Eating Disorder Lies

It is common in eating disorder treatment to learn to separate yourself from the eating disorder.  As you practice doing this, you become better at recognizing what is the eating disorder and what is your authentic self.  The eating disorder is a professional at telling you lies and trying to convince you that they are true.  

For those with eating disorders:
As you read the list of common eating disorder lies below, notice how they make you feel.  Which lies does your eating disorder tell you?  Are there any messages on the list that you believe to be true?  Are there any messages that you used to believe were true but now recognize as false?  How did you come to realize that those messages were lies?  Consider writing about the messages you still struggle with, or bring them to your therapist or trusted support person.

For support people:
Imagine what your life would be like if the following messages played in your head over and over again.  How would these messages impact your life?  What would it feel like if you believed some of the messages to be true?  How can you help your loved ones separate themselves from their eating disorders?  Remember, it is NOT your job to convince your loved ones that their thoughts are lies, or to criticize them for having crazy/stupid/selfish/weird/silly/irrational thoughts.  Your job is to provide unconditional support to your loved ones, and to show them that they are still lovable and worthy, regardless of what they think.

1. I am either fat or I am skinny.
2. Having an eating disorder makes me special.
3. I am more disciplined than other people because I have an eating disorder.
4. I don't deserve to get help.
5. Treatment for an eating disorder just makes people fat.

Gratitude for Support

As we celebrate mother's day today, we often find ourselves reflecting on the significance of loved ones and support people in our lives.  This can bring up many emotions in us - gratitude, anger, joy, resentment, envy, loving, lonely, shameful, hopeful, scared, abandoned, and so on.  We may think about who we consider to be part of our family, ways in which our family has been both absent and present throughout our lives, what role our family plays in our illness and our recovery, and our role in building our own families.  We think about what our support people mean to us, and what qualities we appreciate most from them during our times of greatest need.

Beyond the Exterior

What do someone struggling with anorexia and someone struggling with binge eating disorder have in common?  To put it in society's terms, what does someone who is starving him/herself and afraid of getting fat have in common with someone who is overeating and is fat or obese? 

Is it possible that all eating disorders, regardless of how they manifest, share underlying similarities?