Supportive Therapy for Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating & Body Image
Often our confidence and self-worth in ourselves can be tied to the way we view our body.
In today’s world of constant messages, social media, photographs and images, both females and males can have difficulty feeling confident in their own body. You may find yourself constantly comparing your body and your looks to others.
Athletes often struggle with body image concerns as their sport and the demands of their sport can heighten the constant attention to their bodies and the way an athlete views their body.
As an athlete you are always making sure you maintain your body in many ways to perform at its best. You are constantly training and constantly driving your performance to its optimal level. Some athletes, especially are young athletes, may wind up comparing their body and the way it looks and the way it competes to the other athletes they are competing against. Sometimes this passion and dedication for their sport can be taken to an un-healthy place.
"The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself." — Steve Maraboli
What Is An Eating Disorder Or Disordered Eating?
Anorexia, Bulimia, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake, and Binge Eating are medical terms that define eating disorders. Eating disorders can be defined by restricting food and caloric intake, binging on food and then purging, avoiding certain foods due to texture and taste, or emotionally eating to satisfy a void. Disordered eating are typically unhealthy and disordered patterns of consuming food where you might engage in a variety of food related behavior such as a combination of restricting and binging.
Though eating disorders and disordered eating center around food, an eating disorder usually has more deep roots in an internal struggle and feelings of self-worth and anxiety. The eating disorder typically serves a purpose for you, and it keeps you safe from fears around relationships, anxiety and depressive feelings, family or social dynamics. This has been your way of coping when things feel out of control.
Why Seek Help For An Eating Disorder Or Disordered Eating?
You don’t need to be defined by your eating disorder, by your disordered eating patterns or by the way you feel about your body. An eating disorder or disordered eating can remove you from aspects of your life. It can make you more anxious and depressed and it can lead to severe medical and physical concerns.
By seeking help for an eating disorder, you can learn how to manage and cope in a healthy way. You can learn how to identify triggers, feelings and situations that increase your desire to control your food intake. You can learn how to manage these emotions and make food part of your life instead of something you fear. You can take back control so you can engage in a healthy and more productive life for yourself, full of friends, family and loved ones.
Why Choose Elite Psychology And Wellness?
If you are suffering with low confidence or body image issues, eating disorder concerns or disordered eating, or are an athlete who has these concerns, the providers at Elite Psychology and Wellness in Scottsdale Arizona and the Phoenix metro area can help.
Our providers can work with individuals who have an unhealthy relationship with food and have suffered from an eating disorder. We will work from an integrative approach with your medical team to help support your individual needs related to your concerns.
At Elite Psychology and Wellness, we will work with our athletes on learning a more holistic approach to training, performance, and food. We understand your sport and training is important. We also understand the importance of performance and how when we don’t eat correctly, performance can suffer. We know there is not a one size fits all approach to this type of treatment and that each athlete approaches things differently due to their sport. Because of this, we will collaborate with you on your treatment goals and what may work for you and your sport.
By using cognitive behavioral therapy, we can help you identify distorted an irrational thought patterns around food, training and performance and help you replace them with healthier thoughts so you can continue to perform at your best.
