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5 Helpful Holiday Reminders for Anyone With Body Image Issues

Whether the criticism is coming from yourself or a judgey relative, here’s how to help silence them. ByAnna Borges

As a person with a history of body image issues, I always brace for the usual suspects when looking at old holiday pictures—judgmental thoughts about my appearance, embarrassment about how I looked compared to others, and maybe even some frustration over how much my body has changed since then. But the main thing I feel? Bummed. Because…well, I’m not in that many photos at all. And despite all my past fears that Future Me would cringe at the snapshots later, it turns out my biggest regret isn’t about how I looked—it’s about the memories I missed out on making because I was so caught up in self-criticism.

I’m sure I’m not the only one whose festivities are regularly weighed down by discomfort and insecurity. “We live in a world with so much shame, and that does not stop over the holidays,” says Ally Duvall, senior program development lead at Equip and self-proclaimed fat activist. If anything, she notes, it often ramps way up—whether it’s your mom commenting on your weight, a guest saying how “bad” they’re being as they get a slice of pie, or your own inner monologue critiquing how you measure up to last year’s resolutions. And don’t even get us started on all that unhelpful “New Year, New Me” messaging. 

To help you navigate this season’s many body image traps, we asked experts to share some reminders that can ground you, push back against the noise, or simply give you permission to feel however you feel. Of course, like our bodies themselves, the exact message we need to hear will be unique to each of us. So take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and—most importantly—remember that you (and your body) deserve kindness all year round.

1. Your appearance is not the most interesting thing about you.

The way you look might feel like the center of attention during the holidays, when family photos, social media posts, and unsolicited comments about appearances seem to be everywhere. But the truth is, what you see in the mirror says so little about who you are or the impact you have on the people around you.

“If you asked the people you love to name ten things they value about you, I can almost guarantee your body wouldn’t make the list,” Duvall says. “So why is it taking up so much space on yours? There’s so much more to who you are—you’re a complex, unique, and wonderful being.” 

When you catch yourself giving your appearance #1 billing in your mind, Duvall recommends interrupting the spiral out loud—say, by listing other things you love about yourself. But no need to whip out positive affirmations if they feel unnatural. Neutral statements—like, My body is the least interesting thing about me—work just as well, she says. 

2. You—and your body—have unique needs.

Holiday gatherings are rife with opportunities for comparison: how much others are eating, what they’re wearing, how effortlessly they seem to embody holiday cheer. “First, don’t blame yourself—a lot of comparisons happen automatically,” says Brittney Lauro, LCSW, lead therapist and clinical supervisor at Equip. 

That said, you don’t want to take comparisons at face value. For one, we rarely have enough information to draw meaningful conclusions in the first place. “At the end of the day, we’re only around people for a snapshot of their day,” Lauro explains. “We don’t know their full story, just like they don’t know ours.” For example, you might find yourself feeling self-conscious after noticing someone’s half-filled plate—but maybe they ate before coming, don’t like the food, or have their own dietary restrictions or relationship with eating that you’re not privy to.

Instead of fixating on what others are doing, remind yourself that your needs are valid and unique. “It’s wonderful that you’re eating more or differently than others because those are your needs in the moment,” Lauro says. And it’s not just about physical nourishment—enjoying “fun” foods can meet emotional needs, too, she adds, which helps you connect with the experience and savor the holiday. The same goes for stepping away from the action, choosing an outfit that feels comfortable, or sitting far away from your judgey Aunt Karen.

3. There’s no right way to respond to inappropriate comments.

Unfortunately, body image conversations don’t just live in your head—sometimes they come from those around you. From backhanded compliments to unsolicited advice, you might find yourself stuck in a conversation wondering WTF to say. The good news? There are many different ways to respond, and you can choose whatever feels right to you. “It all depends on context, like your relationship with the person, your comfort level with certain topics, and what you want to get into in that moment,” Duvall says. 

Generally, though, Lauro and Duvall both recommend having a few phrases up your sleeve—and practicing them ahead of time. These could include setting a firm boundary (“Let’s not talk about my appearance”), redirecting the conversation (“I think what you mean is you’re happy to see me—how’s work going?”), or even calling the comment out and starting a dialogue (“I’m curious why you feel the need to comment on other people’s bodies.”). Or you might prep a plan of action instead of a script…like how you’ll excuse yourself if the conversation gets too overwhelming. 

4. You don’t need to “earn” your food—or anything else you want.

The holidays are prime time for the idea that enjoyment has to come with conditions—especially when it comes to food. Whether it’s skipping meals to “save” calories, getting pressured into doing a holiday 5K before the festivities begin, or saying, “I’ll need to work this off later,” the message that you need to balance indulgence with restriction is everywhere. And it doesn’t stop at food. This mindset can creep into other areas too, like telling yourself you can only wear a special outfit, pose in pics, or participate in a tradition if you hit a certain goal.

