Category Archives: My Story

Second semester was smoother because I now had two friends in my program: Brianne and Luke. I sat with them in a lot of our classes and was grateful to feel more connected. One of my courses involved doing some work in a neuroscience lab, and I was grateful for the experience. I finally hadContinue reading “Second Year Part 2”

At this point, I had been connected with a private psychologist in Burlington to continue working on issues related to anxiety, perfectionism, depression and my eating disorder. I felt guilty because I knew my parents had to pay for it, but also felt like I really needed the support. I was living in a studentContinue reading “Starting Second Year”

As second semester started, I once again felt intense pressure to excel. I proved to myself in first semester that if I tried, I could do really well. In first semester I had physics, chemistry, psychology, economics, and biology, and I got an A or A+ in all of them. This combined with my stressContinue reading “Second Semester of First Year”

At the end of August, I moved into residence at McMaster University to start my undergraduate degree in Life Sciences. The morning I was supposed to move in, my mother sat down at our family table with me. She said, “So, are you going to eat this year?” I was mortified. By then I knewContinue reading “Starting University (Again)”

I was connected with a psychologist and started taking the antidepressants. I was extremely fortunate that the antidepressant seemed to work fairly quickly. It definitely numbed my thoughts and made living more bearable. I remember getting some strange side effects, like a tingly nose and feeling very fatigued. My dad watched me at home, andContinue reading “My Unplanned Gap Year”

Coming home didn’t end up feeling as good as I thought it would. I think I had some delusional fantasy that if I went home all of my mental and physical issues would just go away. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Halloween weekend was coming up, and I was already thinking about where IContinue reading “Leaving University”

I remember feeling anxious driving to university with my parents, with all my things packed in the car. The move-in went smoothly, I had a private room in a beautiful new residence, and I shared a bathroom with a friend from high school. My parents helped me set my things up, and left. I rememberContinue reading “Starting First Year”

The summer after high school went by very quickly. I was working as a cashier at Denninger’s, and trying to enjoy myself after successfully graduating high school. I no longer had to stress about grades and devote a good chunk of time to school, so that focus and obsession turned to food and exercise. IContinue reading “The Summer After High School”

I was terrified of going to high school. So terrified, I cried the night before, laying in my bed wondering what it would be like. Would I do well in school? Will I adapt? Will I get beaten up? Most of my friends from elementary school were going to the same school as me, soContinue reading “The Transition to High School”

My life before high school was typical of any middle to high income child living in the suburbs. I participated in dance, soccer, horseback riding camps, and excelled at school. I was the valedictorian at my Gr. 8 graduation, and also won a few awards. I received the female academic award, and the female athleteContinue reading “Just before High School”