Causes of eating disorders - have you determined what caused your own eating disorder? Does it seem that the causes of eating disorders for you goes beyond wanting to be a smaller size or look a certain way? Did the causes of eating disorders occur in your life while you were a child or teenager or did it start during your adult years? What was happening in your life at the time and how did that affect you?
Causes of eating disorders - There is usually a combination of factors present when someone develops an eating disorder. We often hear about the pressure in the media to be thin and, of course, that can be a factor. However, these causes of eating disorders go deeper than concern over physical appearance. Here are some common factors that can be considered causes of eating disorders as they lead someone into food-related behaviors.
· A series of difficult circumstances of any sort.
· Grieving, whether it is of loved ones, a job, health or other things.
· Abuse or trauma of any kind.
· Low opinion of self.
· Difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, desire to numb painful emotions.
· Feeling everything is out of control.
· Depression and suicidal thoughts.
· Rejection in any form.
· Feeling unlovable and lonely.
· Unhealthy upbringing that could include any of the factors listed above.
Causes of eating disorders - below are some examples of circumstances and related thoughts and feelings that have the potential to lend someone to an eating disorder.
· Everything is changing. My parents got divorced. I go to a new school and I’m losing touch with my old friends. My parents have so much to think about now that my sister is pregnant on top of everything else. I don’t want to bother anyone. I’ll just fade away.
· My coach is on my case again. I thought he was the one person I could please. I get tired of feeling like I’m not good enough for anyone and coming in second all the time. All the other guys seem so confident and have it together, but I’m not like them. I just want to please my coach and fit in.
· Now that my kids have left home, I’m not sure who I am anymore. My husband has changed, too, and it’s like we don’t know how to live in this house alone. My parents are ill, and I’m uncertain how much longer they’ll be with us. Things keep happening that are outside of my control.
Do you see any of these factors in your own life as causes of eating disorders for you personally? Do you wonder, though, how your circumstances drove you to food-related behaviors. When I began restricting my food intake, I knew I was doing it in attempt to control something in my life. However, people don’t often realize the connection between their situation and feeling drawn to practice food-related behaviors.
Have you determined for yourself how various factors may have led you into the causes of eating disorders? Perhaps you began to restrict your food intake because you were starved for love or because you felt your food intake was the one thing in your life that you could control. If you binge, maybe you feel something is missing in your life or you find temporary comfort while eating. Purging may feel like an attempt to rid yourself of painful emotions. Focusing on weight and body image may distract you from the unexpressed emotions and unresolved issues you carry. There are multitudes of possibilities, but these are a few examples of what may have drawn you into the causes of eating disorders.
If you have the Lord at your side, He can help you with any aspect of causes of eating disorders that you experience. No matter how deeply you hurt, His love reaches even deeper. Regardless of how long you’ve struggled with the eating disorder, He can strengthen you to say no to self-destructive behaviors. Even though you may think very little of yourself, He can aid you in seeing yourself as a person of value through His eyes. Although you may have difficulty expressing yourself, He can help you let out and work through confusing and painful emotions.
Causes of eating disorders - regardless of what has happened, and I realize that for some the circumstances are extreme, there is a way to cope, to heal, and to live a healthy life free of an eating disorder. Understanding what caused your eating disorder will help you recover from it. Take time to examine what brought on the causes of eating disorders for you. Get the help and support you need to help you untangle the complicated combination of factors that make up an eating disorder. Whatever causes of eating disorders you have experienced, recovery is possible.
By Laurie Glass
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