So, in case you need to hear it, “you absolutely deserve to eat and enjoy your food—and every other part of the holiday,” says Lauro. What’s more, the rules and bargains you make with yourself can backfire. “If we’re entering the holiday with a scarcity mindset, we’re actually setting ourselves up to feel more out of control when we have access to the things we’re avoiding,” she explains. In other words, instead of freeing you to enjoy the day “without guilt,” you’ll probably wind up even more preoccupied with food or your body.

5. You can ditch old traditions that no longer serve you. 

Let’s be real: Too many holiday traditions revolve around food, family gatherings, and other elements that can feel overwhelming or stressful if you’re struggling with your body image or relationship with eating. While it’s OK to hope for a time when you feel more at ease with these traditions, it’s just as valid to acknowledge that you might not be there yet—and to be gentle with yourself in the meantime, Lauro says.

Instead of forcing yourself to participate in traditions that feel uncomfortable, Lauro and Duvall recommend giving yourself permission to create new ones that bring you peace, joy, comfort, or whatever else you need this year. You might start a holiday movie marathon, host a cozy crafting night with friends, or volunteer at a local organization to connect with your community.

Whatever you decide—or whatever the season has in store for you anyway—one last reminder: You got this. “You’ve already made it through so many hard things, and you’ll make it through the holidays too,” Duvall says.

If you think that you or a loved one might be suffering from an eating disorder, visit equip.health for more information on eating disorders and their virtual treatment.

The post 5 Helpful Holiday Reminders for Anyone With Body Image Issues appeared first on Wondermind.

Highly Recommend Link Copied 01.16.24

12 Products That Can Help You Build A Healthier Body Image

No toxic body talk in sight. ByJessica Schiffer

It’s not exactly easy to feel good about your body in 2024, when pretty much everyone online is filtered and society’s obsession with extreme diets and exercise has been rebranded as good-for-you “wellness.” Outside of throwing our phones into the ocean and moving to a cabin in the woods, it can feel like there’s no way to protect ourselves from all the toxic body chatter.

But the good news is that there are small things you can do each day to tune out the noise and build an appreciation for your body, and they don’t have to involve changing the way you eat or move. From guided journals that will help connect you to the beauty of your body exactly as it is to perspective-shifting books that will change how you see (and talk to) yourself, adding the right products to your toolkit can go a long way in improving your self-image. We rounded up the 12 most impactful, below.

The post 12 Products That Can Help You Build A Healthier Body Image appeared first on Wondermind.

Explainer Link Copied 10.20.23

ARFID Isn’t Just Picky Eating—Let’s Talk About It

What you need to know about this lesser known eating disorder. BySam Brodsky

We all know someone (or maybe…are someone) who seems to survive mostly on “picky eater staples” like chicken nuggets and buttered noodles. And, listen, we’re not here to judge the person who turns down oysters because the texture freaks them out. Food preferences are deeply personal and influenced by many different things. But when eating habits become so limited that they end up causing medical issues or interfering with your life, that can be a sign of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID for short). 

If you’ve seen videos on your FYP about this eating disorder—a topic which has a cool 70 million views on TikTok—you might be wondering where the line is between picky eating and a diagnosable eating disorder. We can help with that. 

Here, check out what ARFID is, what might cause it, and how people with this eating disorder can get help for their symptoms—because it is  treatable.

One quick thing before we dive into the details: Mental health is complex and everyone has a unique experience, so don’t go diagnosing yourself just because you read a few articles on the internet (though, we do appreciate you stopping by to learn a few things). If this resonates with you, consider it a jumping-off point in your journey to getting care. OK, let’s get into it…

What is ARFID? 

ARFID is an eating disorder where someone limits the amount of food or types of food they eat so much that it impacts their health or how they act around other people, says psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist Lauren Muhlheim, PsyD. More specifically, one or more of the following happens: They lose a ton of weight (or, in kids, they’re lower weight or smaller than what’s considered normal); they have nutrition deficiencies; they have to use a feeding tube or supplements; and/or this causes them to miss out on things like school, work, or social situations, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR).

Here’s the thing: People with ARFID don’t restrict what they eat because they’re being stubborn or difficult, says Dr. Muhlheim, who has treated ARFID for many years and runs an ARFID adult support group. Instead, there’s a deeper and pervasive reason that holds them back from eating certain foods, whether it’s an aversion to certain tastes, colors, smells, or textures; a total lack of interest in eating; and/or a fear of what might happen if they eat (they could choke, get sick, etc.), per the DSM-5-TR.

For someone without ARFID, it can be hard to imagine how this fear or aversion to certain foods can mess with your life on such a significant scale. If that’s you, think about what it would be like if someone asked you to eat something that isn’t food (like…a stinky old sponge). The disgust is usually like that, explains Dr. Muhlheim. You might be so grossed out that you gag or throw up, which is how someone with ARFID can react to foods that they have a fear or aversion to, says psychologist and Harvard Medical School associate professor of psychology Kamryn Eddy, PhD.

