2. Using food as a reward or punishment.
The second sign is when we find ourselves using food as a way to reward or punish ourselves. Now, I know many of us, may reward ourselves with dessert or other treats after a long day or something like that. But when this starts to be the only way that we will give ourselves permission to eat certain things, then, it becomes an issue.
Kind of tying this into the first sign and having to earn certain food, we should feel free to eat something we crave. When we crave it and do not have any other thoughts about it. On the more binged focus side, we may allow ourselves to have this treat. And then, suddenly, feel completely out of control with it. It can feel impossible to only eat until we’re satiated.
And instead, we end up eating too much. Possibly feeling sick or uncomfortable as a result. When we’ve allowed ourselves to have this treat, regardless of how much we’ve had, we can then punish ourselves with food, not allowing ourselves to listen to our bodies and eat when we’re hungry and stop when we’re full.
We can start withholding food as a way to punish the bad behavior of having the treat. Or swinging to the other side and be punished by making ourselves eat a lot more than our body needs. So either way, if we are using food as a way to reward or punish ourselves, we have an eating disorder.
3. Food thoughts or ED needs are our highest priority.
Sign three is that we start to put our food thoughts and eating disorder-based needs above all else. We can be late to work or school, not connect with friends or family, and even isolate more than ever before due to our need to control our environment and food intake.
When we put our eating disorder urges above other things in our life, those other things can cease to exist, but it can be hard to recognize them first. And even if we can tell it’s happening, we may not really care.
Remember, an eating disorder is a coping skill, and because we don’t have other coping skills or built-up resiliency in our life, it’s something that we need to have to numb us out from something bigger and more painful going on. Therefore, we can only care about keeping that eating disorder around, and everything else can just start to feel just less important or possibly even annoying.
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