40 Things People With Eating Disorders Wish Others Understood
I found this awesome list and wanted to share it <3 Click HERE to read 40 Things People With Eating Disorders Wish Others Understood <3
The ones I relate to the most are...
#3 Recovery is long and hard. If I talk a lot about it, its because it affects every aspect of my life.
#5 While recovery is a choice, developing an eating disorder definitely is not.
#26 When I talk about my struggle with food its not for attention.
whoopsies the link broke
https://themighty.com/2015/11/what-eating-disorder-feels-like/
@summertimeSamness - Fixed it! :)
Oh @summertimesamness <3 <3 <3
Love you and this so much!!!!!! Big huggles to you!!!!
With big lovvey,
Breathe
@JustBreathe11
loaf you too twinny <3 <3 <3
*huggles*
which ones did you relate to the most?
@summertimeSamness
Ummmm. Let's seeeeeeee.... :) I'll try not to do all of them...... OK it ended up being almost all of them. But I really firmly believe all of them relate to my life and situation.... I loaf you!
1. You cant ‘just eat. The world inside your head is so twisted and controlling, a prison of black and white; it makes you fear every aspect of your life outside of your ‘control.
2. Even if you appear ‘healthy, you may not be… physically and emotionally. Eating disorders manifest in many ways.
3. Recovery is long and hard. If I talk a lot about it, its because it affects every aspect of my life.
8. Basic things like going to a family gathering, going out on a date and leaving the house spur of the moment are not that simple for someone with an eating disorder. I have to get over huge mental hurdles just to do simple things.
9. Weight restoration doesnt mean youve beaten your eating disorder. Its a struggle every day. Theres so much more to recovery than weight.
14. When someone says, ‘You dont look like you have an eating disorder, its extremely triggering.
17. I wish people realized how loud my eating disorder is.
21. Its our eating disorder thats selfish, not us.
22. I wish people understood that eating disorders dont just take over your eating habits; they dominate your entire life; every thought, every action.
23. Its not about the food or weight — its deeper than that. We use the eating disorder to mask something underlying. This isnt a choice or a lifestyle.
26. When I talk about my struggle with food its not for attention.
35. It hurts to hear, ‘I wish I had that kind of discipline.
37. We wish we could be living our lives free. How I wish I could go out on a normal dinner date with my boyfriend or enjoy a holiday feast or a regular dinner with family.
38. Eating disorders can feel like a third wheel in your relationships/friendships.
39. ‘Anorexic is not an adjective.
This is why whenever I talk about me and anorexia I say, "I HAVE ANOREXIA" not "I AM ANOREXIC"
I LOAF ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
With love,
Breathe
@JustBreathe11
IKR!!!! it's hard to pick only a couple :P <3<3<3
@summertimeSamness
I miss you!!!!!
Loaf you lots!!!
With love,
Breathe
@JustBreathe11 This maybe be silly and I feel stupid for asking but how do you know if you have an eating disorder? Number 23 on your list is what I feel.
@AmalieAnne - Not silly at all! Officially, the only way to know for sure is to be diagnosed by talking with a doctor or therapist. But in general, the way that I define it is if your preoccupation with food and/or eating habits are starting to get in the way of you living a healthy or normal life, it's a problem that's worth addressing. That could be from weight changes that are dangerous, from specific habits that are harmful to your body (e.g., purging), or from it being so pervasive that you're struggling to concentrate on other things, hurting relationships with friends, etc.
If it would help to talk about it, you're more than welcome to reach out to me! Take care
@Anomalia I am see the psychologist later but she does tell me off when I don't eat, so does mommy. I was not able to eat until I was 5 because I could not control the.. I am not sure what it is called sorry. But I had to be on oxgyen until I was 8 but not in 5 years. When I started eating I really did not like it but now it kind of makes me feel better to not eat but I don't know why. I have made myself sick twice but mommy caught me, she also makes me stay at the table until I finish eating. Just not eating makes me feel better. Suzanna the psychologist, we normally talk about the other thing but I have only seen her 3 times today is the 4th time. I get weighed because I am small for my age so I keep getting told I need to eat more even though I don't want to. I just don't want the tube in my nose again because then I don't get a choice. I just don't understand why I have to eat or why I really don't like it. I hope that make some sense.
Ami
@AmalieAnne I forgot to say you said number 23 is not about food and that made sense because it more about I think being in control of something. I think that is right.
@AmalieAnne - You mentioned that you don't know why you have to eat - that one is because our bodies require nutrition to exist and function. Just like plants need sunlight and water, our bodies need food. Without it, they don't work. As for why you don't like eating, I think what you said about control makes a lot of sense - a lot of people with eating disorders find a peace in that sense of control, even if it's harmful to their bodies to do it. Do you think that maybe today when you talk to the psychologist you could talk about this with her?
