From time to time, everyone has to deal with a certain level of stress. You may get stressed because of situations at work, relationships at home, or challenges at school. However, if you’re suffering from an eating disorder, many factors can cause destructive behavioral patterns and raise your stress patterns. If you’re battling stress alongside an eating disorder, it’s critical that you try to understand your condition and address your poor eating habits. With the help of an eating disorder treatment center, this seemingly unmanageable task is possible. At Crossroads Maine, our goal is to give you the tools to overcome these challenges. Contact our team today at 877.978.1667 for more information about how to put an end to your stress and eating disorder.

How Are Stress and Eating Disorders Connected?

In many cases, if you get stressed, you may react impulsively because you don’t know how to manage your stress constructively. If you are also battling an eating disorder, these impulsive acts can cause you to limit your food intake, begin a binge-eating session, or start purging your body of nutrients after a meal.

Stress can stem from a wide array of environmental and social factors. You could feel shame or guilt surrounding your self-image, causing you to continuously feel stressed because you’re not reaching the unattainable standards you’ve set for yourself. On the other hand, people around you and the rest of society may pressure you to achieve the perfect body. As you continue to work towards this goal, you stress yourself out as you fear you’re not doing enough.

Overcoming Stress

Stress is not always a bad thing. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or painful. In fact, if you learn to manage your stress productively, you can learn to relax when you’re facing stress. For instance, stress can motivate you to become more productive and mindful of your actions. It can also empower you to find an activity that allows you to be content with your appearance and at peace with your situation. Finding methods to manage your stress can lead you to channel your stress productively, allowing you to be happier and healthier.

There are a variety of ways to manage your stress and eating disorders, allowing you to put these challenges in the past. For instance, you can start practicing yoga. Yoga will enable you to center your body and mind using a range of poses and specific movements to help you build balance and strength. This practice allows you to appreciate your body as it is, allowing you to relieve stress and the resulting desire to engage in an eating disorder.

If you don’t want to practice yoga, you can start practicing mindful meditation, breathing exercises, and other meditation techniques. Each of these techniques takes less than 10 minutes and can bring your body and mind into the present. Furthermore, meditations can relieve stress, promote self-acceptance, and promote self-compassion.

Other methods of relieving stress include:

Going for a walk outside
Writing in a journal
Doing art, such as drawing, painting, or photography
Read a book
Listen to music

Seek Help at Crossroads Maine

If you’re struggling with the effects of stress and eating disorders, it’s critical to reach out for the help that you need. At Crossroads Maine, we know that with the right tools, it is possible to overcome these challenges. We strive to provide you with the right tools. At our eating disorder treatment center, we offer a range of therapeutic mental health treatment options, such as: