Shelly-Anne Mckay
I identify as a human. I am a self professed type “A“ personality who is highly driven. I get what it is like to go through the tough stuff that breaks our hearts, tests our faith, imprisons our thoughts and brings us to our knees.
Many years ago to keep-up with an ascending career as a Film/TV Producer and a Senior Media Communications Consultant in an industry that was completely out of balance, I used anything and everything (drugs, alcohol, food, shopping) to help me decompress, feel calm, relax and experience some joy.
I was utterly exhausted, and not on the brink of collapse - I DID collapse.
My mind, body and spirit couldn't take it anymore, my health was in the trashcan and as a result I was hospitalized for an entire month due to severe exhaustion in my 30s (everyone else on that ward was in their 80s). I recall the physician hanging over my bed when I was hooked up to all kinds of stuff saying to me, “If you don't change the way you do life young lady, you will not see your next birthday."
I didn't want to die. I wanted to break free from the food, alcohol and drug addiction so I could live a healthier life. Yet it felt so unattainable and overwhelming.
I had no idea HOW to get back on my feet, but I knew I had to recover my health.
I saw doctors, psychiatrists, therapists, counsellors, dieticians, nutritionists, food therapists, joined Overeaters Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Narcotics anonymous. I tried meditation, art, music, movement and all kinds of different things. Some of which was helpful in the moment and others that were not. I relapsed twelve times before September 17th of 2006, which is when I decided I would live my life different. I declared this my sobriety date, and officially began creating the “new me".
Deep down, I knew that I lived these experiences for a reason.
I began working with a coach myself, and began to see things I could not before. I overcame obstacles that seemed insurmountable. I learned about myself on a much deeper level. I saw things from different perspectives and had my thinking challenged in safe and supportive ways. I was empowered to see the changes needed to create balance in my life. I grew in ways I never imagined.
It was challenging at times, but I became clearer about what truly mattered to me, what my life was missing and began to create the life I knew I deserved and dreamed about.
I am not going to lie. Food addiction has been the toughest of all my addictions to overcome, and I have come to believe that it is an ongoing and evolving recovery process because we have to eat. We can't just stop it.
I have come a long way, as I no longer binge eat an entire cake in my car before returning home from the store. Or sneak eat food out of fear that someone will catch me. I have peace with food now, and understand how it plays a role in my physical, emotional and spiritual state.
I never imagined that making this a priority to figure out would result in me becoming a trauma informed, internationally accredited and board certified professional coach with multiple designations. Or that I would go on to create a private practice in which I specialize in helping other really successful women overcome these same challenges - and specifically food addiction. I also feel honored to be training medical professionals and wellness experts around the globe how to help other women like me achieve recovery with food addiction too.
I feel alive, fulfilled and energized.
I no longer agonize over every single food choice and obsessively spend all my mental energy thinking about food. I am committed to continuing to walk the recovery path with regards to food addiction. Growing and stretching myself to embrace even more healing on the path to discovering who I really am deep down inside.
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