Now, imagine that you’re expected to be OK with eating stinky old sponges or be around other people eating those sponges every time you go to school, work, or basically any event where you don’t know what’s on the menu. See how awful and anxiety inducing that would be? And, unsurprisingly, this can all make people with ARFID feel embarrassed and want to avoid eating with others. 

It’s also worth noting that people with ARFID typically aren’t restricting what they eat because they’re concerned about their weight or appearance, per the DSM-5-TR. And, the person’s avoidance of food isn’t better explained by a medical condition (like IBS or Crohn’s disease) or another mental health disorder (like depression), says Dr. Eddy, also co-director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program.  

What causes ARFID? 

ARFID symptoms usually start young, especially for people who just aren’t into eating or who are bothered by the sensory aspect of food, says Dr. Eddy. Kids can show signs of ARFID as early as when they just start eating, and they’re normally diagnosed around 8 or 9, according to James Lock, MD, director of the Eating Disorder Program for Children and Adolescents at Stanford University. That said, people can be diagnosed as adults too, especially if their symptoms were missed as kids or if some food-related event triggered it as they got older (which we’ll get to in a bit).

Researchers are still trying to pinpoint exactly what causes ARFID in young people and adults. There’s some evidence that ARFID runs in families, says Dr. Eddy. Other than that, though, her team is currently testing a few theories, which we’ll talk about here.

For people who avoid eating because they’re afraid of bad things happening to them, they usually experienced or witnessed something scary like choking or getting sick from food, says Dr. Eddy. But a lot of people can choke or get sick and not develop ARFID, so there might be something going on biologically that makes them more likely to hold on to that fear, she explains. 

For people with ARFID who have low interest or appetite, one theory is that they may have some sort of difference in how their bodies tell them they’re hungry and full, says Dr. Eddy. “Folks who have ARFID may have different signaling going on with their appetite-regulating hormones that may make them stop eating prematurely or not even know that they’re hungry,” she explains.

Lastly, people with ARFID who won’t eat certain food because of texture, smell, taste, or whatever it is, usually weren’t able to grow out of the picky eating that they showed as kids, says Dr. Eddy. “We have some hypotheses that maybe they have preferences towards specific types of foods that may run in families and make them less likely to want to try new things,” she explains. This can create a sort of vicious cycle where it becomes harder and harder to introduce new foods. 

How is ARFID treated?

There’s no gold-standard treatment for ARFID yet—researchers are still studying away, notes Dr. Lock. So while some people may be prescribed medication for mental health conditions that might happen alongside ARFID, like ADHD or anxiety disorders, there are no meds officially approved to treat ARFID right now, he says.

That said, people can definitely manage ARFID with therapy, with the goal being to help them feel less anxious about eating and fix any nutritional needs or gain weight if needed, says Dr. Muhlheim. They might still have food preferences, but it’s about getting them to a place where they’re more comfortable with food, she notes. 

One therapy that aims to do all this is CBT specifically developed for ARFID by Dr. Eddy and Jennifer Thomas, PhD, the other co-director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program. CBT for ARFID basically involves facing your fears around eating (aka exposure). The type of exposure will depend on what someone’s goal is, but it could look like a person who’s avoided pizza for years gradually working their way up to a slice by starting with some tomato sauce on something they’re already OK with (like pasta maybe). They’d start eating this with their therapist, and then they might try it again at home and in different restaurants before moving on to the real thing, Dr. Eddy says. “The more that we do things to avoid situations that feel scary, the scarier they become over time. And so, really, the only way out of anxiety is through it,” she explains.

Another therapy that mental health pros might use for kids and teens is something called family-based therapy for ARFID, developed by Dr. Lock and his team, which helps family members be part of the healing process—setting goals, eating, and trying new foods together. 

And while therapy is great, managing ARFID might also involve checking in with a primary care provider about any physical symptoms that can come up (like GI issues or muscle weakness) and possibly a dietitian to chat about nutritional deficiencies, the experts say. And, in some cases, residential or inpatient treatment might be necessary if someone’s eating needs to be monitored more closely to help with severe weight loss or deficiencies. 

Regardless of how ARFID looks for you or someone you know, help is out there. Here are a few resources for finding a provider with experience treating ARFID:

• National Alliance for Eating Disorders 
• NEDA Treatment Finder
• ARFID Collaborative

“We’ve seen a lot of people who get much better and who no longer meet criteria for ARFID at the end of treatment,” says Dr. Eddy. “Full recovery from ARFID is not only possible but probable.”

The post ARFID Isn’t Just Picky Eating—Let’s Talk About It appeared first on Wondermind.

