Note: if you have even the smallest
suspicion you are in medical danger, consult a physician immediately.
Eating disorders can kill, and if you are already in trouble, you need
medical attention, not self-help tips.
In the U.S. we live in a
thin-obsessed society. The cultural ideals held up for us to emulate are
either stick thin with surgically enhanced breasts (female) or powerful
with clear muscle definition (male). It's no wonder that so many people
develop eating disorders when they try to achieve these unrealistic -- and
often unhealthy -- images of "perfection."
Almost always professional
help is required for recovery from an eating disorder, but if you want to
try to help yourself, here are some suggestions. If you are not in medical
danger, try them for a week. If, after seven days, you can't shake your
preoccupations with food and weight, and especially if you don't make any
progress towards changing harmful behaviors, get help from a resource
person -- a parent, school nurse, school counselor, family physician, or
mental health counselor. These people can be great allies in your struggle
for health and happiness. Don't avoid being honest with them because of
guilt or embarrassment.
Anorexia nervosa
- Don't diet. Never ever.
Instead design a meal plan that gives your body all the nutrition it
needs for health and growth. Also get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise or
physical activity three to five days a week. More than that is too much.
- Ask someone you trust
for an honest, objective opinion of your weight. If they say you are
normal weight or thin, believe them.
- When you start to get
overwhelmed by "feeling fat," push beyond the anxiety and ask yourself
what you are really afraid of. Then take steps to deal with the threat,
if it is real, or dismiss it if it is not real.
Bulimia nervosa
and binge eating disorder
- Don't let yourself get
too hungry, too angry, too lonely, too tired, or too bored. All these
states are powerful binge triggers. Watch for them, and when they first
appear, deal with them in a healthy manner instead of letting the
tension build until bingeing and purging become the release of choice.
- Stay busy and avoid
unstructured time. Empty time is too easily filled with binge food.
- Make sure that every day
you touch base with friends and loved ones. Enjoy being with them. It
sounds corny, but hugs really are healing.
- Take control of your
life. Make choices thoughtfully and deliberately. Make your living
situation safe and comfortable.
- Every day do something
fun, something relaxing, something energizing.
- Keep tabs on your
feelings. Several times a day ask yourself how you feel. If you get off
track, do whatever the situation requires to get back to your comfort
zone.
© 2002, Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc.
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