or journaling. Ensure that you are able to share what is going on
with a mature Christian you can trust, someone who can listen
and help you to process emotions that may seem overwhelming
or out of control.
Anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating are all used to express
emotions through unhealthy behaviors. As you understand the
connection between your outside behaviors and how you feel
inside, you can begin to get to the root of the eating disorder.
Anorexia can be used to avoid unpleasant emotions or feelings
by focusing on food. Even though girls struggling with anorexia
are starving themselves, they are typically preoccupied with
food. They obsess over calories, health foods, and exercising.
This unhealthy obsession is used to escape from unwanted
emotions.
Bulimia is often used to express negative emotions or feelings
that become too overwhelming to put into words. Through
self-induced vomiting or laxative/diuretic abuse, emotions are
"purged" out. The temporary release of endorphins misleads
you to think this attempt was successful-until
the destructive
emotional release becomes an overwhelming addiction.
Binge-eating is an actual reflection of emotions that are out
of control. Many girls turn to this disorder as an attempt to
communicate the chaos they feel inside by acting out of control
on the outside. However, what is actually going on is not being
communicated, and binge-eating becomes a vicious cycle which
leads to hopelessness and shame.
You may not choose the emotions that you feel, but you do
have a choice about what you do with those emotions. As you
choose to express how you are feeling in healthy ways, you are
also choosing freedom. Becoming free is a very slow process,
and at first you need to include a lot of accountability and
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