Navigating summer break following a year at college can be daunting, especially if you or someone you love is on the path to recovery from an eating disorder. The shift from a predictable life at college to an unscheduled summer can be disorienting. However, with proper preparation, those in recovery can experience an enjoyable and healing summer.
Eating disorders are incredibly manipulative conditions that play on your emotions. They can feel like an important coping mechanism and a toxic presence simultaneously. Often, eating disorders erode your sense of self and overwhelm your life and identity. When pursuing recovery, it can be challenging to separate yourself from your eating disorder, but it is more than possible with the right support.
Diet culture often influences us to try new weight loss methods perpetually, be it Weight Waters, Noom, or trendy diets such as Keto or Intermittent Fasting. Although society sees these as “healthy” or “normal,” the sustainability and benefits of these restrictive dieting practices are harmful to most individuals.
Young adults and adolescents develop their appearance ideals from media, social media, dating apps, family, etc. Accordingly, research indicates that individuals identifying with a different gender than assigned at birth tend to relate their appearance ideals based on sources that align with their gender identity.
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that impacts an individual's social and cognitive skills. While early intervention helps with symptoms in children, individuals may not get diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood. However, research in recent years indicates a possible overlap between eating disorders and autism spectrum disorder.
Eating disorders can have profound physical, mental, and emotional consequences for those affected. The journey to recovery involves relearning to trust yourself, your intuition, and significant people in your life, such as your therapy team, friends, and family. This process can be a complex challenge but is crucial to lasting recovery from your eating disorder.
Join BALANCE Content Editor Andromeda Rodriguez (they/she) on Friday, June 30th at 12 PM EDT for our webinar, Body Image and the Queer Community: The Ways Gender and Sexuality Shape Self-Image. Join us in this transformative webinar that celebrates diversity, promotes body acceptance, and empowers the queer community in recovery.
You are invited to our Meet the BALANCE Dietitians: Networking Event at BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™ on Friday, June 23rd, at 9:00 AM EDT.
ARFID, or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, is an eating disorder where individuals avoid specific foods due to texture, smell, or taste, resulting in a lack of proper nutrients. Previously known as a selective eating disorder, ARFID had evolved into a new diagnosis found in the DSM-5-TR. However, misconceptions and myths surrounding ARFID make this eating disorder more difficult to treat and understand.
An eating disorder diagnosis is overwhelming and challenging. It is common for those with eating disorders also to have other mental health disorders. Anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are mental health disorders that often co-occur with eating disorders.
While the predominant stereotype around eating disorders focuses on women, other people along the gender spectrum, including men, struggle with eating disorders. However, because of the difference in gender ideals, male presentation of eating disorders can look different than females.
Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and OSFED may be the most notorious eating disorders, but many lesser-known conditions often fly under the radar, going undiagnosed and untreated. Though they may not have made it to the pages of the DSM or receive an official diagnosis, they're just as real and devastating.
