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Are You Struggling With Anorexia?
Are you tired of letting food and calories control your life? Do you find yourself obsessing over what you’re going to eat, what you’ve already eaten or when you are going to exercise? Maybe mealtimes overwhelm you with anxiety and dread. Are you starting to worry about how your eating habits are impacting your health, even while you can’t imagine eating full meals? Do you wish you could feel comfortable in your body, feel good about who you are and have a healthy relationship with food?
Living with an eating disorder or body image issues can be a confusing, isolating and even helpless experience. You might wake up each morning and immediately begin planning what you will eat during the day. Maybe you skip breakfast and keep to yourself at lunch, making excuses when coworkers or friends ask you to eat with them. If you do eat something, you may be flooded with guilt, anxiety and feelings of self-hatred and worthlessness. Perhaps you can’t feel at ease until you get to the gym and count out the calories you have burned.
While you may be starting to think that you may have a problem, you still can’t quiet the insistent, nagging voice in your head telling you that you can’t stop restricting calories. Maybe people around you are expressing concern about your well-being, but you feel as though you aren’t possibly thin enough to really be sick. Perhaps the idea of changing your eating habits or gaining weight fills you with fear. You might feel as though your world will fall apart if you stop counting calories, restricting food intake or spending hours at the gym. But, you may also feel as though you never have the energy or mental space to think about anything but food.
Many Women Struggle With Eating and Body Image Issues
If you are obsessed with being thin, you are not alone. Anorexia and other eating disorders impact roughly 30 million Americans. Anorexia, particularly, is especially common among women, who grow up bombarded with images depicting the “ideal” female body. Movies, TV shows and ads primarily portray tall, thin, beautiful women, and it can be difficult to get those images out of your head when you look in the mirror. But, it is important to understand that the bodies portrayed in the media represent only 5 percent of all women. And, most importantly, your worth is not reliant on your weight or appearance.
Many women who suffer from anorexia are driven, hard working and prone to perfectionism. Sometimes, women develop an eating disorder as a sort of coping skill. Perhaps something has happened in your life that makes you feel frightened, hopeless or out of control. Or, maybe your days are so full of stress and unpredictability that monitoring your caloric intake gives you a sense of peace and stability. While calorie restrictions can feel temporarily satisfying – proof of your self-control – anorexia can take a severe toll on your physical, emotional and mental well-being. And, if you have begun avoiding relationships or activities out of fear of eating or answering questions about your eating, anorexia may be controlling your choices and limiting your life. For your long-term health and happiness, it is essential that you get to the root of your eating issues and develop other, healthier coping methods that can grant you real, lasting relief.
Anorexia Treatment Can Help You Live a Healthier Life
Therapy is the most effective and long-lasting form of anorexia treatment. In safe, confidential sessions, I can help you identify disordered eating behaviors so that you can interrupt negative cycles and normalize your relationship with food. To add to your recovery process, I can build a positive, collaborative relationship with your primary care doctor and dietitian to establish a team approach to aid your recovery in the safest way possible. My goal is to help you foster greater self-acceptance and commit to making positive changes in your actions. Together, we will discuss your core values and work toward putting committed action toward achieving those values.
Pain, struggle and anxiety are all normal parts of life, but sometimes we cope with them in ways that don’t support our core values. Strictly controlling your caloric intake is currently one of your coping methods – probably one that has helped you through some tough times. It can be scary to imagine navigating the world without it. However, I can help you develop new, healthy ways of managing stress and difficult emotions. With help and support, you can begin to accept life’s complexities and live in a more authentic, fulfilling way.
I am a compassionate, warm and nonjudgmental therapist with nearly 10 years of experience helping people break out of compulsive, destructive cycles. Rather than dwelling on the past or trying to change your thoughts and feelings, I can guide and support you as you begin to take healthier actions. As you change your behaviors, you may begin to notice that your thoughts and feelings change as well.
Anorexia treatment does work, and recovery is possible. You can experience a significant reduction in the amount of time you dedicate to tracking calories and the number of thoughts you have about food and your body. By doing things that nurture your mind, emotions and body, you can feel better about yourself and dedicate energy to pursuing the things you want in life.
You may believe that anorexia treatment can help you, but still have questions or concerns…
I don’t think I’m sick enough to need professional help.
If you are in good physical health, that is great. However, if you recognize your experiences in this page, you are likely struggling with behaviors that can do real harm to your mind, emotions and body. Anorexia is a real disease, and left untreated, it can have dire consequences. By starting therapy now, you can begin shifting your behaviors so that you don’t grow more seriously ill. You can save yourself years of hardship and pain by stopping anorexia’s progression in its tracks.
Further, it can be very difficult for people struggling with anorexia to recognize the severity of their eating disorder. Body dysmorphia and an unhealthy relationship with food are central symptoms of anorexia. Sometimes, it can feel like you have two different selves: one self that fears food, and one self who wants to be healthy. If you are starting to notice concerning physical symptoms or worrying that you may be doing yourself harm, I encourage you to seek professional help.
Anorexia treatment is going to make me gain weight, and the thought of that makes me feel ill.
In therapy, you are going to develop the tools to live a healthier, more fulfilling life. If you have been struggling with anorexia, it can be difficult to see gaining weight as a positive thing. But, you may wish to consider whether or not you feel happy right now. Your mental, emotional and physical health are all very important, and you can’t truly have one without the others. Delaying anorexia treatment can do lasting harm. By seeking help, you can begin your journey toward healing.
I don’t know how to live without restricting what I eat.
I understand that restricting calories has served as a coping method for you, and in sessions, I will honor that. But, the relief that comes with restriction isn’t long lasting, reliable or safe. In our work together, I can help you develop effective, healthy skills and techniques for dealing with painful emotions and experiences. Treatment will not make your life perfect, but it will help you feel better equipped to face those imperfections.
You don’t have to let battles with food and body image control and limit your life anymore. You can embrace your intrinsic values, cultivate self-love and live authentically. Whether you are struggling with anorexia or you have read this page out of concern for someone else, I invite you to call me at 704 659 6861 for a free, 20-minute phone consultation. I also offer brief in-person consultations. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about anorexia treatment and my practice.