Eating Disorders 101 (Fast facts) #3

Alrighty! It's time for the final post about eating disorders, well at this point in time at least!

Orthorexia Nervosa 

• This is my a not so well-known term that is commonly recognized as an UNHEALTHY obsession with healthy food.
• Now it is not officially known as an eating disorder but it can still be just as dangerous.

Binge Eating Disorders

• Eating disorders are not always about losing weight but can also be about GAINING weight, to an unhealthy extent.
• Sufferers often feel 'out of control' whilst eating.
• There are many health complications when it comes to being overweight.

 I'm not as familiar with these one so I don't want to say too much, in case of sharing false information, so I'll leave some links I found to be interesting and informative :)

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/uploads/file/Orthorexia%20Nervosa.pdf

http://helpguide.org/mental/binge_eating_disorder.htm

http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/problems/binge_eating.html

http://www.eatingdisordershelpguide.com/orthorexia.html

Remember, a healthy you is a beautiful you! And I mean that, although it's very difficult to love your body, even acknowledging good things about your body can be a big help.
Everyones body is going to be different, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly is what your main goals should be!

Eating Disorders 101 (Fast facts) #2

While I want to keep these posts informative, as a 17 year old myself, I generally lose interest scrolling through paragraphs upon paragraphs so that's the reasoning behind the (Fast facts) for those who were wondering!

ANYWAYS, the first two eating disorders I listed were Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. So they are the first two I plan to shed some light on! 


Anorexia Nervosa (Anorexia) 

• People generally refuse to keep a healthy body weight, can be severely under weight.
• Looking in the mirror and seeing a distorted body image.
• It can cause people to have an extreme fear of gaining weight.

People suffering from anorexia tend to be afraid to let other people see them eat.

They can get more than the usual happiness from losing weight.

They are concerned with losing weight, not being healthy. 

Below are only FOUR commonly seen symptoms of anorexia:

• Avoiding eating in public, cutting up food and moving it around, rather than eating it
• A pattern of going to the bathroom after meals
• Depression
• Denial of their actual weight

Bulimia Nervosa (Bulimia)

• It is found that people have an almost uncontrollable urge to BINGE and then PURGE afterwards due to guilt about the food they have eaten.
• They have a desire to stay thin but cannot help the cravings to eat as much as they want.
• Having an unstable weight. 

People suffering from bulimia can be anxiety ridden after eating. They are almost obsessed with there weight. At first it may seem harmless but it can quickly turn into an endless cycle which a sufferer would feel trapped in.

Taken from: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bulimia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm

It’s important to note that bulimia doesn’t necessarily involve purging—physically eliminating the food from your body by throwing up or using laxatives, enemas, or diuretics. If you make up for your binges by fasting, exercising to excess, or going on crash diets, this also qualifies as bulimia.

REMEMBER this is just a brief insight on these disorders, don't rule out the possibility of having an eating disorder without seeing a doctor. 

Knowledge is key. 

Eating Disorders 101 (Fast facts)

While eating disorders can be difficult to understand, they're becoming increasingly common.
There are many different types of eating disorders as well! I've listed some well known ones below, while there are many others, these are just four I chose to later explain in further details. So keep an eye out for those posts!! Eating disorders are not limited to extreme weight loss but extreme weight gain as well.

Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa

Orthorexia Nervosa 

Binge Eating Disorders

All eating disorders can be very dangerous and life threatening. 

Here are SOME symptoms to look out for:

• Weight GAIN/LOSS
• Obsession with calories
• Low self esteem 
• Feeling out of control
• Fear of eating around others
• Signs of malnutrition 
• Signs of dehydration
• Hair loss
• Insomnia or excessive sleep
• Obsession with exercise
• Obsession with scales
• Other self destructive patterns

REMEMBER: These are just SOME symptoms. 

For more details on symptoms, check out these sites! http://www.angelfire.com/bc/peacelovehope/signs.html

http://www.casapalmera.com/articles/7-warning-signs-of-an-eating-disorder/

http://www.eatingdisordershelpguide.com/signs.html

http://www.disordered-eating.co.uk/signs-of-eating-disorders/signs-of-eating-disorders.html

There is nothing you can't overcome if you put your mind to it.

Don't let depression run your life!

While it's good to go to group therapy and see your therapist, etc you should always try to have something unrelated that you enjoy AND can provide some of the help you need. Such as art classes, yoga, any type of exercise, book clubs, basically anything you can enjoy that has a positive effect on yourself!
From my experience you don't want to get too caught up within your Mental Health System.


Exercise is super effective for making you feel good! Even walking, raking leaves, dancing whatever gets you moving!!
It BOOSTS your self-esteem.
It makes you feel GOOD about your body.
It is key to a HEALTHY you.

First Video.

Adding positive thoughts through your day.

