Are you unhappy with your body? Do you obsess about perceived flaws and deal with critical inner criticism when it comes to your body image? Our Houston, TX body image therapists & eating disorder treatment therapists can help you learn to make peace with your body.

Eating disorders can impact relationships by creating distance between individuals and their loved ones. Avoiding social situations where food is present and refusing to eat in front of others can lead to isolation and loneliness. This can also make it challenging to share meals and bond with romantic partners. We discuss the challenges and positives of being in a relationship while dealing with an eating disorder.

If someone you love has an eating disorder, you may feel helpless. It’s painful to watch someone you know struggling. Know that you are not helpless and you are not alone. We have eating disorder treatment therapists in Houston who can support your loved one and who can help you learn to be supportive of them as well. In this post, we discuss things you can do to be supportive, and things you want to avoid doing that may trigger eating disorder behaviors. 

IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD, FOOD IS A RELIABLE COPING MECHANISM

When you use food to deal with stressors in your life, it can be really easy to overeat. Most of us use food to deal with both the good times and bad. You had a great day at work, so you want to celebrate with food. You had a bad day at work, so you want to comfort yourself with food.

This post is not meant to shame anyone or their habits. I understand the temptation to eat in the bedroom. It can feel cozy and safe. I have had clients for whom eating dinner with their family was a chaotic time, and, in some cases, a time when they were emotionally abused or shamed. So I never want to make a rule for everyone that says you should NEVER do something like eat in your room.

We have all used food to deal with our emotions. If I have a bad day at work, I might come home and eat some ice cream or chocolate. I have clients who stop at the drive-thru on the way home from work and get large meals and binge eat them in their car before heading home. They do this in hopes of push down some of the pain or anxiety they are feeling.