Importance of self-esteem in anorexia
Low self-esteem is a common feature of different eating disorders as it reflects the patient’s fear that if they “abandon” and shows the world as it is in fact will be rejected immediately.
One of the goals of good therapy eating disorder is getting the patient to appreciate its own intrinsic worth.
Reasons for low self-esteem: how someone develops low self-esteem? Involves several factors:
- Belief that figure determines the value: People with eating disorders have come to believe that they are despicable and unacceptable unless they are thin, and of course, never get to be thin enough to feel satisfied.
- Unit of external factors in determining one’s worth: Instead of loving and valued internally, measure their worth through external signals, eg the qualification of an examination, the mark of a race, the endorsement by friends …
- Thinking of themselves as useless and incompetent: If a person feels helpless about his life or environment, it is clear that it will not be able to develop great respect for herself.Tips for encouraging self-esteem:
- Engaging in something the patient already do well: develop a new activity involves patience and the risk of not having attitudes to it, so make sure that the patient operates low self-esteem or individual, engages in something that knows he does well.
- Find “devil’s advocate” imaginary or ask a friend to be: so someone with low self esteem can begin to understand how negative it is relying on external reinforcement to feel good about herself.
- Asking “Why is it so important to a particular aspect?, Would it change your life a lot if I weighed 4 kilos less?,” Would get better in the job?, Would it be more fun at parties?, “Eleanor Roosevelt have achieved most things if it had been beautiful? “.
- Why not look better without worrying about your weight?. It’s nice to imagine a world where people’s weight was unchanged. “Would you still take half a grapefruit for dessert instead of chocolate cake?.
- Act as if it were thin, as if it were beautiful. Paradoxically, people who act as if they wanted a better start to get reaction from the world, making them easier to love truly.
- Observe the people around them. This is most effective if it belongs to a club or gym, where people walk around in various states of undress. How many bodies are perfect?. In addition to what can be perfect for someone else may not.
- We must learn to accept. It’s great to develop a plan for healthy nutrition and exercise, leaving it clear that we are not looking for a weight loss plan but only guidelines to eat a normal healthy diet. The same goes for an exercise program: we must make it clear that you are exercising to benefit the heart, bones … not to achieve an impossible figure.
- It’s good to join a group of self-help or support. A group of other people experiencing the same, this will help them see that they are not alone.
Suggestions for the family: eating disorders affect the entire family. It is impossible to pretend that all is well, many parents wonder: “Is it my fault?” Have I done something wrong? “. It is important to remember that eating disorders can have many causes but there is no denying that the presence of a condition usually indicates a basic problem in the dynamics of the family, but also understanding that the patient is so influenced by culture overall and by their upbringing.
It is important to know that only in rare cases of eating disorders manage solution without professional help. The family can not blame the lack of activity can only be expected of a trained professional.
If we wanted someone with anorexia, you have to tell you frankly, do not be silent in the hope that it is only one stage, the longer it persists the disease will worsen the patient more and more difficult it is to treat, plus there is always the possibility of that the patient is pleading for help silently, secretly waiting for someone to notice their plight and help to find a solution.
SOME TIPS:
- Compose himself before, not emotion expressing serious concern and understandable way.
- Expect resistance. Anorexics say keep in perfect health.
- It is necessary to stand firm in spite of what the patient says or denied, need help. Make clear that our concern is your health and your life.
- It’s good to make the patient responsible for their conduct.
- Be willing to help ourselves, because eating disorders affect people around too.
- It’s good to make sure their own family’s needs are met. There are support groups for relatives of people affected.
CONCLUSION
When considering a treatment, has taken the first and most important step to recovery: it was understood that there is a problem, it requires great courage.
During an intervention and effective treatment, can help ease the destructive pressure anorexia and other eating disorders have on patients and relatives. A good treatment program does not offer a cure for overnight but it offers hope.