Family Support: How Your Loved Ones Can Help Fight Your Eating Disorder

There is a lot of misunderstood stigmas regarding eating disorders that can delay someone from getting the treatment that they need. Most people only notice a person has a problem if they have bulimia or anorexia that causes them to slowly take on a skeletal form from not getting enough nutrition. But there are many other eating disorders that cause the opposite to happen, such as binge eating disorder. The age that a person can begin to have symptoms can also vary as well past the teenage years. Many adults suffer needlessly because no one notices what is happening to them. It is the people who are the closest to the person with the eating disorder that can see that something is definitely wrong, though. And because of this, they can help fight the disease in several different ways.

Setting Limits

By refusing to take part in any of the rituals that someone with this type of disease has, family members can help prevent further damage from being done to their loved one's body. For instance, if the person with the eating disorder is using specific foods as a reward or punishment, the foods should be eliminated from the house. Bathroom scales or other food or body measuring devices should also be removed. Mirrors might be taken away from their bedroom too, if they are causing someone stress.

Treatment

It is next to impossible for someone who is struggling with an eating disorder to get better without treatment. They have to have counseling and their health monitored to ensure that their condition improves. So family members should check out places like the Center for Change to get help for their loved one as soon as possible.

Positive Attitudes

Without any blame or self-criticism, family members should also begin to take a look at their own viewpoints of their body image and beliefs about food. If they criticize themselves regularly about the way that they look or struggle to eat in a healthy way, this will be seen by the person with an eating disorder. So it is crucial that they also focus on staying healthy and positive.

Stress Relief

Eating disorders are a reflection of a deeper emotional issue or stress that a person is dealing with. So during the time of a person's recovery, it is crucial that they have sources of stress removed if at all possible. For instance, if there happens to be a person that always makes critical comments towards them about their weight, then family members might consider not inviting this individual to the home for a while.

With treatment and emotional support, a person with an eating disorder can get the help that they need, so they can be happy and healthy. But time is of the essence. The longer that someone waits to get help, the worse that their health will be, so if your loved one is displaying signs of an eating disorder, be sure to get them help right away.