Introduction

moodymermaid3690

Hello,

My name is Emily. I'm a twenty-seven-year-old aspiring author, who uses writing as a coping mechanism. Writing has given me great solace since childhood, helping me navigate through anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It recently has been an outlet for my anxiety stemming from autism testing.

When I discovered I would be tested for autism, I became very stressed. My family isn't the most supportive (they try, but the tension is evident) and my only friend (online friends excluded) is someone I rarely see. With the mounting stress, I noticed I began to graze more; it started with a few more chips than usual to eating an overwhelming amount of food. Consequently, I packed on the pounds fairly quickly.

I've always experienced the infamous "yo-yo" when it came to my weight, constantly staying within the frame of one-sixty to one-ninety. My family has been critical of my weight for years, so the number two-hundred instilled a deep fear in me. Recently, the scale hit that dreaded number and my family has noticed, and not without commentary.

In my late teens, I became very ill and dropped to one-twenty. My family was far more accepting of me, despite the method being illness. Ever since I regained the weight, my craving to look the part of their idealized version of me has nagged me. Seeing two-hundred on the scale was - pun fully-intended - the tipping point.

While I don't care much about what my extended family says anymore, I have grown more sensitive now that my own mother is pointing out my weight gain. Between longing for my mother's approval, wanting to feel better (physically and mentally), and overall taking charge of my life, I've decided on joining this community.

My main goals are to become well enough to return to school, get a degree to teach kindergarten, find romance, have children, publish my books, and finally build the life I've dreamed of since childhood.

Sorry for the novel, but it is in my job description, ha-ha.

- moodymermaid3690 🧜🏻‍♀️

Betty

Hi @moodymermaid3690 👋 Welcome to the community. It sounds like you have been through a lot. Wishing you the best of luck on reaching all your life goals.