I always thought twitter was really stupid but in recent months I've found that it's a great place to learn about new and upcoming things and get support! If you look up different hash tags you can find people who constantly tweet positive things, progress they've seen with suicide prevention or just letting people know they're support.
My twitter is lessthanpedds, is anyone wants to know of any good people to follow just look me up!

Doing things for yourself.

Believe it or not, doing things for yourself can be very beneficial!
Occasionally I love treating myself to silly little things. Like a nice warm bubble bath, getting my nails done, getting my hair done all that stupid stuff.
It seems very insignificant but it helps.
It makes me feel a lot better about myself, especially when times get rough! It gets me one step further in my battle with depression.

I've had great ideas for the two blogs.

I've been sat here for over an hour, looking at this white screen. Once I get back to the swing of things, this blog will be bursting with positive posts! I promise! But for now, I'll leave you with this;
You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try. -Beverly Sills

Do something that scares you each day.

Writing is an excellent outlet.

One of the most effective things that have, well at least lighten the grasp depression has on me, is writing.
Now you don't have to be a scholar writer or an accomplished writer to write. Look at me! There's not a whole lot of talent here but I've found blogs a great way to get both a positive and negative feedback. Mostly positive, bloggers are generally friendly and supportive! I'm about to list some topics to help yourself get writing, they've worked for me!

• What'd you do today? (Detailed, of course!)
• Lists! (Lists have proven to be very easy to write.)
• Talk about your music preferences.
• Explain your love or hate for social networks! (I'm sure you have an opinion!)
• Talk about your favourite person. (Parent, lover.)
• Talk about your pets. (I guess you've already realized I love animals.) 

Write as much as you can about whatever you can! Seriously, it helps. 

The thought that people are actually reading this is mind blowing.

While I don't always have the motivation to get out and help people. I'm always down to write. Writing has gotten me through a lot, whether it's been poetry, short stories or just ranting like I'm doing right now. Maybe with more practice I might actually get somewhere with it. I'm so pleased to sign in and see how many people have read my posts alreadly. I don't mind if anyone thinks it's stupid, I just want someone, anyone to read this and think 'Hey, I'm really not alone.' I know through my darkest times reading about other peoples struggles and success stories really gave me motivation almost!
 Remember, we can't afford to lose anymore awesome people to suicide.

Suicide never has to be an option.

With more and more people struggling with day to day life, me being one of those people. I've been there and I'm sure a lot of people who end up reading this have too.
I just want to kind of to write a small post on how many other options there are. Seriously!
A few years ago I would of probably believed suicide was the only option. There are so many things you can do whilst feeling suicidal. For starters there are a lot of good help lines and sites!

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (For younger kids and teens)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Any Emergency Number in your Area. (991 etc.)
Check your Local Phone Book. (The front should usually have a list of crisis numbers)

http://www.itgetsbetter.org/ is an awesome site for LGBT youth or anyone who'd like to support those youth!
http://www.suicideprevention.ca/ a great Canadian association!
http://www.allianceofhope.org/ for anyone dealing with the loss of someone from suicide, check this out!
http://www.suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html a list of hotlines all through America!

These are just a few I know of and have heard great things about, I'll update it someday when I get more infortmation :)
Remember to smile!

You, yes you. You are truly beautiful, inside and out.

Dogs are so therapeutic.

I adore my puppy dog. He seemly takes my anxiety away without even thinking about it. Well of course he doesn't do it on purpose. You honestly don't need a trained dog to help you relax and such. Animals are great for people who struggle with mental illnesses! Seriously! I mean, they are a lot of work but it seriously does pay off! Not to mention I'm incredibly lazy, so I know all about not wanting the work involved in a pet. But you wouldn't need to go as far as a dog to see results. Even fish have an awesome way of making you feel relaxed!

Im writing this while sitting in a waiting room.

Im pretty sure everyone hates waiting rooms. They create such horrible anxiety and its just plain uncomfortable.

How cliche would it be if I told you life's what you make it?

Im sure at least one other person is thinking of Hannah Montana right now as they read that. I know I did! Hannah aside, it's a very correct statement. Especially for people dealing with personal mental struggles. No matter what though, you cant give up because 'Only posers die.' Yes, I quoted Slc Punks... But it's true! When things get tough, you need to sit down, clear your head and focus on you! This is your life, your future. So if you spend an extra 10 minutes cuddling in bed some mornings, more power to you! Spending time even in the littlest ways can be a huge help.

Mental Illness, debatable?

Dealing with mental illness' can be really difficult. Some people like to think they don't 'exist' but whether they exist or not, what I've gone through in recent years, is pretty damn real. I've learnt a lot but in the end, it wasn't the countless hours of therapy that helped, nor the cocktail of unheard of meds but life style changes and personal determination. I started this to retell my tale of mental illness.