Explainer Link Copied 08.15.23

Body Liberation Just Hits Different

If you also don't feel seen by the body positivity or body neutrality movements, this might help. ByAlishia McCullough, LCMHC

Like a lot of us, when I was growing up, I didn’t feel like the world saw me or appreciated me as I was. As a Black girl, some obvious examples of this were the ridiculous “Most Beautiful Person Alive” magazine covers. You know the ones. Years later, these are burned into my mind. The cover stars were almost always thin, white, able-bodied, cisgendered, heterosexual, eurocentrically beautiful people. Those standards didn’t (and still don’t, TBH) leave room for people like me or anyone else who wasn’t an early aughts TV icon. 

I might not have fully realized what was going on in my brain at the time I processed these messages; I just knew that it sucked. I felt basically invisible to the rest of the world. Over the years, that insidious form of rejection ultimately made me feel like my appearance wasn’t “normal,” and that it wasn’t socially acceptable or beautiful or valuable to anyone—including myself. 

It wasn’t until I was in graduate school to become a therapist that I learned about body positivity. That’s when my self-image started to shift. For me, tapping into body positivity, or affirming the things you like about your bod and embracing the parts you might’ve had reservations about, was a game changer. (Thank you to Body Positive Power, The Not So Subtle Art of Being A Fat Girl, and The Body Is Not An Apology for showing me the way!) 

Once I understood that any parts of my body that I didn’t like were literally fine, I realized I could experiment and have fun (gasp!) with my appearance instead of focusing on what clothing and looks were “flattering” or what was expected of me. Soon, I was wearing crop tops without a single care.

Then in 2015, I did the big chop, cutting off all of my hair and opting for a short afro instead. As a Black woman, this felt radical since short hair on us is often associated with masculinity, harshness, and low desirability (as opposed to non-Black communities where it’s often seen as edgy, pro-feminist, or even cutesy). Deciding to cut off my hair and actually learning to love how I looked was just one way I could push back against the status quo and boost my overall body confidence.

I was so appreciative of body positivity and the larger-bodied queer Black women who started this movement. But it wasn’t long before I noticed the body positivity movement getting whitewashed and co-opted by smaller, more privileged bodies. I mean, you’ve probably seen thin influencers hunching over and referring to the resulting folds in their skin as “fat” or trying to link their bloating to messages of justice and inclusivity. While I don’t discount those experiences and agree that we should all embrace the way our bodies shift and change, the movement has become centered on more privileged voices since it began. It started to feel like those of us who’d experienced oppression based on how we look were being pushed aside in favor of more “palatable” complaints about things like “chub rub” or cellulite. 

Not only that, but there were some major messages being left out of most body positivity spaces, like the fact that it is literally harder to exist in our society in a body that is larger, racialized, disabled, or pretty much anything but cisgender male. Or the fact that non-privileged bodies are often fetishized or disrespected in romantic settings, discriminated against in the workplace, and dismissed or villainized in medical settings—not to mention how we might feel and move throughout the world because of all of this. 

The body positivity movement may have been born out of the fat acceptance movement of the 1960s (which included protests highlighting anti-fat bias), but every Instagram post I saw about loving your “tiger stripes” seemed like such a far cry from where this movement started. Even the growing body neutrality movement (which promotes looking at your body from a neutral meh, it’s just a body lens) didn’t feel to me like it was enacting any real systemic change from the status quo. 

Enter: Body liberation, a movement that wants to dismantle social and political systems that treat certain physiques and people as more desirable, respectable, healthy, or just plain better than others. When I came across this philosophy, which has been popularized thanks in part to the work of activists like Tigress Osborn and Angel Austin, I knew body liberation could help me understand why I still couldn’t fully feel happy in my body—even after leaning hard into body positivity. Turns out, I was ignoring how the real world continued to make me feel less than worthy.

What is body liberation? 

Aside from emphasizing how to find confidence amid all the biased garbage you face on the reg, body liberation also encourages you to feel every emotion triggered by that societal nonsense. That includes acknowledging the hurt that can come along with experiencing physical challenges (like pain or inabilities), which the body positivity and neutrality movements don’t exactly make space for. Body liberation doesn’t pressure you to fix or love or even accept the things you don’t feel good about. 

The movement also asks people to remember how we’re interconnected and how different cultures have different appreciations for bodies of various shapes, sizes, and colors. Through this lens, we’re not stuck with the narrow ideals that we get from Western beauty standards.

Through studying body liberation, I gained a wide-ranging understanding of just how much damage these societal and systemic issues can burden us with from a young age. I learned to reframe my thinking from, The way I exist is a problem, to, Society has intentionally created non-inclusive conditions and limited the definition of the “right” way to exist. So, no more feeling like I had to shrink myself to make other people’s lives easier. No more feeling like I needed to be subservient or timid to not intimidate insecure people. No more hating on my shape for not looking like a Victoria’s Secret angel. 

How to do body liberation. 

