It's Not Always Rainbows & Butterflies

While the word journey is thrown around so often that it has become a bit of clich, that is exactly what recovery from anorexia nervosa is. In Its Not Always Rainbows & Butterflies I have traced a case of anorexia through the stages of

1) Its addictive initial joy
2) Through defiance and anger at being confronted with unwanted treatment and concern from loved ones
3) Beginning to understand and accept that there may be a problem
4) Seeking help and started the process of change/recovery
5) Finally starting to break free! Realising life beyond that cage and exposing the disease for what it really is!
This is my case. I have written this about my own journey through 11 years of battling the illness, at a time when I am finally breaking free.

My motivation and aim is to reach out to those with the illness, family and friends of this with anorexia, and anyone else whose life has been touched by this terrible disease. I aim to expose the different stages, capture the incredibly emotional process of contemplating change and of course the battle of recovery. I want to convict those that feel there is no hope of recovery because I once thought that too, but I have proven myself wrong.

I feel the pictures elicit even more emotion in the reader and in fact I believe they do so as I have seen numerous people in tears of sadness and joy from reading it. I do believe it will speak to many people as anorexia is becoming a massive problem in our society. I want to offer hope, deglamorise the illness, and hopefully bring about positive change.