Helping Others Recover From an Eating Disorder

by Just Smile

I’m overweight and out of shape, and I do try and lose weight for the obvious health risks and medical complications, however one thing I’m happy about is my body. It is far from beautiful or “hot”, but if it weren’t for my lack of looks, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

When I was younger, I found that girls were generally bitchy towards each other, and that they were almost always fake towards me. I would try to fit in to the “groups” they had made, but found that I never really did. Instead I would hang out with the guys. This helped me build up strength and confidence somehow, because I learn’t not to care what other people thought about me, and I learnt to be happy with myself.

As I changed schools, and moved on with my life, this confidence has given me the ability to be the person I am today. I fight for what I believe in, don’t take crap from anyone, and don’t let ANY of my friends feel bad about themselves or their bodies.

Even though I’m overweight and trying to lose some of it, I know that there are many girls out there (and a few guys too) who are beautiful and average weight, who feel that they are heavy and want to lose weight. Although I can’t say I understand why you would feel that, I do understand that some people either feel the pressure to be thin, or somehow just flip a switch in their brain telling them they are not thin enough, or pretty enough.

For every person, their life and what makes their switch flip is different. That’s one of the reasons that problems like anorexia and bulimia nervosa are so hard to treat. There is no one single method that will work for every single person. The first step to recovery is realizing you have a problem, and from there, you can start to fix it.

I have a few friends who suffer from anorexia, and are slowly trying to recover. I tell them everyday that they are strong, amazing, and beautiful, and although this isn’t the reason they’ve started eating again, it’s something that encourages them to recover. Many people suffering from anorexia or bulimia don’t get support from anyone, making them feel even more insignificant, which leads them to eat even less.

You can help. If you see anyone who isn’t eating, don’t tell them to eat, simply remind them of their strengths as a person ... their beauty, their charm, their personality, anything about them.

You’d be shocked by the results.

Please visit Just-Smile.org.