Anorexia Nervosa is a serious eating disorder that can be deadly. If you have the desire to become anorexic, seek immediate help from a mental health professional, such as a therapist. In seeking help, there are several things you can do to work through your feelings.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Improving Your Self-Image About Your Body
Step 1. Acknowledge that anorexia is often the result of negative emotions
The desire to be thin may be the result of destructive anxious thoughts. Sometimes this is a hereditary trait, but it's important to know that this kind of thinking will distort your body image and damage your body as well.
You may notice that you have an intense fear of gaining weight and experience a strong desire to lose it. This feeling is a symptom of anorexia. Try to remind yourself that this thought was born of an illness
Step 2. Stop comparing your body to other people's bodies
When you find yourself admiring other people's bodies and comparing them to your own, try to stop and think about what you're doing. If you think that way, you are acting out of an anxious and insecure impulse, and that is the impulse that anorexia produces. Recognize that this kind of thinking is destructive and driven by anorexia.
- When you judge another person's body or compare your body to theirs, force yourself to stop. Instead, remind yourself to accept other people's bodies, regardless of their shape, and accept yourself as you are.
- Think of your friends and family. They have different body shapes and sizes, and you love and care for them. Your affection for them has nothing to do with their size or shape, and vice versa.
Step 3. Avoid sites that contain pro-anorexia and unhealthy content
The Internet can be an excellent resource for accurate information, resources, and support about eating disorders. However, the internet also contains a variety of content that is unhealthy, destructive, and fuels a bad body image and encourages unreasonable expectations. Avoid these unhealthy sources to help deal with your feelings.
Step 4. Identify the things that make you want to be anorexic
You may be tempted to become anorexic or engage in behaviors that lead to anorexia because of unhealthy images of body shape and size, eating habits, and situations that promote extreme slimming. Learning about your reasons for becoming anorexic is important so that you identify situations you need to avoid. Some questions that can help you figure out the cause of your anorexic cravings are:
- Do you have a group of friends who are obsessed with the number of calories consumed? If so, friends like these may be the driving factor influencing you. Try spending less time with them or asking them not to talk too much about calories with you.
- Do family members often comment on your body and weight? If so, you should talk to them and explain how you feel. You should also tell other family members about this so that a family member can support you.
- Do you always read fashion magazines or watch shows that focus on being thin? If so, take a break from all this exposure to unhealthy images. Always keep in mind that these body shapes may have been given a “Photoshop” effect and the girls actually “don't” have that shape.
Step 5. Find friends who have a body image and a healthy diet
Your friends' attitudes toward food and their bodies can have an impact on your eating habits and your own body image. Try to find people who have positive images of their bodies and healthy attitudes toward food and weight, and spend lots of time with them.
People who love you can also help improve your attitude towards food and your body. If your loved ones are concerned about your being too thin or looking unhealthy, you should listen and take their concerns seriously
Step 6. Try to avoid situations that trigger your urges
Try to limit yourself to unhealthy situations. If you are involved in a hobby or are in an environment that makes your anorexic behavior worse, change that environment or your hobby.
- Consider quitting gymnastics or doing modeling or another hobby that focuses on your shape and size.
- Do not often weigh yourself or look in the mirror. Too much weight and constant attention to physical appearance can encourage negative behavior patterns in people with anorexia.
- Avoid friends who always talk about weight and always compare their bodies with others.
- Avoid websites, television shows, and other media exposures that feature unrealistic body shapes.
Step 7. Relax yourself
If you are anorexic, you may have high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, the stress hormone. If you have anorexia, you may be obsessed with being perfect, have controlling tendencies, or harbor insecurities. Obsessing over these things can be stressful. To help fight stress, take time to relax each day.
- Pamper yourself. Go for a manicure and pedicure, massage, or at-home spa at night.
- Try doing yoga or meditation. Both of these activities can reduce stress levels.
Method 2 of 3: Changing Your Thinking
Step 1. Realize that "fat" is not a feeling
When you feel “fat,” you may be dealing with another emotion, which you associate with feeling fat. Those other emotions are what you should be feeling.
- The next time you "feel fat" for a bad reason, take a step back. What emotions are you actually feeling? What situations make you feel negative? Who are you with? Try writing down your answers to these questions as often as possible to learn the pattern.
- For example, you may experience this feeling whenever you are with a certain person or when you have a bad day. Use this information to change your environment and see if it helps you feel better.
Step 2. Remember that no diet program can control your emotions
Anorexia is not just a strict diet program. Anorexia is an attempt to fight a bigger and fundamental problem. Following a strict diet program makes you feel more in control and this feeling may give you a sense of accomplishment. But the happiness you feel by limiting your food is actually a veil that covers a deeper problem than that.
- Try to find other ways to feel happiness. Do things that make you happy, like doing hobbies and spending time with friends.
- Try looking in the mirror while complimenting yourself every day. For example, you could look in the mirror and say something like, "Your hair looks great today."
Step 3. Fight your negative thoughts
Get into the habit of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Whenever you think negatively about yourself, try to turn it into a positive one. For example, if you are thinking negatively about how you look, think of something else you can be grateful for, such as being grateful that you are alive, have a family, or are loved by family and friends.
