Eating Disorder Awareness: How to Recognize Disordered Eating and Get Support
This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
Many people of all genders experience eating disorders or disordered eating, and it is important to address these struggles. In order to heal, it is important to first understand what disordered eating patterns can look like and how we can take steps to treat those patterns.
What is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder occurs when an individual has difficulties due to distorted beliefs around food, body image, and weight. This leads to unhealthy behaviors around things like food and weight. There are multiple different types of eating disorders and these conditions do not look the same from person to person. These conditions can often go misdiagnosed due to many eating patterns being misunderstood, hidden or disguised.
Some people also experience disordered eating that does not qualify for diagnosis. Even without a formal diagnosis, the behaviors and the beliefs that accompany the eating behavior are often a source of distress for people who experience them. This occurs when people have beliefs and behaviors around food, weight, and body image that impact a person’s health (mental, physical, or otherwise). In our society, people may experience being praised for these unhealthy eating behaviors, which is why it is important to acknowledge it and try to shift those patterns.
Signs of Disordered Eating
If you are concerned that you are experiencing some disordered eating, here are some signs that you may want to check in with your therapist or healthcare provider about:
You avoid certain food groups (without an allergy restriction)
Skipping meals
Creating strict food rules (without doctor supervision)
Eating a large amount of food at one time, to the point of making you feel uncomfortable
Avoiding food related events
Using exercise to earn food
Preferring to eat alone
Excessively exercising
How To Start Addressing Eating Struggles
If you are experiencing some of these patterns or are concerned about any of these factors mentioned above, please talk to your therapist as we can help you figure out how to address what is going on.
Here are some additional steps you can take to address your eating related struggles:
Have compassion with yourself
Try to replace your behaviors with different ones (example, if you got to the gym after every meal, maybe try to read a book instead)
Learn what your stressors are, and try to acknowledge them as they happen
What Does Treatment Look Like?
Treatment depends on the person and situation. For some, you can address disordered eating with a therapist, but for others, you may have to create a team of therapist, doctor, and dietician to address how to change some of your behaviors. For other people the best treatment may look even more involved. In therapy, we like to learn why this type of behavior is happening, and try to change the behaviors that are distressing. We will also try to find a way to make life more manageable when it comes to things like going out to events where food is involved, and things that may trigger these behaviors.
Ellie Staples
Ellie is an undergraduate intern for Flourish Counseling & Wellness. She is currently a fourth-year student at Colorado State University, majoring in psychology with a concentration in clinical counseling.
Ellie hopes to continue her education in graduate school this fall with a goal of becoming a licensed therapist working with children and adolescents.
Remington is a 2.5 year old medical alert service dog. He has been doing service work for the last year and a half, and he hopes to one day to add therapy dog to his list of skills.
