You can stop obsessing.
You can love yourself.
Why is this happening to me?
Unfortunately, there isn't a simple answer to this. For some, it's obvious: disordered eating behaviors correlate with a traumatic event or long term family issues. Others are unsure why they have eating disorders; their lives have been good and the people in their lives love them. Social pressures and media often exacerbate low self-esteem and negative body image.
How do I know if what I am experiencing is an eating disorder?
The onset of mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, makes some people feel out of control. For many, vigilantly attending to food or weight becomes a comfort.
Regardless, people with eating disorders all have one thing in common - they have experienced a level of intense emotion and did not know what to do with it. Learning to express emotions appropriately can reduce eating disordered behavior. Identifying the needs the eating disorder is meeting (i.e., control, attention, comfort, self-punishment) and finding alternative ways to meet these needs can also decrease symptoms.
I DON'T THINK IT'S ALL THAT DEEP. I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET SKINNY ENOUGH THAT I'M HAPPY.
If eating disorders were really about food and weight, you would be able to stop on your own. You wouldn't have fallen into the traps of binge eating, purging, over-exercising, and/or restricting. Any unhealthy attempt to lose weight indicates a problem with self-care. Exploring why you choose not to take care of yourself or lack the motivation to treat yourself well can be helpful. Obsessing overweight, food, exercise, or appearance can impede your social life, academic or work performance, and quality of life. Working with an eating disorder therapist in Asheville, NC, or anywhere in North Carolina can really help you to reframe this mindset. Understanding where the dissatisfaction lies can help you to overcome the stress you may be dealing with.
IF I RECOVER from my Eating Disorder, WILL I GET FAT?
Recovering from an eating disorder requires you to take care of your body. That means maintaining the weight that's healthiest for you by listening to your body's cues and exercising in ways that feel good to you. I have never worked with someone who took good care of her/his body and became unhealthy.
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT RECOVERING FROM AN EATING DISORDER?
While you are working on recovery, all of the same external pressures will still be there. You will continue to see people you compare yourself to. Meals will still need to be eaten. People in your life who commented on your appearance before may continue to do so. Your disordered eating has served a purpose and now you will attempt to face these challenges with healthier coping skills.
Recovering from any problem is rarely as fluid and easy as we would hope. There are usually "slips" where a person reverts to old behaviors. Instead of seeing these as failure or "relapse", it is helpful to view them as part of the process of healing. No one is perfect and trying to be has made you sick.
Our approach to treating disordered eating
Our goal is to help you navigate this with an eye on progress, not perfection. Full recovery is the end goal. Unlike the way we typically think of addiction where you have to manage urges and symptoms your whole life, eating disorders can have an end date. That means no more obsession about food and body, no more guilt when you eat, exercising without dread or anxious energy. We’ve helped hundreds of people get there with our integrative therapy approach. We’d love to help you, too.
online eating disorder treatment
While we are located in Asheville, NC, we do offer online therapy in North Carolina anywhere in the state. If you have never done therapy via telehealth before, it is the same as an in-person session. You would have therapy in the comfort and privacy of your own space. The benefit of this is there is no traffic to contend with or rushing here and back. We use a secure, confidential video conferencing system. Like Skype but less glitchy and without security breaches.
Begin Counseling for Eating Disorders in North Carolina
If you’re finding it more difficult to manage your eating patterns and believe therapy could help, our practice may be the right fit for you. Through counseling, you can begin to learn better ways to manage what you’re dealing with in a way that is ultimately going to be healthier for you. Our online North Carolina counseling practice includes eating disorder therapists Elaine and Allison who specialize in disordered eating. To start your counseling journey, whether in our Asheville office or online anywhere in North Carolina, follow these simple steps:
Contact our Asheville-based therapy office
Let’s move forward with helpful coping mechanisms today!
OTHER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AT ASHEVILLE EATING DISORDER TREATMENT CENTER
Our Asheville, North Carolina based counseling practice specializes in helping teens and adults who struggle with eating disorders and anxiety. We provide help for teenagers and eating disorder treatment for women in order to overcome negative mindsets that may have developed around food in order to develop healthier relationships about what you eat. Additionally, we offer other mental health services, primarily for perfectionists, overachievers, or others who are struggling to find balance. Our services include anxiety treatment for teens and anxiety treatment for women at the Asheville Eating Disorder Treatment Center. If you don’t live around Asheville or the drive for in-person counseling doesn’t work with your schedule, all of our services can be accessed via online therapy to anyone physically located in North Carolina. Some of these areas include Raleigh, Charlotte, and even Jacksonville. You deserve to feel peace and relief from your stress overeating, so let’s get started with therapy today!