You can also list your positive qualities. Include as many positive qualities as you can on your list, such as your unique talents, abilities, accomplishments, and interests
Step 4. Be realistic about the impact anorexia can have on your body
Another way to keep the mind from becoming anorexic is to observe the impact it has on the sufferer. 5-20% of all people with anorexia die. If you are anorexic, you will also:
- suffer from osteoporosis (brittle bones that cause bones to crack and break easily),
- risk of developing heart failure due to organ damage,
- risk of kidney failure due to dehydration,
- prone to fainting, fatigue, and weakness,
- experiencing hair loss,
- dry skin and hair,
- experience the growth of additional hairs all over the body (as the body's defense mechanism to warm itself),
- experience bruises all over the body.
Method 3 of 3: Seeking Help
Step 1. Seek immediate help
The condition of anorexia in each sufferer is different. You may limit calories, use laxatives, or both. No matter what type of anorexia you are, you need help.
- Even though you may just think that anorexia seems attractive, seek help now. A doctor, psychologist, or even a mentor can explain anorexia to you. Anorexia is an unhealthy condition or something that should not be desirable.
- If you have anorexia, find a hospital or specialized therapist. You will get professional help to overcome and get past this condition.
Step 2. Talk to a trusted role model
While it may be tempting to establish an interest in anorexics or the anorexic's secretive behaviors, it's important that you tell a trusted friend or family member, and this person is preferably someone more mature than you. Talk to someone close to you, who is not critical of their own body and is not on a strict diet. Sometimes, an outside view can bring enlightenment.
Discussing your concerns about your weight and your self-image with your loved ones can help you improve your expectations of a healthy weight and body. Thus, you are not alone in the struggle and commitment to fight anorexic tendencies
Step 3. Discuss your thoughts with a healthcare professional
Discuss your weight and body image with a doctor or healthcare professional. Inform him of your desire to become anorexic and ask him for advice and help.
- Choose a healthcare professional who is committed to helping you avoid or conquer anorexia. If your first attempt at seeking a healthcare provider fails, find someone else who will continue to be involved and help you develop a plan of action.
- In some cases, the dietitian is a wonderful helper who usually has more time to discuss your progress than the general practitioner.
- Stick to the action plan that has been made for your condition, and track your progress and discuss any deviations with your healthcare provider.
Step 4. Ask about therapeutic methods to avoid behaviors that lead to anorexia
If you have started eating habits that lead to anorexia, you may need additional vitamin and mineral supplements or nutrients that are injected intravenously. Discuss counseling sessions, support group meetings, exercise activities, as well as anxiety coping strategies and appropriate eating plans with your healthcare professional.
- A mental health professional can be a good option as well. This expert will not only explain to you about the condition you are currently going through, but can also help you fight the reasons that drive anorexia. A mental health professional can also prescribe the right medication for you.
- Discuss weight based on your age, gender and height. Everyone is different, but a healthcare professional can provide advice on a realistic and healthy weight range for someone like you.
Step 5. Create a structured plan to avoid anorexia and build a better body image
Your doctor or psychologist can help you with this. Consider creating art, keeping a diary, doing yoga, meditating, practicing nature photography, volunteering, or engaging in other daily activities that lead to regular commitments, so you don't focus too much on food or losing weight, but rather focus on healthy living.
- Try choosing certain “mantras” that encourage a healthy body image and more realistic expectations based on your size and shape. Write this mantra in your diary, and say it every day. For example, you could write something like "Food nourishes my body and makes me strong."
- Commit to your meal plan. Promise yourself (and your doctor) that you will eat three healthy meals each day. If you don't make this commitment, you will disappoint yourself and your doctor. Set yourself a reward for eating right.
- Monitor your progress and get regular support or feedback. Keep track of your success as you learn new things, try new activities, overcome negative self-images, and learn to appreciate and acknowledge a healthy body shape.
Step 6. Call the hotline for eating disorders. If you don't have access to a healthcare professional or you prefer to discuss your condition the first time over the phone, contact the support services for this condition available in your location. If you are or live in the US, here are some helpful websites and service phone numbers that can put you in touch with someone who can help:
- “KidsHealth for Parents, Children, and Teens”: www.kidshealth.org or (+1) (904) 697-4100
- “Mental Health America”: www.mentalhealthamerica.net or 1-800-969-6642
- “National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders”: www.anad.org or (+1) (630) 577-1330
- “National Eating Disorders Association”: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org or 1-800-931-2237
- “Beat - Beating Eating Disorders”: www.b-eat.co.uk or 0845 634 1414
Tips
- Learn to hold realistic expectations for your body size and develop a healthy, balanced diet plan and live a positive lifestyle. All of these are important to avoid anorexia.
- Other consequences of anorexia include fatigue, emotional turmoil, depression, and infertility. Infertility can last for a year or even forever. Anorexia also prevents you from doing things you enjoy, such as exercising and traveling long distances. Talk to someone you know about this. The voices that drive anorexic behavior in your mind are lies and you need to free yourself from those hurtful words. Remember that your size doesn't matter to your self-esteem and that no matter what shape you are, people will still love you for who you are.
Warning
- If you suspect that a friend or loved one has symptoms of anorexia or another eating disorder, encourage him or her to see a healthcare professional immediately for a check-up.
- Anorexia Nervosa can be deadly. If you often limit calories or exercise excessively for the sake of the desired body size, this means that you need expert help to overcome this disease.
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