Mollie Claire

Photo from the University of South Carolina

If you’re reading this, remember that the strongest thing you can do in a world like this is to love.

Something that once made you feel so small, defeated, and maybe even unimportant can transform you for the better. Which is not easy to understand when you’re in the middle of it. The troubles we face can feel like a revolving door, like we’re stuck in the same loop over and over and over again, walking in circles and going nowhere and wasting time all the while.

But the great thing about a revolving door is that it is a door. You don’t have to keep walking in its circle for all eternity. It’s an opportunity for you to step into something new.

This was recovery for me. Even after years of trying to “get better”, I felt like I would constantly take one step forward and three steps back, or that the lengths I was going to in order to be “healthy” again were actually leading me back to my eating disorder. I felt stuck in the revolving door for most of my teenage years, and even some time through college. 

But fate would have it that I’m studying Exercise Science and Nutrition. Once you make it past the general prerequisites, the program is pedal to the metal with specific courses, all tailored to cram as much information into your brain about how incredible your body is. About how nothing it does is by accident. About the spectacular things it can do, if you trust the science, and if you feed it correctly. That, my friends, was inspiration beyond anything I could’ve learned in treatment.

Since my studies have taught me that I need to fuel myself properly to succeed, I can proudly say that I’m watching my biggest weakness turn into my greatest superpower right before my eyes. I’m stronger and faster, my brain can work harder, and I’m much kinder when I’m not hungry all the time. Not only this, but I’m using what I’m learning- what I’m passionate about- to help and inspire others everyday. My goals in life no longer align with how I can make myself as thin as possible. Now, I’m dead set on helping other people realize their potential, and fuel themselves so they can reach it.

The way out of your revolving door may not seem obvious, and it will definitely not feel easy. You should know that anything worth having is worth fighting for. More than anything, your life is worth fighting for. So whatever you’re fighting, please remember there’s a purpose behind it all. Your purpose might be hiding beneath the layers of these battles that you face. It’s not about what happens to you, but rather what you do about it. Choose to do something great. 

Mollie C., University of South Carolina

 

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