People do not know anything about eating disorders. This is a good notion to internalize as a general rule. An important addendum to this rule is that “people” includes both others and yourself, even if you deal with an eating disorder. What is the meaning of this statement?
It sounds like a comment on people’s intelligence, but it is really not. Even the smartest people alive do not understand eating disorders, because eating disorders are beyond strict scientific understanding. They are irrational. They are the human body and mind acting wrong.
An eating disorder occurs when your body associates a kind of eating with a kind of negativity. That is a broad definition, but eating disorders are a broad category of disorders.
The important thing to note is that this correlation is irrational. Even if a person associates fatty foods with the fear of getting fat, that correlation might seem rational, but it should not trigger a fear reaction. You cannot deal with irrational feelings in a rational way.
So, how are you supposed to deal with eating disorder triggers? Luckily, the human brain being naturally irrational is helpful in this case as much as it is hurtful. It means that similar to small things being disproportionately hurtful, small things can also be disproportionately helpful.
So, here are five ways to manage eating disorder triggers.
Removing Yourself from the Environment
This is a well-known response to lots of different mental conditions. Most of the time, an eating disorder trigger is something happening that is entirely unrelated to you. It might be seeing another person eat, or seeing a food you don’t like, or hearing somebody chewing loudly.
Regardless of what it is, the fact that it has nothing to do with you means that you will have an easy time excusing yourself. Of course, changing your environment is not always that easy.
If you have to be there for whatever reason, you will have to go a bit further than that.
Communicate Your Discomfort
Let’s be honest: Nobody likes doing this. Voicing that something is wrong is an action that many people associate with negative consequences, whether as a result of a bad homelife or a bad environment growing up. But all the same, it is an important skill in general.
It is a particularly important skill in this case. You have to remember that not all communication of discomfort is going to receive negative reactions. In fact, asking people for help is a good way of growing closer to them. It shows you’re not afraid to be vulnerable and lets them be the hero.
But perhaps most importantly of all, it is a totally justifiable thing to do. If someone does something that is triggering you, it is alright to say so. Imagine if the thing they are doing is yelling at you or spitting in your face. That is obviously the right thing to object to.
Not all triggers are going to be that antagonistic, so you should not treat all triggers like that.
Listen to Music
Again, like leaving the situation, this solution is not always the most socially acceptable. But if you have the ability to do it without interrupting anything dire, then do it.
It is rather well-known that music has a unique effect on the brain. It is less well-known how it has that effect. We do not know where in the brain lyrics, melodies, and other facets of music are stored. We know they are signals, but it is unknown if they are processed in the language part of the brain, the emotional part of the brain, the planning part, or all three.
In short, music kind of short-circuits your brain. But it is a good kind of short-circuit, as a song that you like (and even songs that you do not like) can end up making it hard to focus on other things. This includes eating disorder triggers.
Kneading Dough
Honestly, kneading dough is just an example. Not many people are going to carry playdough around with them just to fiddle with it, though you can as it is surprisingly clean.
The real idea behind this tip is that you occupy your hands somehow. Occupying your whole body works too, but this is one of the few tips that does not require you to disrupt your social setting in order to do it. As long as you are fiddling with something your body will get distracted.
The most common modern expression of this method of distracting yourself is the fidget spinner. Those are somewhat out of fashion, but the principle is the same: By forcing part of your brain to focus on balancing the fidget spinner, you distract it from the trigger.
Pressure Over Pain
A fun fact about the human body is that it cannot feel both pressure and pain at the same time. This is part of the reason why rubbing an injury helps, whether it is a cut or a bruise.
The same is actually true for pain that has no physical component. If you find where you are feeling the trigger, whether it is in your head or in your stomach, pressure can help you. If you can get a hug or wrap yourself up in a coat, then that can help as well.
Essentially, pressure makes us feel comfortable. It reminds us of being held and being in the womb. It also occupies our nervous system in the same way pain and stress do.
Conclusion
As we said at the outset, eating disorders are not rational and neither are you. But from reading this you have hopefully gained an idea of the exact way that you yourself are irrational.
For some people, physical occupation is the best way to manage triggers. For others, music is the secret sauce. What works for others might not work for you, so be ready to search for what does the trick. And if you want to read more, don’t be afraid to visit us.