Through this kind of work, my career as a therapist, and my social media platform, I decided I’d challenge and deconstruct the regressive messages that the media and our culture as a whole throw at us, like assuming that weight loss is always synonymous with wellness. I want adults and younger generations alike to know there’s a more fulfilling way to live. 

Our culture is hellbent on selling us the idea that our bodies need to be fixed or changed (capitalism’s gotta make money somehow, I guess). But we can decide if we’ll go along with the narrative that we’re not worthy. We can redefine what beauty and worthiness is for ourselves. 

Now, I’m not saying we can just ignore the structures that have fed us these hurtful narratives. We’re only human, and our daily existence is still largely impacted by what other people think of us and how they treat us—regardless of whether we disagree. But we can continue to transform the systems that support these ideas about our bodies.

Start small by examining your relationship with your body. You can do that by writing down the messages you’ve internalized about your looks over the years, like, “My body is not good enough,” “I need to take up less space,” “I need to lose weight,” or “I don’t deserve to exist in this body.” Then, ask yourself, Where did these messages come from? When was the first time I learned this, and how did it make me feel at the time? How did I feel before I learned this? Was I happy and joyful? And what did I look like at that time? If tapping into your memory isn’t accessible to you, try to find a picture of yourself at a young age and see if that helps spark something. 

Once you’ve reflected on those experiences, try to notice how those messages continue to show up in your day to day. For example, if you’ve been conditioned to take up less space, you might try to shrink or appear smaller when you sit next to someone. If you’re disabled, you might fear speaking up publicly and calling attention to yourself. If you’re someone with a racially marginalized identity, you may have been conditioned to make people with more racial privilege than you more comfortable in your presence or think they deserve to be accommodated over you. 

After thinking about how these patterns show up for you, plan small steps to take up space and live more authentically. So, instead of moving out of the way for every person of privilege that walks by you on the street, decide to keep walking without moving out of the way. Honestly, that won’t be safe to do everywhere, so think about one location where you feel the most comfortable and see if you can build up this practice and confidence there before taking your new habit on tour. 

And because healing is usually best done in community, consider connecting with people of diverse backgrounds. This may look like following the social media accounts of folks who exist in different types of bodies—disabled bodies, Black bodies, queer bodies, trans bodies, etc.—and are doing the work to tear down whatever systems tell them they’re not valuable or deserving of being in this society.

If you’re not even sure where to begin, though, here are some of my favorite accounts that have personally helped me on this body liberation journey: Jennifer Mullan, PsyD, Patrilie Hernandez, MS, Chrissy King, Ivy Felicia, Tricia Hersey, Hortencia Jimenéz, PhD, Megan Jayne Crabbe, Tiffany Ima Akpan, Sonya Renee Taylor, Sonalee Rashatwar, LCSW, Access-Centered Movement, and Embodiment for the Rest of Us. Actively shaping the company you keep (even if just virtually) and welcoming inclusion and representation in your daily life can be really helpful for your confidence and outlook on life. 

Lastly, I suggest getting outside and spending more time in nature if you can. Observing the way nature has many shapes, sizes, abilities, existences, sexualities, and colors can remind you that there’s so much beauty in diversity, and that same statement applies to you too.

The post Body Liberation Just Hits Different appeared first on Wondermind.

Explainer Link Copied 03.21.23

When Does Binge Eating Become Binge-Eating Disorder?

Plus, how to get some help. BySam Brodsky

Eating past the point of feeling full is something most humans do when there’s delicious food on our plate, we’re really hungry, we’re distracted by a good movie, or we’re just craving extra takeout. But overeating, even if it happens often, isn’t the same thing as bingeing or having binge-eating disorder (BED).

One quick thing before we dive into the details: Mental health is complex and everyone has a unique experience, so don’t go diagnosing yourself just because you read a few articles on the internet (though, we do appreciate you stopping by to learn a few things). If this resonates with you, consider it a jumping-off point in your journey to getting care. OK, let’s get into it…

What is binge eating?

Binge eating is when you consume a large amount of food—enough to feel uncomfortable—within a short window of time, whether you’re hungry or not, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). Sure, that scenario is relatable for a lot of us, but unlike overeating, a binge-eating episode also feels like you’re eating really quickly, losing control, or even sort of dissociating as it’s happening, per the DSM-5-TR. Bingeing is followed by what can feel like a ton of shame, guilt, and/or embarrassment, which could be part of the reason why it often happens away from people. 

Most of the time, binge-eating episodes are triggered by uncomfortable emotions like anxiety, sadness, guilt, or shame (including shame about your body), according to the DSM-5-TR. Other things that might trigger a binge: life stress, restrictive eating habits, and conflicts with others. Bingeing is often used as a coping strategy to avoid tough emotions and pain, so going through something especially difficult might make someone more susceptible to binge eating, explains therapist Carolyn Comas, LCSW, a certified eating disorder specialist and supervisor. 

