Some Food for Thought

Lydia Anneliese Cole, RN

I didn't even know what an eating disorder was- and never planned on having one! What's up with that?

I didn't realize it then, but now I see. Always trying to be perfect, make everyone happy (including myself), and thinking that just cuz I was a Christian I wasn't supposed to have any problems (like parents who fight, a family who has issues, or people who don't like me...) stuff like that. Well, that kind of thinking set me up for a fall.

Since I couldn't live up to all my unrealistic expectations, I thought something must be wrong—with ME! If something was "wrong" I didn't know what or how to fix it or what others would think if they knew, so I covered it up...with food. That's where it started. Without realizing it, I began to measure my self-worth by what I ate or didn't eat. It was a cycle of craving, bingeing, regretting, dieting, and obsessing. Every time I gave in to the cycle it was like adding another link to the chain that finally shackled my hands. What started off as an unintentional effort to cope ended up biting me big time.

So what did I learn from this? Here are a few things for starters:

Just cuz you're a Christian doesn't mean life is perfect-It's not!
Just cuz you're a Christian doesn't mean you won't have stress, conflict, and relationship issues-you will; you're human!
Just cuz you're nice doesn't mean things will always be easy or fair-they won't!
Just cuz you're kind to others doesn't mean they'll always be kind back-they might not.
Just because someone's mad, it doesn't mean it's your fault-they might just be having a bad day.
Just because you look or feel a certain way now, doesn't reflect who you are or determine who you will become. You've got more potential than you could develop in a life time!

So what did I learn that might be passed on to you? Here's some food for thought: Food, or a lack of it, is not a cure for feelings. Food can't cover up loneliness, insecurity, fear, shame, or anything else. If you are turning to food to deal with things, STOP. Instead choose to be honest about your feelings and turn to a healthy way of dealing with them. Feelings are a part of growing up and a part of life. You can learn to deal with them in a positive way and live your life to its fullest

God will always be there for us and provide exactly what we need. Once we recognize that we are not dealing with things in a healthy way and ask for help, we can learn new, positive ways of coping. Then we might be able to help others by passing on what we've learned. You are awesome and you're life is a gift for you to enjoy.