It’s often said that eating disorders are not so much a problem – but a solution. They are faulty ways of handling life with its stresses and disappointments. Instead of just kicking a habit, recovery means learning how to live - how to of relate to others, to God and to ourselves. This takes time and the support of a loving community – we can’t do it alone, and nor are we meant to.
Recovery is also about getting in touch with who you are or who we are called to be. For many of us, that's the problem! We have no idea. But with encouragement from Christ and His people , we can move forward. Not towards who we think we should be, or who others say we are. But to who He has created us to be.... continue reading
It can seem daunting to support someone with an eating disorder but there are plenty of things that people like you and I can do:
Supporting sufferers/families:
Don’t
If you’d met me seven years ago, you’d have seen someone who appeared to have it all together. A ‘successful’ Christian, newly married to a vicar in training. Leader of a thriving children’s ministry. A talented student with a bright future. Underneath however, the reality was very different: I was consumed by an eating disorder that would nearly kill me. So how did I get there – and what has helped to bring me out?
It started when I was thirteen. Up until then I’d had an idyllic childhood: I knew who I was and I knew where I belonged. But almost overnight, that started to change. My grandfather died. I moved schools. My body felt out of control: like a tanker, spilling flesh and hormones. In search of answers, I even started going to church.... continue reading
Around 1.6 million people in Britain are affected by eating disorders. 14-25 year-old girls are most at risk, but they also affect men and may develop during childhood or later in life.
Sufferers often have a distorted view of their shape and may try to manage their weight by over-exercising, making themselves sick, fasting for long periods or abusing laxatives. However, eating disorders are about more much than weight. They are ways of trying to manage deeper emotional and even spiritual issues.
What I mean by that is this: Eating disorders start and end with our hearts. Sure, we can throw in factors like celebrity role-models and media coverage. But they raise much bigger questions than whether or not our clothes fit. They’re about what it means to be human. What gives us identity and worth. Life and death and everything in-between. What we worship. Proverbs 14:12 says that ‘There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.’ Eating disorders do exactly this. They promise life – but take it from you instead.... continue reading
