When to Seek Help for Eating and Body Issues
Kindful Body founder Marcella Cox and Clinical Director Jasmine Dunckel answer common questions about knowing when to seek help for eating and body image issues. They identify some signs that it’s time to seek help for eating and body issues and how to go about finding the support you need. You can view the video version of the conversation here.
Doesn’t everybody struggle with body image and try to control what they eat?
Ads for diet products and cosmetic procedures are inescapable. Celebrities’ bodies are always fair game for critique in the media. And, even some of the fictional characters we see onscreen are at war with how they look. All of this certainly makes it seem like everyone struggles with their body image. But there are folks out there who do not criticize their bodies and are comfortable just living in them. They see their bodies as tools, vessels that allow them to experience life.
You May End up Neglecting Your Hygiene
The level of care and attention we give our bodies exists on a spectrum. On one end, there are those who neglect aspects of their appearance. They may not be showering, brushing their teeth, washing their clothes, or combing their hair. This neglect may be a sign of depression.
You May Be Aware of Your Body, But You Take A Whole Body Approach
In the middle, there are people who are conscious of how they dress and may apply makeup as a form of self-expression. These folks take a whole-body approach when they look in the mirror, rather than singling out areas of their body. This area of the spectrum is a healthy place to be.
Lastly, You May Have Negative Perceptions Of Your Body
At the far end of the spectrum, there are those who are constantly preoccupied with how their bodies look, feel that their bodies are out of control, are unsure of how to care for their bodies, and are desperate to fix parts of themselves.
Here are signs you may need to work with an online therapist in California for your body issues:
You engage in body checking, i.e. constantly looking in the mirror, changing outfits, and/or weighing yourself.
Or you break your body down into parts and criticize each one individually.
You make or break plans depending on how you feel about your body on any given day.
Perhaps, you're afraid to go clothes shopping.
You feel bad no matter what you’re wearing.
Or, you keep clothes that haven’t fit in a long time as a way to remind yourself of how your body ‘could’ be.
But what about eating? What’s a normal level of ‘control’ to have over what you eat? Does everyone struggle with eating?
How do I know when it crossed the line into disordered eating or an eating disorder?
Jasmine says it is helpful to think of eating behaviors on a spectrum as well. On one end, there are those who are not thinking about what they put into their bodies, do not care about whether or not they are getting enough nutrients, or have little to no appetite at all. Again, this kind of body neglect may be a sign of depression.
In the middle of the eating behavior spectrum are those who eat what they want. They might sometimes eat too much or too little, but they generally feel neutral about how and what they eat.
At the far end, there are the people who experience tons of emotions around food. They may feel insecure, anxious, guilty, or shameful about what and how much they eat.
It’s normal to have occasional struggles with choosing what to eat or trusting your hunger cues.
Diet trends and misinformation from so-called nutrition ‘experts’ online disrupt our natural intuition around eating. Diets are forms of disordered eating, but not everyone who diets has an eating disorder. However, dieting is a slippery slope. According to NEDA, 25% of diets lead to full-blown eating disorders.
Here are some signs you may need professional help for your eating issues:
You’re anxious about your food choices.
Or, you never know when you are hungry or full.
You feel guilt or shame regardless of what you choose to eat.
Maybe, you have a very small list of ‘acceptable’ foods.
You don’t know what to eat.
Or, you follow fad diet after fad diet.
You fear anything involving food, like social events and grocery shopping.
Maybe, you feel you have to exercise after eating to ‘burn it off.’
You go back and forth between eating too little and too much; there is no happy medium.
My problem is eating too much, not too little. Why do I need to see an online therapist and a dietitian?
It’s a common misconception that eating disorders are only concerning when they involve weight loss and/or starvation. The size of your body is not an indication of an eating disorder. Eating disorders are about the feelings you have around food and eating. That being said, if you are eating too much and feeling an intense amount of guilt and shame afterward and experience an uncomfortable level of fullness, it’s time to seek help from an online therapist and dietitian in California.
Talk to an online therapist if you have low self-worth
When overeating leads to feelings of low self-worth, there is a risk of engaging in other damaging behaviors, like self-harm as a punishment for binge eating or more binge eating in response to the shame brought on by the initial binge.
It’s time to talk with an online therapist when you can’t stop the negative eating cycle
It’s difficult to disrupt these eating patterns on your own. Working with an eating disorder therapist can help you find other ways to deal with shame, and a dietitian can guide you to a more balanced way of eating.
If food consumes your thoughts, its time to speak with an online therapist in California
If everything is about how you look or how you eat, if you rely on external cues to tell you when and how much to eat, if you’ve lost sight of how to listen to your body and just exist in it, it’s time to seek help for eating and body issues.
Resources from an Online Therapist in California for finding help with my struggles with food and my body?
To find help for your struggles with food and your body, Jasmine suggests the following:
Reach out to the Kindful Body team. We may not be the right fit for you, but we will help direct you to the eating disorder and body image therapists who can provide the best treatment that works for you.
Visit the NEDA website. There you can find a helpline and information on different types of eating disorders.
Read books like Body Respect, Intuitive Eating, and More Than a Body. These titles will introduce you to new ways of thinking about how you care for your body and prepare you for the education you will receive in eating disorder treatment.
Begin Online Therapy in California for Support!
Contact us for a free 15-minute video consultation to find out how we can help. Body image issues can steal the joy from your life. Together we will help you build resilience to weather any bad body image day, so you can authentically show up as yourself. Your journey to peace with your body and a better future is just a click away. Our eating disorder therapists and dietitians can help!
Our offices are located throughout California via online therapy. We are conveniently located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Palo Alto. We can work with adults and teens throughout California. You can schedule a free 15-minute video consultation to learn how we can help you or your loved one.
Kindful Body Counseling can support you with eating disorder treatment and more.
You can continue to be stuck in the daily battle against yourself... or you can take your next step towards healing and loving yourself. There is hope — full recovery is possible. If you’re looking for additional support in online therapy practice in California, we offer other services. This includes eating disorder treatment for students and adolescents, eating disorder treatment, brainspotting for eating disorders, trauma therapy, anxiety treatment and stress therapy, therapy for binge eating, low self-esteem issues, and relationship therapy. When you’re ready, we are here to see you for eating disorder treatment in Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland/Berkeley, Walnut Creek, San Mateo, Orange County, CA, and statewide through online therapy in California.