FWIW, even though feelings can trigger a binge, that’s not quite the same as grabbing some ice cream after a horrible day. The latter is emotional eating, and it’s pretty common and relatively harmless. If you don’t feel like you’re losing control, it’s not a binge, explains licensed psychologist Christine Peat, PhD, a fellow in the Academy for Eating Disorders and director of the National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

When does binge eating become binge-eating disorder?

BED is the most common eating disorder in the U.S., according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), and it affects about 1.5% of women and 0.3% of men worldwide, per a 2021 review. 

And while it’s totally possible to experience binge-eating without having binge-eating disorder, if you find that these episodes happen, on average, at least once a week for three consecutive months, you could have BED, according to the DSM-5-TR. That said, binge eating can also be a symptom of other disorders like bulimia, anorexia, or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED). 

If you have BED, you’ll also probably feel like binge eating is interfering with your life, your relationships, or your work, says Dr. Peat. That could look like being so overwhelmed with the guilt of binge eating that you can’t be fully present with your loved ones or focus on the job, she says.

Finally, BED can come with physical symptoms like stomach cramps, constipation, acid reflux, and other GI issues, according to the NEDA. 

What causes binge-eating disorder?

In general, you’re more likely to develop an eating disorder if someone in your family has one—and same goes for binge-eating disorder, says Comas. But even if no one you’re related to was officially diagnosed, growing up in a household that puts a lot of emphasis on looking a certain way can set you up to develop an eating disorder too, she says. 

Some research suggests that people with BED were more likely to have gone through a stressful life event leading up to their diagnosis, like a death, separation from a family member, or an accident. It’s also common for people with binge-eating disorder to have experienced trauma, according to a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. “Every person’s story is different, but for many with binge-eating disorder, trauma played a big role in the initial development of the eating disorder,” notes Dr. Peat, speaking from her professional experience. 

How is binge-eating disorder treated?

In case you were wondering, you can  fully recover from binge-eating disorder, Dr. Peat assures. “BED is treatable and not something a person has to live with for the rest of their lives,” she says. So, yay!

Whether or not your binge eating crosses into eating disorder territory, if it’s messing with your happiness, it’s worth getting help. And there are tons of different treatment options that could work for your specific situation. 

While some might find that staying at a residential treatment facility where they can be monitored and get round-the-clock assistance is best for them, less intense options like partial hospitalization, group therapy, or individual therapy with an eating disorder specialist can also be super effective. (You can use this national database to find treatment centers and clinicians.)

One of the tools treatment centers and therapists use to treat BED is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This type of therapy teaches you to look out for and challenge your binge-eating triggers, according to the American Psychiatric Association. CBT also encourages you to eat meals and snacks regularly, which can help you avoid getting caught up in a cycle of bingeing and restricting, experts previously told Wondermind. 

Another therapy often used to treat binge-eating disorder is interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), according to a review on binge-eating disorder treatments. IPT can help you build better relationships with people in your life in hopes of resolving the emotional triggers (i.e. fights with your parents, beef with your boss) that can lead to a binge. 

And because binge eating can feel like an out-of-body experience, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) can teach you to slow down and connect with your body through mindfulness, says psychiatrist and certified eating disorder specialist Kim Dennis, MD. Plus, DBT teaches you to manage your emotions without food, she says. That could look like journaling, meditation, or any kind of movement, Comas notes.

Medication is sometimes part of the treatment plan for BED too. One drug that’s FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe binge-eating disorder in adults is the central nervous system stimulant lisdexamfetamine dimesylate—the same one that’s also used to treat ADHD. But it’s worth noting that stimulants like this can be addictive, says Dr. Dennis. Antidepressants can also be prescribed for BED even though they aren’t FDA-approved to treat the condition. It’s not 100% clear why or how they can help people with binge-eating disorder, but it might be that they help treat conditions happening alongside BED, like major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, or PTSD, Dr. Dennis explains. As a result, people with BED might feel less triggered to binge. Some doctors might prescribe fluoxetine, an SSRI that’s FDA-approved for treating bulimia in adults, to lessen your urge to binge eat, Dr. Dennis adds.

“Getting access to specialty eating disorder treatment is a crucial component of recovery from BED, and we know that access to care is a challenge,” says Dr. Peat. “The sooner someone can get engaged in that care, usually the better the outcome!”

If you’re looking for support, check out resources on the National Eating Disorders Association website.

The post When Does Binge Eating Become Binge-Eating Disorder? appeared first on Wondermind.

Pro Tips Link Copied 02.10.23

25 Journal Prompts for When Your Self-Esteem Is at Rock Bottom

As the wise Hannah Montana once taught us, “Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days.” BySam Brodsky

Hey, we get it. Sometimes it’s hard to even look in the mirror when your pimple patches haven’t done their job or your boss’s recent feedback claims squatter’s rights in your brain. The truth is that you’re not going to feel great about yourself every single day—nobody does. Seriously! Self-esteem—or how you see yourself and what makes you think you’re good enough and worthy—is always fluctuating because of, well, life, says therapist Eliza Jaquez, LMFT. But that fluctuation also means that, even on your worst self-esteem days, it can get better, says Jaquez. And that’s where mental fitness exercises like self-esteem journal prompts can come in clutch. 

