Turning to Food For Love, Intimacy & Connection
"You are never strong enough that you dont need help"
- Cesar Chavez
Are you isolating yourself from people, places and things? Are you turning
to food and or restricting, instead of forming intimate connections with
yourself and other people? Is the pain of really living your life and
pursuing your goals too much for you to think about? Are you so filled with
fear, self-doubt and feelings of hopelessness, that food is the only thing
you find comfort in?
Patient Stories
1) 50 year old single woman eating sweets at night, feeling terrified of
gaining weight and being alone. She cannot stop her addiction to food. She
is terrified of her own feelings. She has internalized feelings of shame and
self-hatred. She is lonely and wants desperately to meet someone, however,
has been unable to stop her destructive behaviors on her own.
2) 25 year old single man who utilizes food, laxatives and pills to cope
with his depression, self-hatred and distorted body image.. He has been
abusing himself with food for years, knows that he can’t keep going on
this way. He feels out of control and unhappy in all areas of his life. He
knows that without help his life will be unmanageable.
3) 14 year old girl starves herself, over exercises and desperately wants
acceptance, recognition and love from her family and friends. She is unhappy
and is suffering from anorexia nervosa, low self-esteem and masking her
pain. She knows that she needs help before she is hospitalized.
All these people have underlining issues that are causing them to reach to
or restrict food, instead of coping with life in more constructive
ways. Many of these people did not learn how to nurture and comfort
themselves. Turning to food provides a natural way to help numb the pain.
Once these women and men learned how to explore their feelings in a safe environment, develop healthier outlets and coping skills to navigate their lives, they were able to feel more in control of their lives instead of their addiction being in the driver seat.
The first step to solving a problem is to admitting that you have one.
Finding the right support for your recovery is essential for living a
healthy life.