17 Comments

Just incredible, Danielle. Self awareness. If only all of us would follow suit. You are a brave one.

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Thank you Alecia, it took decades to get to this point. Some days I wish it wasn’t still so hard, but going backwards isn’t an option.

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Absolutely stunning. The essay. The poems. You. All of it. My eyes welled when I read that you went to your partner for support 😭

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Thank you 💛 I’ve found it’s been integral to my recovery. Eating disorders fester and grow in silence. Talking about it with those I’m closest to in the moment and then writing about it helps to diffuse that tension.

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Thank you for sharing this! I loved the poems at the end 🖤

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Thank you 💛

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Pre-ordered your book and I can’t wait to have it in my hands 😍 thank you for this honest and hopeful piece.

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Thank you so much! I hope my little book is a source of comfort in 2025.

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I can relate with the body dysmorphia, discomfort and eating disorder. And there is so much more I could say about that, but that would take volumes to fill. Suffice it to say, I relate. Loved the poems!

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Thank you so much. The body dysmorphia can be so challenging to explain to others. For me it’s just this very distorted experience around my own body but I don’t view anyone else through the same lens.

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Thank you so much for this. I’ve been avoiding mirrors for years. I have to literally slam my brain shut the moment I start comparing myself to others or start wishing I looked a different way. I’ve struggled with eating disorders for as long as I can remember. I can make myself smaller but I have to keep reminding myself that last time it almost killed me. I like me better this way, healthy and alive, not tiny and blackout drunk.

I’m so glad you were able to get support and show yourself compassion at all costs. You are an inspiration. P.S. I just preordered your book!! 😍

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Thank you so much for pre-ordering! I feel exactly how you said. I prefer to be alive and healthy and energized, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard to navigate the discomfort of living in a flesh and bone body 💛

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🥰

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These words, especially the poems, softened me. I’ve been very hard on myself these days. Hating my hunger.

Thanks, Danielle.

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Thank you Allison, I hope my words remind us all we are allowed to be hungry and deserve to nourish ourselves (body, kind, and soul). Sending love to you this season. May we all soften and be kinder towards ourselves.

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Oh I hear ya! I constantly have to remind myself...I deserve to live in my 73-year-old body and no matter what I do, it will never look like it did at 30. Enjoying life...so much more important.

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It is SO much more important. I'm so much happier and healthier when I allow my body to shift as she needs to.

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