@Anomalia Mommy says that as well, in order 'to grow Amalie you have to eat so stop crying and eat'. I know it is silly but I wish I were a plant, well I just needed water and sun light. The control makes everything better though, it stops the pictures and feelings. I will try to talk to Suzanna about it but I have only know her a little while and sometimes it is difficult to be brave and say things. I think she will tell me off though. I can't really talk to mommy about it because of ethics but I dont really get that.
@AmalieAnne - Hmmm, I'm not sure about the part about not telling your mom - I would think that would be okay...or do you mean that she cannot tell your mom things?
For the control thing, perhaps there are other ways to get the same sense of calm without hurting yourself. What other things make you feel better besides not eating?
I believe in you and think you can be brave and tell Susannah today - if it's hard to tell her out loud, maybe you could write it down and hand it to her? Either way, I think talking about it can help and I hope you will! :)
@Anomalia I did not explain that well mommy is a psychologist so I can tell her things as my mommy but she can not do the psychologist stuff so that is why I see Suzanna. Even though she teachs and writes now. She does help with what Suzanna gives me to do at home but it has to be what I think and she is really busy as well. The other things that help are reading I guess that is it I think. I guess medication also helps but I have only been taking that since last tuesday when I came out of hospital. I could draw something to tell Suzanna, I think I know what I could draw to tell her. Is it ok to do that?
Ami
@AmalieAnne - If drawing feels like an easier way to tell her, then I think that's a great plan! The goal is to let her know what's going on so that she can help you through it, and I think any method that gets you there is a good one. :)
@Anomalia Thank you I will do that. We have to go at 12 so I have time to do it now.
@AmalieAnne
For me my eating disorder is A LOT about CONTROL. A lot of people talk about how much it is about controlling everything. You are not alone.
With love,
Breathe
@AmalieAnne
It is not a silly question. You would have to see a licensed mental health professional to find out for sure. Eating disorders can be shape shifters. I second what @Anomalia said as well. When thinking about food and weight begins to be what you think about all the time, and interfering with other aspects of your life, this can be a big red flag for concern! Feel free to message me!
Stay safe and big hugs! <3 <3 <3
With love,
Breathe
@JustBreathe11 I did see Suzanna yesterday and we wrote down some rules, a lot of them. The one I did not like is that I have to eat or I will have to go into hospital again. So I have to eat because I really don't want to go to hopital. Suzanna is a psycholoigst. The parental block won't let me look this up but she said my bmi is [edited by Anomalia to remove BMI] do you know what that means? Also are shape shifters monsters?
*hugs*
Amalie
@AmalieAnne
I'm glad you saw her yesterday. If you would like to talk more about this, feel free to message me or another listener, because we try and leave numbers that could be triggering out of the forum.
It sounds like she is concerned about you. That is a good thing sweetie.
Take care!
With love,
Breathe
@summertimeSamness
Thank you for sharing. Great post . 
tagging some people that might be interested :
@carrotcakefan , @ForeverKeepRising , @Anomalia @justbreathe11 , @MistyMountainHope , @safeandsoundta , @PuppyLove13 , @1adaptabletiger , @CatGirl2015 , @aminacoffin , @MayBlue , @Just0Annie , @teddybear211 , @MapleSyyrup , @DancingAlong , @dancingrainbow45 , @emma160 , @Niula , @JustBreathe11
This is a great list! I think the ones I most relate to are:
2. Even if you appear ‘healthy, you may not be… physically and emotionally. Eating disorders manifest in many ways.
3. Recovery is long and hard. If I talk a lot about it, its because it affects every aspect of my life.
8. Basic things like going to a family gathering, going out on a date and leaving the house spur of the moment are not that simple for someone with an eating disorder. I have to get over huge mental hurdles just to do simple things.
17. I wish people realized how loud my eating disorder is.
22. I wish people understood that eating disorders dont just take over your eating habits; they dominate your entire life; every thought, every action.
27. Things are not what they seem. Just because youre eating doesnt mean youre ‘better. Just because you gained weight or you havent lost any weight doesnt mean you dont have an eating disorder. Just because you look ‘healthy doesnt mean you dont have an eating disorder.
28. No matter how far you are in recovery, little comments can still hurt.
29. Its not exclusively a teenage problem.
Thanks for sharing it!
@Anomalia
Thanks for sharing the ones you relate to <3 I relate to alot of those too <3 especially number 17 <3
Thank you for sharing!
The ones that jump out at me most:
2. Even if you appear ‘healthy, you may not be… physically and emotionally. Eating disorders manifest in many ways.
3. Recovery is long and hard. If I talk a lot about it, its because it affects every aspect of my life.
6. It never fully goes away; it lingers in the darkest, deepest parts of your thoughts. It gets easier to deal with but will always be there.
17. I wish people realized how loud my eating disorder is.
38. Eating disorders can feel like a third wheel in your relationships/friendships.
@DancingAlong
Hi DancingAlong, thanks for sharing the ones you relate to <3 I can relate to alot of the same ones <3 especially number 17 <3
This is so wonderfully accurate - thank you so much for posting this.
@summertimeSamness