Naked
My name is Emily Leahy and I'm here to share my journey of overcoming life threatening eating disorders. It all started when I was about eight years old and began using food to cope with anxiety, my psychic abilities and traumas I had experienced. By age 17, I weighed less than 80 pounds and was at risk of losing my life. Sadly, that did not scare me. A part of me thought I was ready to go and end my suffering. However, I had a curiosity to life beyond my eating disorder. My passion to teach, which gave me a sense of purpose, lit a fire in me, and I decided not to not give up.
I chose to attend outpatient treatment over the course of two years so that I could finish high school and start college. It has now been ten years since I started my journey to master (not control) myself and change my relationship with food. By choosing to live, I've completed college, served as an elementary school teacher, gotten certified to teach yoga, meditation, reiki and a variety of other lineage based healing modalities.
It has been a roller coaster ride with romantic relationships, friendships, business ventures and belief systems. Yet, even with this roller coaster ride of a life I have lived in a very short period, I've only improved my health. Over the past few years, something big shifted within me. I've been able to transcend my eating disorder by pulling out the weeds instead of mowing the lawn. I credit my success to energy work that allowed me to REALLY see myself and KNOW myself. I was able to see my blind spots where I was getting stuck with my relationship with food and I am forever grateful. I LOVE that I can finally let go of the ideas of "perfection" and "normal,” in regards to diet and body.
I keep it simple and real by respecting and honoring myself, instead of acting out and sabotaging myself. Knowing myself and standing in my power has been the sigh of relief I was always waiting for. Now that I no longer struggle daily with food, I of course find new challenges, but after my long battle with my eating disorders, I'm grateful for these new challenges of feeling limitless and not always having it all figured out.
To read more about my journey and join the movement visit www.findingnaked.org.
