In this video, I share three things I wish someone told me when I was struggling with disordered eating.
When I was 12, I turned to anorexia as a coping mechanism. My eating disorder became severe, and I was fortunate to receive professional help in my recovery.
I’m grateful I recovered, especially given that anorexia is the leading cause of death for women ages 15 to 24 (source).
Our future women teachers, healers, politicians, and world leaders are dying before they have a chance to become our future. When eating disorders do not cause death, they still have far-reaching repercussions.
When I was anorexic, the majority of my mental, emotional, and psychic energy went into thinking about food. I lost my passion for life, and was a meek rule-follower. (I am a passionate, tenacious, rule-breaker by nature.)
Eating disorders prevent a woman becoming her true and powerful self, and that’s why I want to initiate conversations and support healing around eating disorders.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Has your healing journey included disordered eating? What part of this video resonated with you?
Thank you for this. Many years ago I was hospitalized for anorexia and this was brilliant and consise. I haven’t heard anyone speak from a place of understanding about this for a long time.
I appreciate hearing that from you, and am glad this resonated with you.
Of all the eating/diet/wellness sites I subscribe to and have read and continue to read, their (often duplicated) blog posts, Lauren makes the most sense of them all. I’m not anorexic, just the opposite, in fact. I’ve long suspected that my size is the result of my waiting (weighting) to be fulfilled emotionally. Sometimes I feel an emptiness that’s almost tangible. I have yet to find the “cure”. I truly like myself, but I’ve never felt like I was good enough and I continue to feel like I have to impress people. In my head, I know it’s an unachievable goal since I have no control over anyone’s thoughts but my own…it’s ME that needs to approve of me. Thank you for this vlog, Lauren. You’ve voiced something that’s trying to ‘gel’ in my head. Really, really love your site.
Unmet emotional needs do make us act out in ways that we probably wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves if these needs were met properly. And although for me personally I’ve found a lot of fulfillment of my emotional needs from giving my heart to Jesus, I find your words of explaining exactly what goes on with us when our emotional needs aren’t met very wise indeed and have helped me realize some things I didn’t quite understand before. Thank you for this important information.
I appreciate your comment, Chris, and am glad this message resonated with you. I’m opening a new program soon, and while I can’t share details quite yet, I hear the challenge you’re facing and this the program could be a fit for you. You might also check out this post and the book recommended in it: http://empoweredsustenance.com/fat-shaming/
Lauren, Thank you for this post. You are speaking from the heart and you spoke to me on that level. I do not have anorexia, but I am very over weight. The feelings you spoke of are the same I feel. I try to bury myself under food and that is my way of coping with unfulfilled needs. Thank you for speaking so much wisdom into my life.
I’m glad to hear this message resonated with you, thank you for sharing. I’ve been recommending this blog post, and the book I mention in it, in other comments here and it may support you as well: http://empoweredsustenance.com/fat-shaming/
This information was very helpful and I thank you – just disordered eating says so very much.