Disordered eating can leave you feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from yourself and others
You want to change, but feel scared and aren’t sure how. You try to eat normally, but are afraid of gaining weight. Or maybe you want to stop the cycle of binging and shame. There are days where you are completely fine, but then stress drives you towards unhealthy vices. Perhaps you engage in dieting fads or skip meals often. Maybe you find yourself overeating after a stressful day and then feeling guilty for days to come. Either way, you don’t know where to start, but you know you need a change.
Disordered eating can impact your thoughts and attitudes towards your physical appearance
You’re dissatisfied with your appearance, feel uncomfortable in your body, and constantly preoccupied with your weight. Maybe you find yourself body checking or critiquing yourself as you compare yourself to others. Thoughts related to food and weight consume your mind. Rather than focusing on your responsibilities, such as school or work, you are overwhelmed by thoughts about food. You can’t stop thinking about the foods you want to eat. Or you’re obsessively shaming yourself about food you’ve eaten.
Struggling with disordered eating can feel isolating and lonely. When you aren’t feeling great about your appearance, you tend to isolate yourself from others or withdraw from social activities to avoid confrontation. Thoughts about your food and your appearance are preventing you from being fully present, engaging in fulfilling relationships, and enjoying daily life.
No matter what you try, you find yourself stuck in a cycle of unhealthy behaviors. You notice this has been negatively impacting other areas of your life including:
- Physical health
- Relationships with friends and family
- Finances (buying diet products or binge food)
- Academic or professional performance
- Mental Health (low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, mood swings)
You’ve attempted to make changes, but still find yourself hating your body
You keep finding flaws that make you feel inadequate. You’ve attempted to change your body and appearance to feel better. New outfits, makeup, different diet, but nothing has worked. You’ve tried finding the “right” diet. You tried only eating low calorie foods and deeming certain foods as “off limits.” But you end up right back where you started.
Perhaps eating less has given you a sense of control and power, yet you still find yourself dreaming about what you’ll eat next. Maybe you successfully avoid certain foods for a period of time, only to relapse with a vengeance. You’ve tried to change your eating patterns to feel more comfortable in yourself, yet nothing seems to work long-term.
You can find a way out of the shame. And you don’t have to do it alone
You may feel apprehensive about getting help. What if the therapist doesn’t understand why this is so difficult for you? Will the therapist judge you if you’re honest? You may wonder how you can be honest with a therapist when you’re struggling to be honest with yourself.
Making the choice to enlist help for disordered eating is a huge step towards overall healing and self-love. Remember that therapy is a nonjudgmental place for you to confront the issues you’ve been avoiding. Your disordered eating therapist is here to understand your daily struggles.
Therapy for disordered eating means having a safe space with a compassionate eating disorder counselor. In addition, treatment for disordered eating requires a unique plan for each individual. Our approach to disordered eating focuses on restoring the health of the body and mind by:
- Understanding your physical and emotional symptoms
- Addressing underlying causes
- Creating a new, healthy eating routine
- Exploring family dynamics
- Changing disordered thinking and behavior
- Developing problem solving skills and coping strategies
Treatment approaches may vary depending on your individual needs. Some forms of therapy can include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Family-based Treatment
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Therefore, an individualized plan can ensure the best possible outcome for treatment. As you develop healthy eating habits and thought patterns, you can find the confidence and life skills to cope with all that each day has to offer.