5 reminders you might need to read today.
In honor of Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
Did you know 9% of the US population suffers from an eating disorder (ED)?
Did you know eating disorders have the 2nd highest mortality rate of any mental illness?
Or that federal funding for research on eating disorders is notably lower compared to funding allocated for studying other mental illnesses?
They’re no joke. They aren’t just “food issues,” or “just for skinny people”. Eating disorders are serious and life-threatening mental and physical illnesses. EDs involve emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight, food, and size that severely impair functioning in major areas of life.
There is a complex interplay between many psychosocial, biological, and environmental factors that can contribute to the development of an ED, for example having a family history of ED, low self-esteem, and societal pressure. Eating disorders do not discriminate and can affect anyone regardless of body type, weight, gender, age, sexual orientation, or cultural background.
I could sit here and write out all the facts and all the statistics, but in honor of ED awareness week here are 5 reminders you might need to read today:
You are allowed to take up space
How our bodies look should be no one else’s business but our own. You don’t owe anyone anything! You are worthy of being yourself and showing up in ways that feel best to you.
Now you try saying it, “I am allowed to take up space.” Do it as many times as you need, and I hope there comes a day when you believe it.
Talking about other people’s bodies is not productive and can be very harmful
You don’t know someone’s history, what it took for them to change their body, or anything about them just by looking at them, really. Physical appearance does not translate to health status and changes might come from a place of restriction, harm, and self-loathing.
Assuming “ oh you look so skinny!” is a compliment, without thinking how it might be received can be of harm. It’s a back-handed compliment that might translate to a person tying their worth to their body size and believing that how their body looked before “wasn’t enough.”
This obsession with appearance we have as a culture can be very harmful, and commenting on people’s bodies is just so early 2000s….
You don’t need to “earn your food”
When we think we need to “earn” our food, we create a negative relationship with food, exercise, and our body. We begin to associate eating with morality, instead of recognizing that food goes beyond providing energy and nutrients. This invites unhealthy thoughts and eating patterns that can become obsessive and compulsive.
Exercising should come from a place of health, self-care, and joy, not from a negative place; physical activity should not be a way to compensate or offset our eating habits or be a form of punishment either.
There are no “good foods” or “bad foods”
A little bit with what I was saying above, food fuels, yes, but our food choices are also based on preference, culture, comfort, finances, accessibility, and so much more.
All foods fit! Yes, there are more nutritious foods when compared to other choices, but this “good and bad” way of thinking can encourage a disconnection of trust between one’s mind and one’s body, and can result in an increase of feelings of guilt or shame around food. Eating lettuce doesn’t make you morally righteous, and eating chocolate doesn’t make you a bad person.
It’s important to recognize that food has no moral value in order to remove judgments and distortions that often form in disordered eating beliefs and practices.
The way you talk to yourself matters
Self-talk matters, as it has a huge impact on how we feel and what we do. This small but mighty inner voice combines our thoughts with our beliefs and biases to create our internal monologue.
Challenging and reframing negative self-talk, reassuring ourselves, and talking to ourselves with kindness and compassion are small steps that can help build our self-esteem. Be gentle and patient with yourself, whatever it is you’re going through.
Ask for help if you need it, extend a helping hand to those in need, and know that you are not alone, know that you are enough.
To find help or learn more:
Eating Disorders Helpline Resources
National Alliance for Eating Disorders
National Eating Disorders Association
National Institute of Mental Health
Keep chewin’ :)
Aw, Gise! I loved it. Thank you for always writing about things that matter.