Eating disorders can be a serious threat to your health. Getting too fixated on how you look and / or having a negative body image can lead some people to severely limit how much they eat or binge and then cleanse. Society might make you think that beauty is vital, but the truth is that the way you look outward is only a small part of what makes you beautiful.
Body image
The body image shows how you see yourself and how attractive you feel. Society places great emphasis on how a person looks, from a person’s body shape to their facial features, hair, or skin color. The pursuit of unattainable standards of beauty and non-compliance with societal norms can leave you feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed about your body, which can lead to suffering. If the exposure is serious enough, it can even lead to emotional and physical health problems. Ideally, you should accept your body for who it is and know that no one is perfect. When your body isn’t exactly how you want it to be, make an effort to develop healthy habits. But never feel ashamed or be too hard on yourself about your body and its appearance.
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects your daily eating habits. Although anorexia can affect anyone, teenage girls are most likely to develop this eating disorder. People with anorexia develop an extreme fear of weight gain and begin to engage in unhealthy behaviors in order to get as thin as possible. People with anorexia equate thinness with self-worth, making them feel like they can never be thin enough. Extreme diets and exercise are common in anorexia nervosa. People also begin to lie about their eating habits, withdraw from social activities, and suffer from depression and anxiety.
bulimia
Bulimia nervosa shares some characteristics with anorexia nervosa. People with bulimia nervosa also have a strong fear of gaining weight and are very hard on themselves about their body image. In their quest to lose weight and get as thin as possible, people with bulimia nervosa partake in binge eating, which is uncontrolled eating of a large amount of food in a short period of time. After binging, a person with bulimia needs to do something about the calories they have consumed such that they induce vomiting, abuse laxatives, be fast, or exercise excessively. It is typical of bulimia to hide these behaviors as much as possible when the cycle of bing and flushing gets out of hand.
Binge eating disorder
Binge eating disorder involves uncontrolled and mysterious overeating from episodes or binges. The difference between binge eating and bulimia nervosa is that someone with eating disorders does not try to get rid of the excess calories after an eating binge. Over time, an eating disorder leads to weight gain and most people become obese. The health problems associated with obesity can be serious, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Emotionally, someone with an eating disorder often feels ashamed, guilty, angry, and / or depressed. Low self-esteem is also common with this eating disorder.
Get help
If you recognize any of these symptoms in yourself, you can get help to stop these patterns of behavior. The first step is to realize that you have a problem. Then reach out to a parent or other person who can help you get better. Making an appointment with your doctor is often the best place to start. The doctor can ask questions to find out what is happening and then refer you to a specialist who can help you with your emotional and physical problems. If you believe someone you know may be struggling with an eating disorder, speak to the person about your concern and offer to support them if they can get help.
