I entered into a writing competition called “EDRC’s Be-YOU-tiful Be Free Writing Contest”. Here is my entry for the contest:
According to a statistic estimated by the National Eating Disorder Association, up to 30 million people in the US are suffering from an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and the worldwide statistic goes up to 70 million sufferers.
Eating disorders can affect anyone from any age, to any race, to any gender. They can be caused by many different things, but scientists are unable to pinpoint just one cause; although they do know some of the complex factors, which can include biochemical, psychological, genetic, cultural, and environmental. Eating disorders also tie in with anxiety and stress. Many people have the misconception that eating disorders are about food or caused by the thought that someone wants to be thin. But really, sufferers use unhealthy behaviors such as dieting or starving to make themselves feel better in unpleasant or overwhelming emotions and stressful situations. In short term, these behaviors can be anxiety and stress relieving, but in the long term, these can increase the very things they were intended to decrease and create other serious complications. Many people also assume that eating disorders are a choice or a character flaw, but this is simply not true, because eating disorders are illnesses. So you cannot blame people for having an eating disorder because they didn’t choose to have it.
Due to eating disorders, many people view themselves differently. People with eating disorders can look underweight, overweight, or just fine. They may not even actually look any different but their body image to them had changed. Body image is the way someone looks at their own body in the mirror, or how they imagine it. But this can work in reverse as well. If someone doesn’t like their body image, then they have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder. Also, if someone doesn’t enjoy their body or like their body image, then they have a greater chance of suffering from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsession with weight loss. All of which are horrible feelings and are not healthy for anyone to have. These horrible feelings all start with negative body image. Negative body image is when someone doesn’t like their body and feels shame and is very self-conscious. People who have negative body images tend to think that their bodies are flawed in comparison to others, which can lead to those nasty feelings, and eating disorders.
The first step towards recovery from an eating disorder is getting a diagnosis. After this, there are many ways for treating eating disorders. These ways generally include a combination of physiological and nutritional counseling, plus medical and psychiatric monitoring. Nutritional counseling is necessary for recovery, and should also educate the patient about nutritional needs. Treatment can be most effective before the eating disorder becomes chronic, but even people with long-standing disorders can and do recover. Something else that people who are suffering through negative body image can do is surround themselves with positive and supportive people.
Something that many people are now enforcing is body positivity, or a positive body image. There is no easy way to go from negative image thoughts to a positive body image, but there are some things that can help. According to NEDA, there is a top ten list of things to do to help towards getting a positive body image, this list can help introduce healthier ways of looking at yourself and your body. All of the things on this list are very useful, but the most important one is “Appreciate all that your body can do.” In this step, it states that every day our bodies help bring us a little closer to our dreams, and so for that, we should celebrate all the amazing things that our bodies do for us, such as: running, dancing, laughing, dreaming, and many other wonderful things. Nevertheless, the baseline rule is to love yourself and your body, no matter what you look like. “You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.” -Amy Bloom.
I hope you enjoyed my entry and think it was good writing material.
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