Weight Gain Isn’t The End of The World
In society, it seems like the worst thing you can be is fat, as if having additional adipose tissue is indicative of some moral failing on your part. Never mind that weight gain can be caused by a myriad of reasons: medication, PCOS, disability, etc. The world tells you that if you’re not actively trying to lose weight then YOU are the problem. Here’s the thing, though — if society didn’t tell me that I was a lesser person because of my weight, I don’t think I would ever have had a problem with my body. After all, isn’t it supposed to change as I age?
My recovery from depression led to a lot of changes in my life. I became happier, more physically active, and had a significant increase in my quality of life. However, as anyone who’s been on antidepressants can tell you, most of these medications have the side effect of weight gain. I take Abilify to manage my conditions, which has led to a weight increase in the past two years. Coupled with recovering from a binge eating disorder that developed when I fell into a pattern of dieting and restricting, I have slowly but firmly edged into the “plus-sized” category.
It was a strange experience to lose thin privilege. I was a “normal” weight growing up but struggled with my mental health throughout my adolescence. As I got older, I started to heal. I went to therapy, tried different medications, and learned…
