If not for you, for them...

One of my passions in life, is the advocacy for healthy eating patterns.  The hard part is, our society is inundated with mixed messages 24/7.  For example, the E! network has many programs that highlight the insufficiencies of many of our role models in the celebrity culture in terms of their style, physical attributes, and activities of daily living (what is on their plate, what kind of food or beverage they enjoy, how they do or do not stay fit, etc).  However, this network also has a new show called "What's eating you" that has been developed to call attention to disordered eating patterns and health.

This is such a strong mixed message.  And with that, I begin to think about women who have disordered patterns of eating and their capability to understand how to begin to heal.  And on top of that, would we know how to exactly help them through this process?

NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association), has published a  two page document to help with this.  I am linking it below:

Sharing with EEEase

Essentially it focuses on the individuals quest for healing, but I do think that it can be helpful for a friend, family member, coworker, or simply just a bystander to understand from this perspective the most effective way to address these issues.

First, it is important to understand the general idea of disordered eating.  Not all eating patterns fit into anorexia or bulimia.  I tend to think of disordered eating as a range beginning at the lowest level of your conscious eating choices (for this reason or that) to the diagnosable eating disorders outlined by the American Psychiatric Association in their DSMIV-TR (Google it!). 

As it is helpful to be able to understand and recognize if someone has disordered patterns, it is equally if not more important to know what to do if they reach out for help.  NEDA uses three E's: Establishing a Safe Environment, Explain the Situation, and Educate with the Facts.

More importantly however, the document lets you know: who to tell and what to say.  I believe that for anyone who is struggling or for someone who is trying to help ridding yourself of those anxieties associated with not having complete control can often discourage the individual from acting.  If you are working hard to control your eating, not having control over your healing is a horribly scary event that may in fact encourage to further control your patterns.  Educating yourself, creating a plan, and securing a support system will allow the individual to still exert a level of control of their life that may pull them from their bubble even for a second.

And for the outsider, fear of making the situation worse can often lead to a failure to act at all.  Identifying the most probable option for success will at least provide some comfort and security that intervening is the right thing to do.  Again with that word "control".  Being aware that not all methods are 100% successful is another realization that must be actualized in order to really understand the depth or the range of the patterns.

In whatever manner that you chose to address this situation, keep in mind that support and genuine love are the real patterns that matter.  These patterns are not of a weak nature, and do mask various deep-seeded issues that plague the mind.  For this reason, take care with your mission and your decision.  Remember to also maintain your sense of self and only act in ways from which you are truly motivated to do so.  Become the change that you want to see, and utilize the resources that are available. 

My dad once gave me a soccer statue that said "You miss 100% of the shots you do not take" and though I missed quite a few times, I always succeeded eventually--I just had to make it worth the wait to myself.  And that gave me a sense of self that is worth more than any goal or any win ever was.