what i have learned from my thesis

vulnerability makes you human.

bravery and confidence follows vulnerability.

insecurities makes you relate-able.

we are more similar then we are different.

There is NOTHING more rewarding then helping people, and making them feel good about themselves. My boss told me once that when she is feeling depressed she would volunteer somewhere and help those in need, I will never forget that. I honestly believe that we were put on this planet to help each other, i could tear up writing this because I feel like through my thesis work I connected with so many girls. They trusted me with deeply personal things. They deserve all the respect in the world for letting themselves be vulnerable.

The bottom line is that everyone deserves to be happy in their own skin, because their skin is uniquely their own. Comparing yourself to someone is counter-productive because you will never be someone else.

Working at Renfrew has taught me things also. Girls struggling with eating disorders are just regular girls dealing with an exaggerated feelings about their bodies. I have not met a woman who isn't struggling with the same feelings.
Women think 'If I am thin I will be happy'. wrong. wrong. wrong. replace the word 'thin' with 'in control'. That's what it really means. It's easier to control our outward appearance then our inward feelings. The misconception is that if our outward appearance is better, then our inward feelings will follow. Inward feelings come first. then and only then will we treat our bodies with respect and love ourselves on the outside.

We all know this. The fact is that when stress becomes too much, or thoughts become too hard to bare, we relinquish control "of ourselves" by turning to our food intake. It's easier to blame our unwanted feelings on how we look. We need to meditate on these feelings and listen to what it is we are really trying to control. What has happened to us in our life that we rely on consumption or restriction of food for comfort? What are we really comforting? When restricting, what are we really punishing?

By no means have I figured any of this out for myself, but I have certainly done a lot of thinking about myself and my relationship to food/my body. It's a journey and everyday is different, but what I have learned from my thesis is that I am NOT alone.