“If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies, how very different our ideals of beauty would be.”
~ Lauren Jauregui
When Food Becomes Survival
- Has eating become a way to survive physically, relationally, and emotionally?
- Do you feel that how you look, what you deserve to experience, and how you take up space in the world have become dependent on perfection, appearance, and control?
- Or maybe food offers that safe feeling that’s elusive anywhere else in your life, and it’s difficult to control how much you eat.
- Do you feel distant from that part of you that feels like YOU?
- Has your body become a war zone that feels disconnected and something to “keep in line” and manipulate?
- Has eating healthy foods and exercising become a hyperfocus that feels impossible to quit?
Somewhere along the way, we learned to associate food with that place in ourselves where we feel the most safe, connected, and at ease. But there’s so much more that becomes wrapped up in it. Unlike other addictions and behavioral issues, you can’t eliminate or control food as part of your healing and growth. We need to eat. In fact, I believe that we get to enjoy to eat.
What do Eating Disorders Look Like?
People don’t have to be at a dangerously low or high weight to have an ED. This complex survival strategy doesn’t discriminate between gender, life experience, age, culture, or ability. EDs can affect almost every aspect of our lives, and the ways symptoms manifest depend on each person.
If you resonate with any of what I described above, it’s important to recognize that you deserve support. It takes courage to acknowledge when we need help, and reaching out is a powerful step on your journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Remember, you have everything within you to navigate this path and you’re not alone.
Our work will address the underlying issues of the ED, not just your symptoms. My hope for you is that you’ll experience support through:
- Center in what you want for yourself: Create the freedom and safety in yourself that nourishes you. The ED has told you what you’ve wanted for a long time. Maybe you don’t have to believe it . . .
- Develop New Relationships: Getting to know yourself, your authentic emotions, values, and beliefs will help separate from (but still honor) your ED voice.
- Explore Attachment: From a trauma lens, eating issues exist in a relational dynamic where attachment needs have been wounded, and the ED becomes a safe attachment. Slowing down what those needs are and holding them with compassion is a key part of the work.
- Strengthen Presence and Self-Awareness: Being present and curious is something ED symptoms often block. Building the capacity to be with whatever is goes a long way in challenging the beliefs that create roadblocks in recovery.
- Reconnect With Your Body: I’ve heard people in recovery say that one of the last parts of healing is rebuilding their relationship with their bodies. I’ve also found that it can be a bridge to connect and ground with your strengths and truest Self.
I’ve come to understand an essential
secret ingredient – believing in your worthiness of love.
Ready to start your journey?
Contact me today for your free connection call.