Self Esteem and Eating Disorders
Self esteem is interconnected with eating disorders, with those suffering from low self confidence being at a higher risk of troubles.
Low self esteem seems to be a common trait among those with eating disorders. While it’s difficult to say whether self esteem troubles caused the eating disorder or if the eating disorder creates low self esteem, or both, this is not the most important question to answer. What is important is addressing the self esteem issues in order to enhance recovery from an eating disorder.
The Importance of Self Esteem
Self esteem is how you think and feel about yourself. Self esteem is feeling that you are worthy and deserving of good things in life. Healthy self esteem can bring confidence and success to your life leading to happiness. Self esteem isn’t something we were born with and it’s not an easy thing to build. Often, we begin by creating self esteem from what our parents and friends tell us about ourselves, but as we grow older, we need to look within ourselves for self acceptance and high self esteem.
Changing Your Self Esteem
Making a change of any kind can be a challenge and this is no different. The first step is realizing or pinpointing this problem and then taking steps to change the way you think. Here are some simple ways to stop the negative thinking in your brain right now.
- Make a list of the positive things about yourself – While this might seem awkward at first, you will want to write down all of the good things about yourself. This might be everything from accomplishments to the way you laugh. Everything that’s good about you goes on this list.
- Look at the things you’ve learned – Instead of focusing on all of the mistakes you’ve made in your life, try to think about what you’ve learned during all of the mistakes you’ve made. This way, you will begin to see the value of mistakes as opposed to beating yourself up about them.
- Don’t worry about what others say – You can not change what others think of you, no matter how hard you might try. So, it’s up to you to focus on recovering from your eating disorder without listening to what others say.
- Change the way you talk to yourself – Of course, you also need to stop the negative self talk in your mind. You should be treating yourself the way you would treat a friend. Think about the things you’ve told yourself. Are these things you would say to a friend?
- Realize you don’t have to be perfect – While you might strive for perfection, realize that this is a quest you might never win. You need to focus instead on being the best YOU can be.
- Take some risks – If you don’t take chances in your life, how can you know what you are capable of? Do some things each day that scare you and feel your self esteem and self confidence grow.
Self Esteem Resources
Support groups are valuable for helping with self esteem issues, as are online resources, therapists, and books on the matter. But in the end, you are your own best resources for boosting your self esteem and helping to heal your eating disorder.