Low self-esteem issues can affect you in more ways than one. It is detrimental to both your physical and mental health. If you have problems with your body image, low self-esteem can sometimes cause eating disorders to develop.
One of these disorders is bulimia nervosa, which is defined by uncontrollable excessive eating, followed by the forceful expelling of the food. This is done either through induced vomiting or excessive laxative use. This can cause various problems to your body if left untreated.
If you recognize these symptoms, make sure to get psychiatric treatment for bulimia in medical centers around Westport. However, undergoing treatment isn’t the end of it. You should also be aware of how to handle the aftercare to avoid relapsing. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Develop a Meal Plan
Creating a meal plan will allow you to eat only the food you need and reduce the chances of binging from happening. Before you begin, make sure that your nutritionist is helping you make your meal plan so that they will tell you your dietary needs.
Try to make your meal plan one or two weeks in advance. Make a list of your meals along with the ingredients required to make them. This will allow you to organize your grocery trips better and reduce the chance of overstocking your food.
Eat your meals at consistent times of day to build a habit of eating regularly. If you feel hungry in between meals, it’s possible that you have spaced out your meal times too much or your dietary needs have changed. Consult your nutritionist and psychiatrist if that happens.
Continue Going to Therapy
A proper diet isn’t the only thing needed to treat bulimia. Psychological factors mainly cause eating disorders, so therapy is also required. Cognitive behavioral theory is one of the most effective treatments for eating disorders today.
This kind of therapy focuses on exploring the possible reasons your disorder has developed. It will take a look at your life’s various factors, from your home environment to your interpersonal relationships.
There is no one way for this treatment to be done due to a person’s varying circumstances. However, the common issues that cause eating disorders can be attributed to low self-esteem, bad familial relations, or other personal problems.
Get Regular Checkups
If you’ve had bulimia for a long time, it is highly likely that you have various health complications. Regular vomiting can damage your mouth and throat due to your stomach fluids’ high acidity. You can also suffer weakness due to malnutrition.
Digestive problems are common for bulimic people. Fortunately, it will only need time to heal if there aren’t any complications. This is why you will need to have regular checkups to monitor your condition and to spot immediately any problems that arise.
Improve Your Self-Esteem
Low self-esteem can cause eating disorders, especially for people who are concerned with their weight. Work on improving your self-esteem to feel better about yourself and have a more positive view of your body.
Practice self-care, which comes in physical and emotional forms. Increase your health habits. Start exercising regularly and sleeping on time. Take time to relax, unwind, and do the stuff you want. Besides improving your physical condition, it will also make you mentally stronger.
It can be hard to recover fully from bulimia. On some days, you can relapse. However, don’t feel discouraged if that happens. That is just a small stumble on your path to recovery. What matters is that you’ve been taking steps, no matter how small, and slowly working on getting better.