Eating Disorders: What to Do to Prevent Them

Growing up in a society that places much importance on physical appearance, added with the media's glorification of unrealistic beauty standards could sometimes leave us feeling a bit overwhelmed and "not good enough". Interactions in your social and professional life can also feel somewhat unfulfilling especially if you are rather overweight. Sometimes, these pressures can cause people to develop certain eating disorders -- unusual reactions to stress in their surroundings.

So what are the factors that determine whether or not we are at risk of acquiring these disorders? Here are a few ideas.

· It's all in the mind - our actions begin with our thoughts, which have a very powerful way of influencing the way we see the world and ourselves. Even simple statements we make about ourselves can have a tremendous influence on our psyche.

DON'T: abnormally obsess about the amount of your food intake, make negative statements like "I'm too fat" or "I'm too ugly".

DO: learn how to eat healthy without getting unreasonably preoccupied with calories, think of things that you like about yourself, believe that you deserve to be happy.

· What's your worth? - you are a priceless work of art! You are a treasured gem unique in all the world and always remember that! Anorexics, bulimics, and compulsive overeaters have forgotten this simple fact and that is why they were prone to developing their unhealthy condition in the first place.

DON'T: try to be perfect - nobody is, and no one will ever be. Don't think that you will "never be good enough" - everyone has his or her own faults and weaknesses. It's called BEING HUMAN.

DO: try to develop a positive self - image, be yourself and shine - there is no one else like you!

· Letting Go - studies show that people with perfectionist personalities are more vulnerable to eating disorders. Anorexics, bulimics, and compulsive overeaters often suffer from a feeling of not being in control over their lives and use their eating disorder as a way to cope, or as a way to suppress emotions.

DON'T: set unrealistic goals for yourself and your body; don't be too hard on yourself when you're not able to achieve something you want, don't dwell too much on negative feelings.

DO: be a bit more forgiving of your own shortcomings, think of failures as learning opportunities, look for healthy outlets for feelings of frustration or anger.

· Honesty Is Still The Best Policy - anorexics, bulimics, and compulsive eaters alike are able to maintain their unhealthy state because they lie -- they lie about their food intake, they hide diet pills and laxatives, and are in denial about their disorder and the reasons behind it. They aren't completely healed of their illness unless they pluck up the courage to face their real demons up front.

DON'T: turn to food to numb emotions, cheat with diet pills to lose weight, use food as a pain tranquilizer

DO: develop your emotional well-being, be honest about your emotions, look for healthy outlets where you can sort out issues and problems.

It's really all about moderation, balance, and maintaining a healthy self - image. It may be hard to maintain a positive frame of mind sometimes, but you should never doubt your self - worth and your right to be happy and appreciated for who you truly are.