Sure, telling yourself to ~just feel confident~ may help promote a healthy self-image, but it’s not the most reliable way to achieve your self-esteem goals or combat an inferiority complex. Instead, accepting that there are parts of yourself that you may not like and being OK with yourself despite (or even because) of those things can help you consistently feel good about yourself, Jaquez says. 

Having solid self-esteem comes from being able to admit failure while remembering that losing your job, getting dumped, not sticking with a five-step skincare routine, or whatever you’re beating yourself up about doesn’t make you  a failure or a bad person, Jaquez adds. That attitude creates a strong foundation for believing in yourself over the long-term because you know you can persevere.

That all sounds great, right? But how the hell do you go from zero to hero in your own mind? Well, writing prompts can definitely help. Reflecting on times you got through hard situations, exploring the things you’re most grateful for, delving into your values and goals, and writing about how you see yourself and how people who love you see you can all boost your self-esteem. 

Here, we’ve got 25 thought starters to help you get back to baseline on those crappy self-esteem days (or really anytime you’re up for a little self-esteem self-reflection). 

Reflect on these journal prompts when your self-esteem isn’t so hot: 

1. How can you be more accepting of the less-than-perfect parts of yourself?

2. How would the most encouraging person in your life—your biggest supporter—describe you? 

3. What are three things you appreciate most about yourself? (What qualities or traits are you most grateful for?) 

4. What are three things about your life that you’re most grateful for right now? 

5. Who or what has helped you feel the most seen, heard, or understood? How do they do that?

6. How do you feel about yourself when you look in the mirror? How do you feel about yourself when you aren’t  looking in the mirror?

7. Can you think back to any person, place, or thing that impacted your sense of self in a positive way growing up? Does it still impact your sense of self now?

8. If you had to give yourself a pep talk right now, what would it sound like? 

9. How do you talk to yourself when you’ve had a bad day? What does that voice sound like? Is it judgmental or harsh? If it is, how can you change that?

10. When do you feel most like yourself? Who are you with and what are you doing?

11. What are you most proud of and why? 

12. What does strength mean to you? When have you felt the strongest?  

13. Can you think of a time when you were disappointed in yourself but moved past that feeling?

14. If you had to give an elevator pitch about who you are, how would you describe yourself in a paragraph or less?

15. What are a few of your values? Why are these important to you?

16. Describe a time when you overcame a big challenge.    

17. When do you typically feel good about yourself and why? If you can’t think of a consistent time where you feel good about yourself, write about the last time you felt that way. 

18. What are three things you like about yourself that aren’t related to how you look? 

19. What was the last compliment you received that meant the most to you? Why did it hit so hard? 

20. Does anyone in your life look up to you? Why do you think they do?  

21. Write about a time when you couldn’t stop smiling. 

22. Are there any goals that you’re close to achieving right now? Are there any new ones you really want to focus on? 

23. What’s your favorite thing about yourself? (It can be anything!)

24. What actor would play you in a movie about your life and why? What would you want the movie to focus most on? How would you want the movie to end?

25. When was the last time you surprised yourself in a good way?  

The post 25 Journal Prompts for When Your Self-Esteem Is at Rock Bottom appeared first on Wondermind.

Explainer Link Copied 11.23.22

How to Tell If Your Disordered Eating Is an Eating Disorder

JSYK, both are a pretty big deal. BySam Brodsky

If you’ve ever named a workout playlist something that would bully you into getting sweaty, welcome. Those who’ve downloaded calorie-counting apps and spent at least 20 minutes logging a single meal because you had to find the caloric content of a specific restaurant chain’s salad dressing, hello to you too. And to the ones who only eat carbs for breakfast if you did a.m. cardio, I see you.

In elementary school, I used to climb up on my kitchen counter to check the fat content of my snacks after hearing my gymnastics coach shame other gymnasts’ bodies. 

These aren’t necessarily disordered behaviors per se, but the amount of time and mental energy this kind of stuff steals from your life might make you wonder, “Do I have an eating disorder?” Still, diet culture—and the companies that make billions from its existence—would have you believe that these are very non-problematic ways to ~stay in shape~ or even “get healthy.” (Sigh.)

Yeah, there’s been some headway to challenge fat-phobic culture, but the “message that what we look like and our weight and our shape are the most important things about us and that there’s always something to fix when it comes to our bodies” remains constant, says licensed psychologist Christine Peat, PhD, a fellow in the Academy for Eating Disorders and director of the National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders. “[Diet culture is] about becoming smaller. … It’s about being afraid of bodies that don’t fit a particular template.” 

