{"id":686,"date":"2012-03-01T18:09:49","date_gmt":"2012-03-01T22:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/scnc\/?p=686"},"modified":"2015-03-11T13:57:22","modified_gmt":"2015-03-11T17:57:22","slug":"stop-fighting-against-yourself-and-start-fighting-for-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/scnc\/2012\/03\/01\/stop-fighting-against-yourself-and-start-fighting-for-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Fighting Against Yourself and Start Fighting For Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kelli Swensen, Dietetics Student, Sargent College<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Last night\u2019s Lovin\u2019 the Body You\u2019re In panel centered around a guy named \u201cEd\u201d. Okay, so Ed is not really a guy. You can\u2019t find him listed in the phone book or friend him on Facebook, but you may have him in your head. Ed is the name speaker Cheryl Kerrigan gave to her eating disorder. Cheryl moved the audience with her story of struggling with negative body image thoughts starting at age 7 to her eating disorder that eventually manifested and continued to grow into her late 30\u2019s. Later in the evening, when asked about the early stages of recovery, she said, \u201cI felt like I was my eating disorder,\u201d and how once she realized her eating disorder was a separate entity \u2013 Ed \u2013 she then had \u201csomething to fight,\u201d she was able to really start recovering<\/p>\n

This notion that you are not your eating disorder may seem obvious but it\u2019s so key. You can\u2019t recover from yourself. As long as you are fighting with yourself, you can\u2019t win. However, by realizing that the voice inside your head that is telling you to be skinnier, to eat less, to be perfect, is something that you can fight, something that you can silence and get rid of, you will then be able to win back yourself.<\/p>\n

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So how do you go about winning yourself back? Sargent Choice Nutrition Center\u2019s Stacey Zawacki, RD, stressed that you don\u2019t have to be at any specific level of disordered eating or thoughts to \u201cqualify\u201d for help. This means that just because you don\u2019t have anorexia or aren\u2019t purging after eating, doesn\u2019t mean you have a healthy body image. As a student in the audience stated, \u201cThe first time you feel your body isn\u2019t what it should be, you need to get help.\u201d Whether it’s talking to a friend or seeing a professional, it’s so important to address negative thoughts before they have the opportunity to grow into lethal disorders. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness; in fact, it’s exactly the opposite. It takes strength to admit you need help and to take care of your body. As Dr. Kate Acherman said, “Going to a psychologist is like a facial for your brain.” She mentioned how you wouldn’t think twice about getting a facial, so why should therapy be any different? Your mind is one of your most important assets, so keep it healthy!<\/p>\n

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During her talk, Cheryl discussed some of her practical recovery tools that helped her put an end to Ed and regain love for her body. Two really stood out to me:<\/p>\n

1. Stop body checking. Body checking is feeling your body to reassure that you haven\u2019t gotten bigger. This usually leads to negative thoughts: \u201cMy arms feel too large\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s too much fat around my stomach.\u201d Her tips on how to stop:<\/p>\n

-Count to 50 then count backwards. The goal is to take your concentration off of your body and onto something else.<\/p>\n

-Fidget with a stress ball or paper clip. Keep your hands busy so you aren\u2019t able to assess your body<\/p>\n

-Sit on your hands.<\/p>\n

2. Cover your mirrors with layers of paper so all you can see is your face. As your self-love gets better, slowly remove the paper, layer by layer. Ideally, by the time you no longer have the mirror covered, your love for your body will be independent of your reflection.<\/p>\n

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Looking around the room I noticed not only how attentive everyone was to the speakers, but also how many people came in pairs. To my left, was a woman with tears streaming down her face and her boyfriend beside her gently rubbing his thumb across her hand. In another part of the room, a pair of friends kept giving each other reassuring looks. These acts of comfort and reassurance reminded me of the power of caring. Remember to care for your friends, family members, even strangers. Show this care by speaking up if you think that person is struggling with disordered thoughts, by supporting someone you know who is in the recovery phase of an eating disorder, or simply by not saying negative things about your body or anyone else\u2019s. Getting rid of \u201cfat talk\u201d is an easy way to show how much you care for the people around you.<\/p>\n

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Take home messages of the night? While I’m sure different people were impacted by different things, but for me the most important points included:<\/p>\n