Article May 10, 2010 Issue

A DRAMA-FREE ME

BY ELLEN AHEARN

It was my junior year in high school, and my life seemed to be going wrong in every way possible. My boyfriend had broken up with me, it felt like some of my friends were neglecting me, and my grades were slipping. On top of that, I started feeling sick, kind of "run down," and thought I looked fat. Overall, I felt abandoned by God.

My family was there for me, but at first I didn't really share too much about what I was going through. Drama, in the form of mental and physical "complaints," seemed to be hitting me right and left.

It may not sound like a big deal, but feeling unattractive was probably the worst part of this time for me. My whole life I'd felt like I was pudgy, and I'd done everything to physically fix it through exercise and eating right. Nothing ever worked. So during this time, I felt I'd finally hit a wall.