hey sextigors do you have a complex
relationship with food for a long time
eating disorders were not acknowledged
for what they were a complex mental
health condition characterized by an
unhealthy relationship with food in 2018
neda estimated that 20 million women and
10 million men in america will have an
eating disorder at some point in their
lives
although anyone can be affected by an
eating disorder this condition usually
targets younger women and men it's more
than just not wanting to eat it is a
complex psychological portrait
surrounding food that can manifest
itself through restrictive binging
purging or other behaviors so if you're
having problems with food here are five
signs of an eating disorder and what to
do
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number one
fear of gaining weight
a common symptom of an eating disorder
is the fear of gaining weight or
obesophobia
obesophobia sometimes known as
ocrescophobia is a type of anxiety
disorder that involves having an
irrational fear of a specific place
object or situation in the context of
eating disorders obesophobia presents
itself through the prism of the body it
can cause you to obsessively count
calories fast go on frequent dieting or
over exercise yourself
although this fear of gaining weight
does not have one specific cause there
are several factors that may contribute
to it including the stigmas of weight
having perfectionism an anxiety disorder
or having gone through a negative
experience in the past
number two
food control do you look for things you
can control when you're feeling stressed
out
often times when you're going through a
difficult period in your life you'll
turn to food as an outlet
it may seem logical as how much you eat
and how you look can be seen as physical
indicators of how in control you are
however this type of thinking can
quickly devolve into harming behaviors
like restrictive eating extreme dieting
binging purging or hoarding but looking
for control is just one reason you may
engage in these harmful behaviors the
normalization of purging or restrictive
behaviors bonding purges and diet
cultures in our societies can all also
affect your relationship to food
unfortunately continuous engagement in
these behaviors can lead to health
complications such as heart failure
heart arrhythmia malnutrition
gastrointestinal complications
and even death
so if you notice that you're engaging in
food controlling behaviors as a coping
mechanism you may want to work with a
licensed therapist so they can help you
create better adaptive coping mechanisms
that help you address your fears
anxieties and pain connected to food
number three
food and body image plays a large part
in self-esteem what do you think about
yourself
according to american psychology
association low self-esteem is one of
the underlying triggers for an eating
disorder in today's culture the beauty
industry and the media like to bombard
everyone with photoshopped images of
what the ideal woman or man needs to
look like this can brainwash you into
thinking that the numbers on a scale
correspond to your worth as a human
being however this habit to correlate
your self-worth to your clothing size
the calories you consume your waist
measurements or your weight not only
negatively impacts your self-esteem but
it can also lead to a tendency to turn
to harmful eating diets and restrictions
to cope so if you struggle with
self-esteem issues and have problems
with food please seek professional help
engaging in cvte or other forms of
treatment can help you recognize and
reduce harmful thoughts and emotions
related to food
number four
ritualistic eating pattern
do you have a preference for how you eat
and prepare your food
perhaps you like to cut your food into
small pieces before you eat or you have
to use a certain set of utensils and
plate to eat
while ritualistic eating does not
necessarily point to having an eating
disorder many people who have
obsessive-compulsive disorders can
exhibit extreme eating rituals that can
end up harming their overall well-being
some examples include arranging food in
a specific order only eating at specific
times or places or weighing and
measuring their food
since eating disorders are often anxiety
driven having a ritual can provide a
certain degree of comfort and
familiarity and although some of these
are harmless some extreme forms of
eating patterns can end up being
dangerous to your health
number five continued fixation on food
are you constantly thinking about food
perhaps you're wondering about what
you're going to eat next or questioning
how many calories are in each item of
food on the table the constant thoughts
about the food you are eating or will
eat can slowly take over your mind and
prevent you from paying attention to
anything else not only that it can also
cause or exacerbate an eating disorder
these intrusive thoughts may include
asking yourself if you'll be able to
stop once you start if you've eaten too
much if the food is healthy or clean
enough or if the food will make you fat
these thoughts can pull you out of the
experience of eating and make you deaf
to the hunger signals that your body
sends you
if you found yourself being bombarded
with these intrusive thoughts
you may want to try practicing intuitive
eating it's not a diet but a way of
becoming more attuned to the needs of
your body
it is an approach that teaches you how
to listen to bodily signals and cues
what to do
if you are struggling with an eating
disorder or any of the points mentioned
in this video please consider seeking
professional help a licensed therapist
or professional can help you build the
tools necessary to recognize examine and
deal with the underlying triggers of
your eating disorder they can also help
you establish better coping mechanisms
and build a better relationship with
food
do you or someone you know struggle with
their relationship with food
let us know in the comments below if you
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references and studies used in this
video are added in the description below
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