I’m Sarah, and I welcome you to Living with Autism and Anorexia Nervosa
I hope to build an interactive and supportive community within the Eating Disorder (ED) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) community that doesn’t exclude other mental health issues.
I’ve always lived in Australia, and I love it here.
I developed Anorexia nervosa (AN) in early childhood. I also have ASD and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). I prefer these abbreviations, or I may exceed my word limit, and I don’t want that!
I have other co-morbidities; that I refer to as my not-so-cute fuzzy ducklings because they follow me wherever I go. These include Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Bipolar type 2, Anxiety/Panic, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
I disassociate a lot, and I can’t recall my early childhood. People have always cracked jokes about my situation, like, “You were in the wrong line at birth” or, “Wow, you just got everything, didn’t you?”. I probably freaked out my parents by needing an emergency Caesarean; I took my first breath once they untangled my cord, and I was gifted to the family I love and adore. The hospital treatment did right by me at birth, but it’s not as easy with AN and ASD these days. Within my writing, I will explain why this is so and how I got here, but this isn’t who I am; this is what I’ve experienced.
So, about me:
I love my pets, I have a service companion in training which you will get to meet. My gorgeous girl dog is named Pixie. I also have two other dogs, Bjorn and Loki, a cat named Piglet and a bird named Crystal. I work for a crisis hotline and am in training. I have certificates in community services, aged care, home care and disability. I have spent time in and out of hospitals due to my AN and Depression, and I’ve met the most amazing people through these experiences. I love to write; I always have. I am excited to have my own platform to provide a voice and meeting place for others like me: my mentor Dr June Alexander, The Diary Healer.
Nothing has come easy to me, and some days it hits me harder and is more challenging than others, but on the days where I feel uplifted, I feel so great and proud to be where I now am compared to how I felt for many years.
I want to share things that not even the people closest to me know in my own time because I want to be a voice of the achievements I’ve overcome and not be ashamed. I hope that by sharing my story, you will feel confident in sharing your story, also.
Together we can support each other and make a difference.
Let’s walk together through a journey of recovery and healing and be a support to each other when feeling alone. I feel dedicated to creating a community based on respect, empathy and compassion.
