Eating Disorders and Body Image

You lead a life of extremes.

Living with an eating disorder is like swinging back and forth on a pendulum.

On one end is “over-control” – tediously counting calories, macros, or carbs, engaging in behaviors that “make up for” what you ate, and following strict food rules.

On the other end is “out-of-control” – emotional or compulsive eating and thoughts about food that you can’t stop.

And you – struggling desperately to hang on for the ride – are exhausted.

And you can’t help yourself.

Fed up with keeping track of what you eat.

Beating yourself up every time you swallow a bite.

Compensating with unhealthy and even dangerous behaviors that you know will hurt you in the long run.

But, at the same time, you can’t stand the overwhelming anxiety you’d face if you didn’t over-control.

And you hate feeling out of control.

You can’t seem to trust yourself with certain foods, and it’s even affecting more than just your mental and emotional state.

It’s changing where you go and what you do.

You’ve started to avoid food situations that you fear would end badly for you.

But therapy can help.

It can help you stop the relentless swinging. It can help you stop the pendulum to achieve balance and peace in your life.

Together, we can poke at your “food rules” and add more flexibility in how you approach eating.

I can help you heal your relationship with food and your body.

Together, we’ll work to understand the purpose that the eating disorder serves in your life. We can honor that purpose while also recognizing that the eating disorder isn’t sustainable.

I can help you develop healthy coping skills to replace the eating disorder’s role in your life. We can explore the kind of relationship you want to have with your body and work towards increasing self-compassion.

It’s possible to be in the middle of the pendulum, calmly sitting in balance, not swinging one way or the other.

You can learn to trust your body and have freedom with food, and I’d be honored to help you do that.

Redefine your relationship with food. Learn to accept yourself.

Reach out today at darlene@canvasofchange.com. Let me help you learn to make food a friend – not a foe.