So, with this message coming at us from all of the places, it can be tough to know whether your relationship with food is problematic (aka disordered eating) or even a diagnosable eating disorder. And while both can damage your well-being, there are a bunch of factors mental health pros use to determine the difference between the two. Here, we get into all that, plus how to get help regardless of your diagnosis. 

What is an eating disorder?

If you have an eating disorder, your relationship to your body or eating (or both!) can trigger “severe disturbances” in your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions around food, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Those “disturbances” could make you avoid doing things you normally like to do or people you like to hang with, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). 

For example, according to the NEDA, people with anorexia nervosa, who restrict what they eat, can be hyper-focused on nutrition labels. That can make eating things without a label so stressful that they skip dinners out with friends or make excuses to avoid grabbing an impromptu lunch with coworkers. 

No matter what the diagnosis, an eating disorder makes the stress of food so overwhelming that it impacts the way you show up at home, at work, or with your friends, says certified eating disorder specialist and licensed clinical psychologist Andrea Kulberg, PhD.

FWIW, it’s common for people to experience eating disorder symptoms, like being super calorie restrictive or following arbitrary food rules, without 100% fitting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM-5-TR)  criteria for disorders like anorexia, binge-eating disorder, bulimia, or others. Sometimes people have symptoms of multiple eating disorders or  symptoms of one disorder that show up less often than the DSM-5-TR  lays out, Dr. Peat explains. When that happens, they could be diagnosed with other specified feeding or eating disorder. 

What is disordered eating? 

Disordered eating isn’t a diagnosis. Instead, it’s things people do to “create an illusion that they can manipulate the body a certain way” when they’re anxious about how food affects their bodies, says Dr. Kulberg. 

I used to do extra crunches if I ate “too much” and throw myself a party in my head for eating less before gymnastics practice. In the early stages of my time as a gymnast, I viewed a lot of food as “bad,” like those snacks with fat in them I mentioned earlier. That was all disordered eating.

Though disordered eating can turn into an eating disorder, that doesn’t happen to everyone, says Dr. Peat. My own disordered habits came and went in waves, and I still get that voice in my head telling me certain foods are a giant “no.” Still, the restrictions (thankfully) tapered off before I was a teenager.

Different factors can up your risk of developing an eating disorder in the long run. For one, genetics, since eating disorders run in families, according to the NIMH. Life stress, like getting a new job or going to college for the first time, and trauma can worsen disordered thoughts and behaviors around food, which could turn into an eating disorder, says Dr. Peat. If you didn’t have regular access to food in your home growing up, that can also set you up for patterns of binge eating or restricting, she notes. 

How can I tell if I have an eating disorder?

Even though we have our own intuition, sometimes we can’t see all of the things impacting our bodies and minds, says Dr. Peat. So the only way to know for sure if you have an eating disorder is to get an official diagnosis. 

For doctors and mental health pros, the biggest sign that your disordered eating habits are an actual condition is how much they impact your life. For example, plenty of people tend to reach for food when they’re stressed and want to feel better—this is disordered eating that Dr. Peat calls “emotionally dysregulated eating.” But, if you also start feeling out of control when you eat and stop eating in front of friends and family (and anyone else) because you’re ashamed, you may be moving into eating disorder territory, she explains.  

Mental health pros also look at how often someone’s doing these behaviors, says Dr. Peat. Symptoms of anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder have to happen consistently for at least three months in a row to meet eating disorder status in the DSM-5-TR.

FYI, how much you weigh is not  a good indicator of whether you have an eating disorder. Though the DSM-5-TR  still points to “significantly low weight” as one criteria of anorexia, not everyone with that eating disorder looks this way, says Dr. Peat. Unfortunately, because of doctors’ biases, people in bigger bodies with anorexia often go undiagnosed, according to the NEDA.

How eating disorders and disordered eating are treated.

If your life is impacted by a negative relationship with food or your body, you don’t have to deal on your own. “Sometimes we get so caught up in the terms and the frequency and the different criteria when, in reality, if at any point somebody out there is concerned about their relationship with food or their relationship with their body, it’s worth reaching out for help,” Dr. Peat says.

There are inpatient and outpatient programs (check out this national database) where people with eating disorders work with a therapist, dietitian, and sometimes a psychiatrist, Dr. Peat says. Plus, a person might also get their general practitioner involved to monitor their physical health, since eating disorders (and disordered eating as a whole) can take a toll on your body, she adds. 

If a program doesn’t work for you or you’re dealing with disordered eating, individual, group, and/or family therapy sessions can help too. Those sessions tackle any mental health issues happening alongside your eating disorder or disordered eating and enable you to change your thoughts and behaviors associated with food, Dr. Peat says. 

If you need help, check out resources on the National Eating Disorders Association website. 

The post How to Tell If Your Disordered Eating Is an Eating Disorder appeared first on Wondermind.