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Recovering
Recovering from an eating disorder or helping a friend to recover.
Article by : SpunOut.ie
Eating disorders are treatable but are also very complex as they affect you both physically and emotionally. This means that you might need both medicine and counselling to get fully better. You also need to want to get better, nobody can force you to change your eating patterns. Even after years of having an eating disorder, it is possible to recover.
- Recovering from an eating disorder starts with realising you have a problem and don’t have normal eating habits.
- You need to be ready to get help, nobody else can do it for you. You must WANT to get better.
- It’s important to get help as soon as possible. Try to talk to someone you trust and tell them what’s happening.
- Many people deny the existence of a problem. If you are to get better you need to admit to yourself first that you have an eating disorder.
- You might feel frightened of asking for help or even ashamed or uncomfortable speaking to others about how you feel. However the longer an eating disorder continues, the more difficult it is to break the habit.
- Your doctor or an organisation such as BodyWhys can advice you about the different options for getting help.
If someone you know has an eating disorder:
- Encourage them to get professional help.
- Let them know you’re there for them and encourage them to talk.
- Don’t try to force them to eat or point out that they look sick or need to put on some weight.
- People with eating disorders often don’t want to admit there’s a problem and you need to be patient until they’re ready to deal with it.
- Low self-esteem can be part of the problem, so whenever possible compliment them (sincerely) and point out good things about them.
- Let them know you’re worried, be supportive, don’t judge them and contact BodyWhys for advice on how to help them.
Bodywhys is an organisation that provides information, support and advice to those with eating disorders and their families.
