Have you ever said to yourself, “When I lose the weight, I’ll _________ (fill in the blank), be happy, love myself, go for that promotion, ask that person out?”
The options are limitless. But, as anyone who has dieted and has achieved their goal weight knows, the feeling of satisfaction is short-lived. That elusive state where your life is dramatically different because you’ve achieved your ideal weight usually doesn’t last very long.
Then, in a panic, you rush straight towards all the foods that you’ve been depriving yourself of because the feeling is still there. You might not know what the feeling is; but it compels you to do something, whether it’s binge, graze, restrict food or compulsively exercise. Doing this repeatedly can create a vicious cycle that can be impossible to break out of on your own.
What is Disordered Eating?
Disordered eating — whether it’s binging, bulimia, grazing on food all day or anorexia — can develop as a coping mechanism to life’s difficult situations. Often, people develop eating disorders because growing up, they were left to manage their feelings and experiences on their own and didn’t learn the mechanisms for self-soothing. Turning to food for emotional comfort was the only way that they knew to cope. Or restricting food gave them a sense of control when everything else in their life felt out of control. The problem is that disordered eating is a temporary solution … at best. It doesn’t address the issue you’re trying to manage, and brings its own host of additional problems.
If you suffer from disordered eating, you can begin to address it by learning more about what you’re trying to avoid. It may not be obvious at first what feeling or experience you are trying to escape. What you do know is that at certain times during the day or night, you find yourself overeating or restricting, even though it’s not what your body physically needs.
Do a Body Scan
You can start to understand the underlying process by paying attention to what’s happening in your body when you feel the craving. It might be anxiety, sadness, tightness, emptiness or stress. One way to become more familiar with what’s happening is to do a body scan.
A body scan is a way of bringing awareness to the body and scanning for any tension, bodily sensations or feelings. For more instructions on this, there are apps and guided meditations that can act as a guide. Here’s one that is simple and easy to follow.
Becoming aware of the feelings you are trying to soothe with food and the sensations in your body that lead to craving are just the first steps to addressing an eating disorder. Working with a therapist who specializes in disordered eating can be a necessary component on the path towards healthy eating and body image.
Getting support from a therapist can be helpful in ending the isolation, gaining insight, learning tools for when cravings hit, and bringing a sense of hope.
If you would like to learn more about how I can help you, please get in touch today.
