Written by Rozy

Eating disorders are hardly taken seriously by people, because most of the times people suffering from it never admit that they have a problem. However, for a person like me, who has struggled with this mental illness for a couple of years, I know everything about the ups and downs of one’s experiences. It feels really pathetic when you know that you have a problem, but you don’t feel like sharing it with others because you believe they will never understand your point of view.

Let me share my story with you so that you can understand how bad it feels to be suffering from an eating disorder. There was a time in my life when I was doing really well and was very happy with my achievements. I have always been a bright student and managed to get good grades throughout my school days. However, once I completed my schooling, my attitude towards life started changing slowly, which I failed to realise initially. God knows how, but my focus started shifting to my looks and body shape and away from my studies and career once I joined college.

Maybe that was natural in the beginning because all the girls want to look stunning during their college days. They all loved to flaunt their bodies by wearing those attractive dresses. In my case, I felt I didn’t have that perfect body shape and perhaps, that’s the reason I started dieting.

In the beginning, I tried to eliminate a couple of fatty foods from by diet with an intention to get that perfect body shape. But with the passage of time, my desire to be thin became more and more aggressive. There came a time in my life when I started totally hating my body and all I wanted to achieve during those days was to lose weight.

This aggressive behaviour forced me to eliminate some of the most important foods from my diet. I stopped eating fruits like banana, mango, grapes, guava, cherries, and pineapples, etc., without proper knowledge of the kinds of nutrients they supply our bodies. In addition to that, I had also stopped eating veggies like potatoes, onions, cabbages, gourds, lettuce, radishes, and bell peppers, etc., without knowing their actual importance.

The worst part was that no one in my family had any idea that I was suffering from an eating disorder. However, a close friend of mine was observing my behaviour and eventually she asked me about it. Since we were really close and I knew she cared a lot for me, I ended up sharing my problem with her. I told her everything about how I was feeling during that time, and it was through her support and motivation that I came to realise I could recover from this disorder.

After that incident, we became closer and I started sharing everything with her. She was the one who advised me to go for proper treatment and recommended Charter Harley Street – a rehabilitation centre that treats everything from eating disorders like Anorexia and Bulimia, to alcohol, drug and gambling addiction. In the beginning, I was hesitant to go but I badly wanted to get rid of this problem and I eventually went. Believe it or not, it was very helpful and I started my treatment and recovered from my problem.

Since I know what it feels like to suffer from an eating disorder, I would say that you should always try to remain positive during the treatment process because that’s what will help you recover from your mental illness. Apart from being positive, you should also try to involve yourself in productive activities such as exercising, reading and listening to music so that you can feel good about life.

Also, whenever you feel that you have a problem, make sure you share it with your family members because they can show you the right path to recovery. However, if you are not comfortable with sharing your illness with your loved ones, you can also talk about it to your friends, because true friends always care for you.

Last but not the least, don’t ever diet without consulting a proper dietitian, as that decision can end up making your problem worse.

Image credit: Sebastian R.

Rozy is a writer, student and pet lover. She loves chicken, and seeing her little pug, Naughty Pummy. When she is not writing, you can find her at Starbucks.