How Do Eating Disorders Affect Your Life?
Having an eating disorder can be an extremely difficult and isolating condition. Not only does it affect your mental health, but it ultimately affects your physical well-being as well. Certain individuals who suffer from eating disorders often avoid going to places that have a lot of food, while others often go and eat too much food. Either way, it will often negatively affect your life.
Similar to other mental conditions, the impact on others can be catastrophic, and this is sometimes used as an excuse to keep up the bad habits rather than to improve one’s mental health. So, what impact might eating disorders have on your daily life?
Isolation
When you suffer from eating disorders, you may start to isolate yourself from others in fear of what the people around you may think about you. You may be scared of what they’ll say and think, so you might end up choosing to stay within your shell in order to protect yourself.
In line with this, you might also start pushing away people who may want to help you during your time of need. This will ultimately affect your relationships with a lot of individuals, which may cause you to go into a deeper spiral.
Increased Risk of Physical Illnesses or Conditions
Eating too much, too little, or none at all will all negatively affect your life, ultimately leading to the deterioration of your physical well-being and causing illness.
When you eat too much, you might start to gain weight and get obese, and a line of multiple conditions will pile up, such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, high cholesterol, and so much more. Whereas if you eat little to nothing, your body is at higher risk for malnutrition, which means it is not getting the required nutrients it needs, and dehydration.
Worsen Mental Health
Suffering from an eating disorder affects not only your physical health but also your mental health. This is because your physical health is intricately connected with your mental health. So, if your physical health is not in good shape, your mental state will soon follow suit.
Since so many individuals do not perceive eating disorders as mental health illnesses, they frequently fail to realize the potential psychological effects of these diseases.
Moreover, as we’ve mentioned above, isolation is one of the risks of EDs. This can ultimately make it harder for you to maintain relationships with other people.
Slower Brain Function
Even though it only weighs about three pounds, the brain uses up to 20% of the body’s energy. Thus, eating disorders can slow down your brain function because you may be depriving your brain of its needed nutrients by eating little to no food. So, if your brain is deprived of the energy that it requires to function smoothly and effectively during the day, its function may start to slow down.
Hypothermia
A person’s body temperature may drop as a result of eating disorders, based on what the National Eating Disorders Association stated. The body may fall into a state of hypothermia if there is not enough heat to maintain its metabolic fire.
Final Thoughts
Eating disorders can negatively affect your life in multiple ways. So, if you or someone you love is suffering from an ED, get immediate help from a professional.
