Are You Suffering From Eating Disorders?

Do you struggle with your weight? Do you have a desire to eat even when you are not hungry or a desire to eat when you are stressed? Realizing that you have an unhealthy relationship with food is the first step to getting the help that you need.

Many people struggle with their weight and do not have an eating disorder. What is the difference between having an eating disorder and just struggling with your weight? How do you know if you are in the category of people who need help? You know you need help when you start eating based on your emotions. Getting help for an eating disorder can allow you to learn other ways of coping when you want to eat because of a certain emotion. By seeking help you can begin to take control of your life.

You may need to seek help in dealing with your eating disorder if your binge eating episodes are based on your emotions rather than your appearance. Eating disorders begin when you have a negative relationship with food. By eating a lot of food you may feel satisfied and happy for those few brief moments. You can improve your relationship with food and begin to work on the emotional part of your binge eating by asking someone to help you with your struggles. This assistance will also help you process past events that may be contributing to your overeating behaviors. Processing past events can help you move on and develop a healthy relationship with food.

Many times when we struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with food we develop a pattern of eating during stressful or sad events. Eating food becomes the way that we comfort ourselves. Have you ever had one of those days? Have you ever come home and drown yourself in a mountain of food to deal with your stress? It may be a scary thought that there are other ways to handle the day besides eating. When food has been your only way of coping, you may not know anything else. When you reach out for assistance with your eating disorder, you will begin to find better ways to handle stress.

So you may be wondering how you can overcome the desire to eat when the day is just not going the way you had planned. You may just need some to teach you some new coping skills. Many times the solution is as simple as making a list of activities that you love that do not involve food. Listening to music, spending time with friends and shopping are some great alternatives to eating. When you have "one of those days" you can begin to replace eating with something else that brings you happiness.

Seeking out help can be a life changing decision. You have the ability to take control of your life and begin developing a healthy relationship with food. Do not be afraid to ask someone to help you process the events that have led up to your struggles with food. It is important to learn the coping skills you need in order to replace overeating with something more positive.