What is an eating disorder?
Firstly, there are different types of an eating disorder a person can have. Examples include bulimia, anorexia, binge-eating, and many more. It is having too much or too little food consumption.
Common causes of an eating disorder:
Firstly, eating disorders begin through mental afflictions, such as self-image, bullying, and the like. Adding to that, it is mainly caused by environmental factors. Traumatic experiences in the past have negatively impacted your self-image. Eating disorders are known to lead to anxiety and depression.
Mine began due to bullying. Social Media has had a massive influence on beauty standards today. Social Media filters, edits and compare creating illusions surrounding beauty standards. Women are affected by this, associating their self-worth with their image beginning from childhood. Similarily, men also fall prey to this. They try to take control of the situation by limiting food intake. Others overindulge. More often than not, the impact and influence occurs from triggering past events.
Influences
Schools have a massive influence on a child’s mental wellbeing. And some children are impacted negatively. Our peers are important to us at such a young age. What they think matters to us. Their opinions of us are especially significant. If they view us in a negative light then we can fall into the trap of over-correcting.
My motto is always ‘let’s be real.’ Everyone has lived different lives. We all come from various backgrounds and cultures. These experiences have shaped us into who we are. Not everyone will like you or be your friend. Some can be judgemental, hypercritical, and volatile.
Children, if not taught respect and manners, will say what they feel. They will not think about how it will affect another person. They haven’t yet learnt the empathy trait. In order to achieve this they will need to have lessons instilled into them from a young age and be taught right and wrong.
The bullying for me was a hurtful and harmful experience. I began to fall further into the comparison trap because of this. And as a result, I began to believe the words and tried to change myself. This bad habit grew worse. An obsession began with changing my appearance. I wanted to feel better about myself. I also wanted to win others’ approval.
Recovering
Again, there is a link to every single Mental Health factor that led from one thing to another. My family’s love and support helped me. I learned to love and help myself. But, this took time and effort. I had to rewire the way I thought, practise different techniques to overcome these negative thoughts.
There were several patterns in my life that needed healing and helping. The key was recognising them. Then, I had to set my mind to transforming myself, not for anyone else but for me. This transformation began through understanding my past and coming to terms with it. My faith played a big part in my journey as well. The words, ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made,‘ kept coming to my mind. Initially, it was hard to believe. But, I got there in the end.
In addition, learning not to seek others’ approval so desperately was crucial. It was one of the biggest wins on my road to recovery.
Find below some really useful books
Find more useful books on Helpful Mental Health Books, Guides and Courses For You
Here is a link to my previous page Self-Improvement: How to Fight Depression and Stop Suicidal Thoughts
Follow the link to my next page Self-improvement: How to handle Stress-related disorders
Here is a link to my blog ‘Let’s Be Real’ Blog – helping you become the best you