Hey Beauties, welcome back for Cuppa&Chat!! This week we are talking Eating Disorders!! Someting that is being seen more and more, especially in teenager’s. Em is here to explain her story and give some tip’s on what helped her manage her own battle with an eating disorder.
**Trigger Warning!! – This post contains information that readers may find upsetting or trigger unwanted feelings.**
You know the drill, get the cuppa and snacks out!!!!
Tip’s To Manage Eating Disorders
Being a teenager, these are supposedly the easier and best years of my life. Unfortunately, an eating disorder isn’t something you can control as such, and it took over. Having been fully discharged, I wanted to share some tips and advice regarding eating disorders and coping. I don’t think eating disorders are spoken about enough. If they were, 70 million people worldwide wouldn’t be suffering right now.
What Is An Eating Disorder?
An eating disorder can be many things, but I want to remind you that it doesn’t define the sufferer. An eating disorder refers to unusual and persistent eating habits that impact your health, emotions and ability to function. It is a compulsive disorder, and there are many different types and symptoms. Many people think anorexia and looking very skinny is the only type. In fact, over-weight people can have an eating disorder too. This is usually called a binge-eating disorder. You can’t always see an eating disorder. Just because someone looks a healthy weight, doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering.
A Little Bit About My Disorder
I was diagnosed with anorexia in my first year of sixth form. I must have just turned 17, but had been suffering from an eating disorder and body dysmorphia for years before that. My disorder was diagnosed as “Anorexia Nervosa”, and I was severely underweight. I was lucky to have been referred to a clinic because my organs were shutting down. I also found that I was drinking too much water (to fill me up) which lead to constant back pain. It was a very horrible time in my life, but I glad that I caught it and was able to recover.
Tips On How To Cope With An Eating Disorder
“Ask For Support From Close Friends & Family“
Something I did, which sparked a change was talking to my mum about the problem. My family had let me try to fix the problem on my own as I was adamant I could do it. It turns out, I wasn’t, and talking to other people about the problem was the best thing for me. If I hadn’t reached out, I probably wouldn’t be here now. I really owe it to my family for their help and compromise when I was coping with my disorder.
Ask for support from trusted people like close friends and family. Make sure you know they won’t judge you or force you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. If you talk about it, the weight gets lifted off of your shoulders. It can make things a bit easier to manage, and you have someone watching your back. Addressing the problem means that you accept you have an issue. By talking about it with someone else, you can take steps to overcome your illness.
“Stop Looking At The Media“
I used to look at these sites called “thinspiration” blogs, and they are a really toxic place to be. It seemed to me that the blogs turned eating disorders into cults, where you would have rules and commandments to obey. Many gave tips and tricks to get thinner, and they made it a lot worse for my disorder. There were punishments to take if you broke a rule. I also found that social media is full of body negativity, or, very skinny models.
One of the best things to do is avoid these sites, and shut off social media, for a while. You can scroll through Twitter or Instagram for hours, but this may be damaging to your mental health. It can also influence negative behaviour, which can impact your progress. You mustn’t actively seek these websites.
“Maintain Good Eating Habits“
One thing I struggled with was finding a balance between binging and eating too little. I would go from only eating veggies to binging on copious amounts of junk food. This wasn’t a healthy cycle and found it was really hard to break.
The way I found to cope was by setting out regular meal times and having a balanced diet. I would sit down with my family at the weekend, and we would plan out my meals for the week. It wasn’t restrictive, but I had to eat whatever I’d asked for. We made sure I was eating all the right foods, and didn’t eat on my own. We did it like this so I couldn’t throw my food away. I found that eating with my family showed me that eating was okay. Set regular meals and snacks to avoid binging. If you starve yourself, you’re more likely to binge. Make sure it isn’t too big of a gap between meals, this is where snacks come it.
“Get Professional Help“
As difficult as this may be for some people, the best thing to do is get professional help. The referral was the hardest thing for me, and I remember it vividly. It was a really painful thing to do, but I am glad my mum made the phone call. As much as I hated the chose of therapy, it saved my life and I made a lot of positive progress with it.
If you’re struggling, please get help. It may be something you dislike, but these clinics are designed to help you, find out what’s going on, and prevent it from happening in the future. You may find it really hard when you’re gaining a bit of healthy weight or talking about your feelings, but it honestly is a really beneficial thing to do. I met a lot of really inspiring people and found my happiness again. There are so many ways you can get professional help including clinics, phone-calls, email guidance etc.
I hope that sharing my story has shown some of you that you’re not alone. My messages are always open if you’d like to talk. Eating disorders are a really hard thing to overcome, but it isn’t impossible. It shouldn’t be so taboo. Don’t be afraid to come forward and ask for help as it can save your life. Together, we can overcome eating disorders.
Thankyou so much to Em for being so brave and sharing her story and for such awesome tips!! What do you all think?? Let us know in the comment’s!!
Much Love – Mrs Slee-Jones xx
About the Guest Writer
Em is a UK blogger focusing on blogging, business & sustainability on her blog “Love, Em“. With 4 years of experience in the blogging world, she is keen to share her knowledge. Emily is passionate about helping others, and since leaving college, has decided to put her passions in writing. You can find her over on social media!
If you havent seen my other episodes of Cuppa&Chat you can see them here.
Such an informative post. I had never heard of eating disorder. I am sure it should have been tough for her. Glad she had the wonderful support system. Thanks for bringing such an issue to the fore.
I’m glad you found it informative!!
Such beautiful post. Thank you for being so vulnerable by sharing your story and informing others on eating disorders, support systems, and professional help.