Mental Health Hero
My Mental Health is Tracy
Gold. She is an inspiration to me. I remember her as Carol Severs in “Growing
Pains.” Her struggle with Anorexia Nervosa felt real to me. She like me was teased about weight and felt
the need to lose the weight.
I loved her courage to do the movie, “ For The of Nancy,”
after her recent battle with anorexia. I liked how she was helping others with
her television recovery reality show, “Starving Secrets”. She used her
experience with the eating disorder to inspire others to get help and get
recovered.
Here is one of her quotes
that I like, “You can’t enjoy Life if you are not nourishing your body!” I
believe this to be true. When I was at
my lowest, I felt like an empty shell!
I think Tracy Gold is a
strong woman and that is why she is my mental health hero!
I have other mental health heroes. They are my therapist, my
friend Susan Raymon, my husband Terry, and my brother Ed. My therapist helps confront the unhealthy
thoughts and replaces them with more positive thoughts. She was the one tell me
that if I didn’t stop what I was doing to myself that I could be facing a
hospitalization. She did this to get me to wake up and to see what I was doing.
She was also there to cheer me on when I was doing well in recovery and
encourage me when I felt stuck. When I
was getting down on myself about a slipup I had, she said it was “more
curiosity. Recovery will be filled with ups and downs. She is a great therapist
for me to have that sees the good in me and encourages it! ”My friend Susan
Raymon, she helps me by encouraging me to be myself. She said, “ You don’t have
to be perfect around me.” You are fun
and mischievous and that is why I love being around you!” She also gives good examples if I am having a
bad day or bad thought. She offers suggestions, when I am stuck on a piece. She
is a great friend! My husband Terry
always gives me encouragement, even when I don’t want to hear it or believe it.
He still persists to help me out during my trying days. He has gone with me to
Old Navy and has encouraged me to stay with the agreed size and has steered me
away from smaller sizes so that way, I am not encouraged to go the wrong way
the eating disorder. He encourages me to
have something to eat, even when I don’t want to. He is a great husband and a
friend! My brother Ed, has been nothing
but supportive! When I went through the eating disorder the first time in 2002,
he has been a great support encouraged me. He has never been judgmental! He
still supports me and is encouraging to me!
In closing, I would like to say, I have a few mental health
heroes to help me during my recovery and I am very blessed! They have their qualities of being a hero and
helping me, I am just glad that I have them in my life!
