Editor’s Note: This story is part of an occasional series on eating disorders and food culture.
CNN
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It just so happened that Emily Boring was diagnosed with an eating disorder.
She went to the university’s mental health office to talk about the anxiety she was feeling, and through conversation learned that her behavior with food was classified as an eating disorder, she said.
Now 27 and a graduate student at Yale Theological Seminary in New Haven, Connecticut, she has learned a lot about how to care for herself and others during her recovery and relapse.
in the meantime eating disorder awareness week In late February, Boring spoke to CNN about the misunderstanding, shame, and stigma surrounding eating disorders to better understand them.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
CNN: What would you like people to know about eating disorders and eating disorders?
Emily Bowling: I want people to know that it is everywhere. The majority of people experience some kind of chaotic relationship with their body’s food simply because of the culture in which we live.
What I want to say first and foremost is eating disorders – this applies to formal eating disorders too – don’t look at them in a certain way. It affects everyone, regardless of status. Eating disorders and eating disorders are not in the “skinny” or underweight body.
CNN: How do you understand eating disorders and their treatment?
bored: Eating disorders are now classified as metabolic psychiatric disorders, with the psychiatric portion related to the brain and behavior, and the metabolic, which refers to the way the body processes energy.
This confirms the experience of people with eating disorders. For decades, we and clinicians have noticed that eating disorders tend to be activated when someone is deprived of energy or unable to consume enough calories to sustain their body. I got
Eating disorders are nothing to be ashamed of. They are not choices, they are not failures. The idea that eating disorders are a choice is still stigmatized. I would add to that: If someone discovers they have an eating disorder, or is receiving that diagnosis from someone else, I emphasize the importance of early intervention. I think the step is to find a really good eating disorder team (including a therapist, nutritionist, and doctor).
CNN: How should loved ones talk to people recovering from eating disorders?
bored: I speak mostly from my own experience, but I have coached quite a few teenagers in this process. Also, I was the recipient (of the unhelpful comments).
Whenever possible, avoid comments or actions related to diet culture. Especially in this country, the way fitness is valued in popular culture is diametrically opposed to recovery. Diet culture is often hidden under the banner of healthism. This is basically the belief that there is a standard of fitness and health that everyone can achieve if we work hard.
There is scientific literature showing that health and weight are not all causal. Therefore, being overweight does not mean that you are in poor health.
CNN: What do you mean when you say you shouldn’t use the “voice of your eating disorder itself” to retell?
bored: Let’s say I show up at the doctor’s office and I’m terrified of what’s happening to my body. And the clinician might say something meaningful. No need to gain weight. ”
Whether or not that statement is factual, it fits perfectly with eating disorder beliefs. But it turns out that it doesn’t work in the long run.
CNN: What’s the best way to talk to people without using your eating disorder voice?
bored: Some questions I encourage people to ask themselves are: Or is it that some foods have moral value and others have moral value? Also, avoid mentioning anything with numbers in it, such as your weight, calories, or hours of exercise per week.
Don’t assume someone’s inner state based on their outward appearance or demeanor. Instead of making assumptions, step back and ask questions whenever you can.
For example: “You seem to be improving in these behaviors, just like you set goals for the last week. How does that feel? How was your heart reaction?” The research process is really important.
CNN: What do people need to know about relapses?
bored: It’s not a failure and you don’t have to go back to the worst illness you’ve ever had. It can be detected early and the situation can be reversed.
What I wish I knew about relapse is that it happens faster, more suddenly, and more exhausting than you think.
If you carry the gene for an eating disorder — whether it’s anorexia, bulimia, bulimia, or anything on the spectrum — you’re probably always careful and vigilant in maintaining your nutrition. You will have to eat a wide variety of foods and protect yourself from food culture. Because it can happen quickly – a few days of restriction, a few pounds of weight loss, and then suddenly, you’re back to full eating disorder.
I also think relapse is a learning opportunity. I don’t always feel that way at this point, but looking back on each time I’ve had a relapse, I realize that each time I’ve discovered something about what recovery means to me.
I think it’s a way to be kind to yourself, be open-minded and say yes relapse is a crisis and you need to do everything you can to get out of it. Nor is it a sign that you will suffer from this forever.
CNN: What have you learned about recovery?
bored: When I first started in recovery, most were clinicians, but even some of the books and blogs I read from recovered people mostly framed recovery in terms of absence. As you recover, these annoying symptoms will go away. Or you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about food in your body.
In fact, being restored is entirely about presence. It is the ability to exist in relationships around you to things that interest you. It is also the physical presence of the ability to listen to cues.Satiety.
Eating disorders are pure white, and I am spending days that are somewhat dragging. …and the world regains its color once again.
