Stress is starting to trigger my unhealthy behaviour - Help!

Hi,

I just need to vent really.  I've never been diagnosed with an ED, but have, in the past had an incredibly unhealthy relationship with food.  In times of stress I tend to stop eating in order to gain that sense of control to stop me feeling like everything's going floopy! 

It's been a few years since I've displayed this kind of behaviour and I thought I was home-free!  In fact I came across this website looking to lose extra weight I'd put on (I was about 30 lbs overweight) and have found it a fabulous resource. In fact, in the past I've found it a really useful resource to stop myself from undereating in times of stress.

However I've recently gone through a number of changes (not the best at dealing with change!!): I've moved country, got a new job (which although rewarding, is stressful) and ended a relationship...and I'm now starting to find myself edging towards my previous destructive behaviour.  I'm sitting here having had the worlds tiniest breakfast and I'm considering how I can avoid lunch.  I KNOW this isn't good for me and was just hoping for someone to kick me up the behind and tell me to snap out of it!!!

Anybody out there willing to offer some tough love??!! I really need it right now!

I think you have already made the first step in controlling your under eating habits by posting.  Sometimes just saying (or typing) something out loud makes all the difference. I used to suffer very seriously from depression (and still struggle on some days) and also was not good with change --in my case it was a combo of fear of failure and self-loathing.  (I'm NOT saying your depressed, just drawing a parallel!!!).  All of this made it very hard for me to de-stress and my doctor suggested exercise.  I'm not sure if this will be any help but when I'm really stressed the only thing that brings me back down is a few laps in the pool.  There is something about being under the water and the silence it provides.  If I'm so wound up that I cant quiet my mind I just concentrate on my breathing and by the time I get out of the pool everything is always in better perspective.  Obviously it's not a cure-all and it won't work for everyone but it's worth giving it a try.  I found it particularly helpful when I moved from the US to Ireland a few years ago and was feeling a bit overwhelmed by a big life change.  Good luck to you and all the best!!!

I totally agree with the previous poster, I think exercise might be a good solution. It`s terribly unpleasant to starve yourself while aiming for some sort of physical performance. Google some fitness challenges, there are tons of them online; couch25k, HIIT, 100 push-ups are just a few. They can inspire you to build your own plan, schedule and goals, which can most likely satisfy your need to feel in control.

This way, instead of using food in a negative way, you can turn it around and take charge of what you eat so you can improve your performance, push your limits and outdo yourself.

It takes the most self control to stick to everything in moderation; excesses are easy, and anyone can restrict or binge. You are truly the boss of you when you act in the most sensible rather than the most foolish ways. Kicking a bad habit is the best sign of intelligence, ambition and self discipline, developing and fueling it is something even the slowest and dullest of people can do.

I really do need to work on stress techniques and exercise might well be the answer.  The thought that moderation is more difficult to do has really struck a chord with me and is of course completely true!!  Thanks for your advice...it's definitely given me something more constructive to think about!

I hope you manage to overcome your difficulties, and us forum dwellers are always here when times get rough. :) Props to you for reaching out, that`s the most difficult step of them all.