Eating Disorder Recovery

Eating Disorders are tricky.

They’re tricky for those who suffer from them, and they’re tricky for those who are trying to help a loved one suffering. Often, if you are the one helping a loved one, you’ll feel lost, you may not understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. You may feel as though you are helping as much as you can, and running out of patients because nothing seems to work?

All we can say is don’t give in. For an individual suffering with mental health issues, particularly related to eating disorders, its incredibly tricky to be able to gain clear mindsets, control hormonal responses, have nothing but tunnel vision for their own circumstances.

The best way I describe it to my clients, is the tunnel vision terrors. We have many support persons ask us ‘why are they snapping at me when I’m trying to help?’ or ‘I just don’t get it, its just food’. Whilst these are valid questions for those who are not suffering directly, a switch in mindsets will help change everything.

Think of it this way. If you were to put diesel fuel into a car that needed petrol, how do you think it will function? Or better yet, what if you just don’t re-fuel at all, and let it run off fumes. Will it run smoothly? Will it perform properly? Or will it backfire and cause many other issues throughout the car, because it’s not getting the right fuel it needs? So, if a human starts to consume poor quality foods, or no foods at all, how do you think their body will react.

What happens when someone is experiences malnourishment, stress, anxiety and so on, hormonal responses start to trigger in the gut and in the brain. A lot of the time, responses are uncontrollable for those who are struggling. Anger, snapping, irritability, all becomes present in their demeanour. Though what they need from us, is the understanding that its ok, this isn’t them. Rather it’s their hormonal imbalances answering for them. It is all fixable!

Hormones are in charge of controlling a wide range of bodily functions, from our mood to the efficiency of our respiratory system. They travel from the endocrine glands to receptors that are particular to each hormone. They convey messages to these receptors, acting as catalysts for responses in specific parts of the body.

Nutrient shortages have an impact on hormone production. Dieting or reducing food intake, deprives the body of the nutrition it need for hormones to function properly. The thyroid slows down as a result of the lack of energy, and a severe imbalance in various endocrine secretions is prevalent. B12, folic acid, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and selenium are all common nutritional deficits that impact the thyroid.

So without completely nerding out (just yet), about which hormones play what roles and responses, its important to understand that when someone is struggling with lack of nutrients, cognitive ability and more, this is the time we need to be most understanding and compassionate. Their irritability is not necessarily a personal attack, rather an inability to distinguish an internal struggle. Guidance to help them realise that a lot of these responses in angst are just a hormonal response, and can be redirected with a soft, gentle, informative approach.