Low Self-Esteem and my battle to overcome it

I’ve always had low self-esteem, but I never realized how bad it truly was until I developed anorexia the start of my freshman year in High School.

I had no clue why I was doing this to myself. I started skipping lunch in school because I just wanted to lose ten pounds. But that wasn’t good enough. I weighed myself 3 or 4 times a day. I would exercise in my room constantly. I would feel bad even if I ate just one piece of fruit.

Eventually, I become so concerned with my weight, I wouldn’t chew gum or drink water. I was always comparing myself with my friends’ bodies. I hated myself. I never went out with my friends anymore because, I was afraid we would go out to eat or something, and I could not bare that idea.

One day my mother decided to take me into the bathroom and weigh me. I went from weighing 140 pounds to 103 pounds in three months. I am 5′5″ so I was never overweight. My mother broke down.

My parents tried to get me to go and see a doctor. They arranged for me to have a complete physical, but really it was more than that. It was for them to talk to me and try and make me understand that I had a eating disorder.

I still couldn’t see it no matter what people were telling me. My parents would fight with me every night about it. They didn’t understand me anymore. I was restless, I was always so tired but could never sleep. Finally I had to see a counselor and doctor.

Over the course of a year, I have become the stronger person even before my anorexia. Seeking help made all the difference and I am truly happy now.

- Anonymous