to come out…”
July 2021
“Finding people who love and accept me in both my identity and eating disorders recovery has helped me reach the waters of healing. I work on mirroring the love I receive from my biggest supporters, and reflecting it onto myself in times I cannot see my self-love so clearly…”
June 2021
“Triggers attached to the senses can be especially upsetting because they can have a stronghold in your memory. We may not fully be aware of these types of triggers until they occur, unfortunately…”
April 2021
“What do you think about when you think of a person with an eating disorder? Do you imagine someone who is underweight? Do you think of the physical effects more than the emotional and mental ones?”
March 2021
“It is damaging to showcase only one eating disorder effect while leaving out the rest, especially when the “before” photos can be triggering, be misused as thinspiration, spread misconceptions, and sensationalize the mental illness…”
February 2021
“She said something like, “It’s good to see you’ve lost some weight”. While I’m sure it wasn’t meant to harm, and was a simple observation, implications like this can sometimes flip the switch on for eating disordered behaviors, as well as perpetuate the hate we have for people who live in larger bodies…”
October 2020
“To live healthy lives, we must be able to work through trauma, ideally in therapy, to establish safety in a healing way. We must take back the power from the situations that have harmed us…”
September 2020
“I didn’t share every detail of what I went through, but I shared what I was comfortable sharing and what I thought was relevant and what could help others understand. Like Ann Voskamp has said, “Shame dies when stories are told in safe places.” I don’t feel ashamed sharing my story; I feel brave…”
June 2020
“It’s heartbreaking that many people in recovery from eating disorders are struggling with quarantining right now, because that mirrors self isolation, which is something many of us struggle with in the depths of our illnesses…”
March 2020
“As sad as it is to hear that she struggled with this, it’s comforting to know that this song-writer I love understands the struggle I went through, too. Many of us fans connect to her lyrics. To connect in this new way can be healing, as we find healing in understanding each other’s pain…”
February 2020
“While celebrating weight loss is common in our culture, it’s interesting that Adele did not draw attention to or mention her weight loss in her captions, despite what the news suggests. She documents her life on social media and these recent photos are a continuation of this. The ones celebrating and noticing the weight loss are her fans and the public…”
December 2019
“I also think about how Christmas is associated with the words “jolly” and “bright,” but there are without a doubt people out there struggling with depression and other mental illnesses this holiday season. There are people mourning losses this holiday season. And there are people coping with trauma associated with the holidays…”
December 2019
“Depression can make you feel lonely or like withdrawing socially. Throw a painful friend breakup on top of that and you can find yourself completely disappearing from social circles…”
April 2019
“The biggest misconception I’ve seen repeated all day is that Demi chose this struggle with addiction…”
July 2018
“Recovery is so much more than reaching goals in terms of weight. To me, recovery is about unlearning the ways in which we have learned to cope, while simultaneously digging deeper to the root of our struggles, so we can also heal our minds. It’s about unpacking the fears we have around food, weight, or body image, and realizing there is more to the equation…”
March 2018
“We can make a difference because we have done so before…”
February 2018
“From my perspective, Aly Raisman already did her job; in fact, she went above and beyond what she was expected to do…”
February 2018
“I don’t mind if you proclaim on January 1st, “new year, new me,” but I suggest you consider the weight these words have. We don’t have to give all of our power to a phrase that may invite more stress. Protect your peace and know that reinvention, like quick weight loss, isn’t always necessary…”
December 2017
“The response to this particular post felt like an endless surge of hate. Why do so many people hate me? I wondered. They don’t even know me. All they see is how I looked earlier this afternoon...”
October 2017
“I deleted my “then” versus “now” eating disorder recovery photos from social media recently. Why? Because I am so much more than just a comparison photo…”
March 2017
