How Would You Respond To Someone With An Eating Disorder Who Might Be Suicidal?

I received a message from a teenage girl who’s struggling with anorexia and has been told by her doctors and parents that if she doesn’t eat she will have to get serious medical treatment. She’s terrified of gaining back the weight she lost and said she would rather day than be fat again. What advice would you give to someone like this?

Here’s what I said…

“All I can do is share from one soul to another what I think.

It sounds like you’re going through a very tough time right now. If I were you, here’s what I would do personally:

I would focus on eating healthy food not on weight. When you realize it’s impossible to eat salad and get fat, you’ll be happy eating as much as you want to eat and sleep well knowing that you’re not going to gain back all that weight if you eat healthy.

Second, I would stop visiting anorexia forums and start visiting healthy eating forums – surround yourself with the people you want to be like. If you want to be anorexic, hang out with anorexics but if you want to be healthy and lean, hang out with people who eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle.

Third, I would look at your life and try to figure out what triggers you. What emotions are you hiding that you’re afraid to show? Are there people you hold feelings for that you’re afraid to talk about? Are there people you could forgive but haven’t? Are you angry at yourself? Can you forgive yourself for everything you imagine you have done wrong or didn’t do right?

Lastly, I would start reading and learning. Study nutrition if you want but also study self-love, acceptance and inner peace. Writers like the Dalai Lama and Eckhart Tolle have helped me personally love myself and accept myself regardless of my past or what others may or may not think. A good book I recommend is “The Spirituality of Imperfection” – it’s profound!

To answer your specific questions – you won’t get fat if you start eating again – just eat healthy foods! Fruits, vegetables, berries, whole grains, beans (legumes), nuts and seeds will not make you fat. Eat as much as you want! Avoid junk foods like white sugar, white flour, processed foods and dairy.

There’s nothing wrong with you. When you realize that, you won’t have this problem anymore.

Everything is a phase. Phases are here to teach us lessons we are too stubborn to learn on our own. When you learn the lesson and change accordingly, the problem disappears.

Eat whole foods like I mentioned before, they will boost your metabolism.

I hope that helps!”

What do you think? What would you say to someone who’s struggling with anorexia?

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