If you’re battling an eating disorder or you’re in eating disorder recovery, you may feel like your eating disorder triggers are everywhere. It may seem impossible to escape or ignore them because they appear in everyday life. Perhaps someone in your office is bragging about their new weight loss practice. Maybe your loved one comments snidely about the amount of food on your plate. Perhaps the local restaurant provides the sky-high calorie count on each page of the menu. Your eating disorder triggers can take the most innocuous event and turn it on its head. It’s critical to learn how to manage your eating disorder triggers and put them behind you. If you’re ready to seek eating disorder treatment, contact our women’s eating disorder treatment center today at 877.978.1667.
What Are Eating Disorder Triggers?
An eating disorder trigger is anything that induces an uncomfortable and intense emotion that urges a person to react to their disordered relationship with food. A trigger can be situational, social, environmental, physiological, or psychological. Once you’ve encountered this trigger, however, you quickly move into a reactive state. In other words, you feel the need to find a distraction, escape, or another method of escape from the trigger.
Possible Eating Disorder Triggers
Each person is unique, and, as a result, each person’s trigger will be unique. However, several common triggers affect many people around the country.
1. Societal Pressure
Today, our society has a specific idea of what “beauty” is, which, unfortunately, makes many women feel like they can’t quite compare. Images of airbrushed models, actresses, and celebrities can leave many women feeling like their weight and body shape are far from perfect. However, it’s critical to remember that your body is lovely, the way it is. Succumbing to an eating disorder will only leave you with severe mental and physical health conditions.
2. Loss of a Romantic Relationship
In some cases, a woman may place their self-worth in their relationship with a significant other. If they break up with their partner, that can take a severe toll on their self-confidence. They may fall into the trap of thinking, “If I were skinnier, he or she would have stayed with me.” This sort of self-talk is detrimental to a person’s confidence. It can also lead to eating disorder behaviors.
3. Monetary Problems
Many people who are suffering from financial problems can be looking everywhere to cut corners. They may think that their best bet is to limit their food consumption to save money. In such cases, it’s dangerous for your long term health. There are plenty of ways to save money without resorting to limiting your food intake. For instance, you may want to try:
- Cooking at home
- Meal planning
- Buying generic brands of groceries
- Stay away from junk foods
- Shop sales
- Use coupons
4. Mental Health Problems
Many mental health conditions can also be linked to eating disorders. For instance, if you’ve struggled with anxiety, you may not feel like eating much. Conversely, you may start binge eating to cope with your stress. In addition, depression can also lead to eating disorders. Individuals with depression often don’t eat enough or eat far too much. It’s critical to seek mental health treatment if you’re battling an eating disorder as well as another mental health condition.
Contact Crossroads Maine
At Crossroads Maine, we know that women are capable of a great deal. With treatment that has been designed by women, for women, you don’t have to let an eating disorder hold you back. We offer a range of eating disorder treatment options that we’ll tailor to treat your unique needs. Our treatment options include:
For more information about managing your eating disorder triggers, contact Crossroads Maine today at 877.978.1667.
