annauhe

Triggers

Posted on 06/14/08, 10:47 am

I have noticed alot of members have suffered or are still suffering from eating disorders. Even if you are not but you do experience low self esteem or self worth in relation to your body I think it's really important to identify your triggers and how you can avoid them or work around them. This is my list:

Clubbing: I am quite thin (mainly due to an eating disorder that I am constantly fighting) and attract alot of attention when I go out clubbing which makes me feel like if I was to gain weight and be my natural size people wouldnt like me as much... crazy right!!! I find if I know I am going to be going out my disorder is that much harder for me to fight so I try to avoid it altogether at the moment untill im a bit better.

RnB music and video clips: for obvious reasons they are worshiped for their physicl appearance which fills me with all sorts of fears. This is a hassle as I really enjoy this type of music but for now since I have identified it as a trigger I listen to other music, more postive and less mainstream.

All you can eat resturants: I dont have the coping mechanisms not to binge and I cannot binge without purging right now so I am better off to order a meal that is portioned for me right now

So I am going on a bit but you get the picture lol. Whats your list? And what alternatives and ways of avoidance can you come up with?

• Reply #1 06/18/08  11:35am
  
  LoserGirl
  Triggers for me:
  
  Stress at work. I put too much emphasis on my "worth" at work. I've been dealing with this one a lot lately. Our CEO likes to yell A LOT. It triggers my PTSD symptoms and I make mistakes and then I get in trouble for making mistakes and then he yells about the mistakes and I get triggered and on it goes. Not only does it trigger my PTSD symptoms, but my self esteem and self worth go in the toilet and I eat and I hate myself for eating and its another vicious cycle.
  
  Being in crowds also triggers my low self esteem. I am obese and people hate me just on sight. It is accepted - and even encouraged - to look down on and be hateful to fat people.
  
  Lonliness is a huge trigger for me. Food has been my constant and sometimes only companion. Then I hate myself for eating and the cycle begins again.
  
  But I'm recognizing these triggers more and more.
• Reply #2 07/24/08  11:07pm
  
  ahollen1
  when i see a pretty girl on the street, in a movie, a picture, magazine, whereever, i get all "im gonna lose weight and be pretty" because i think my boyfreind will leave me for a pretier girl. even though he has never givin me a reason to think he'd. one time i found out he watched porn and it tore me apart and that kinda brought back bulimia.
  
  when i get upset, like a fight with the boyfriend, parents, or anybody, i start to hate myself.
  
  i work at a bank, an di have noticed i am treated completely different by people now that i have lost 40 pounds. it is stupid, and has gave me a new fear of gaining any weight.
  
  it seems like i have alot of issues to work through. i am a "happy" person, i think...
• Reply #3 08/09/08  8:58am
  
  brooke84
  It is also a trigger for me when I see a really skinny, pretty girl, anywhere. I think that my husband would rather be with that girl because she is so perfect and then I decide that I am going to look like that.
  
  
• Reply #4 08/10/08  4:10pm
  
  Rocgirl
  womans magazines, definately.
  
  I avoid them at all costs,
  
  They have put an image out there for us all to strive to, and why?
  
  For THEIR financial gain!!
  
  BOYCOTT them, dont give them any more cash.
  
  They dont care that young{and older} girls are dying everyday from eating disorders.
  
  They dont care that millions of womans lifes are ruined with eating disorders, or dieting.
  
  All they care about is lining there fat pockets!!
• Reply #5 08/29/08  11:17pm
  
  dame
  Triggers for me are:
  
  * Beauitful chicks that look good in any thing and the size/shape.
  * If i cant fit into clothing i get all depressed and satrt again.
  * Some ones comments about my looks or weight. (an ex wanted m at 50kg)
  * People i know have ED so that doesnt help
  * Coffie and over exercising
  * Lack of confidence in ME.
  * When i am hurting and want to hurt my self more.
  * When i feel out of cntroll of things.
  
  And sadly enough at the moment the biggest one os being pregnant is a huge trigger as the weight gain, not fitting into clothes and cant do much exercise as it brings it back.
  *
• Reply #6 09/01/08  7:57am
  
  Lizzie
  Rocgirl, I definitely agree with you about magazines. It makes me sad because women read these things so we do it to ourselves. I don't know who would enjoy looking at someone else's photo with the so called 'sins' highlighted. Seems weird to me.
  
  My triggers are:
  
  shopping - keep trying to write a list and stick to it but it isn't really working
  
  work - I am unhappy in my job and also may lose it soon which makes me feel depressed and demotivated. My job is also very sedentary which makes me more depressed. Not sure if I can avoid that one though!
  
  Myself - I tend to convince myself that things will fail and I think negatively
• Reply #7 09/01/08  9:51am
  
  NicoNirvana
  Looking at photos/videos of beautiful celebrities and just being around people in general are triggers for me. When I'm around people, all I can think about is how ugly I am compared to anyone else.

Throw out the diet pills put down the magazine full of size zero models and throw out the scales. Our personalities and our lives should be NOT shaped by how we look! Its time we took a stand boys and girls men and women against the constant pressures of physical perfection. A healthy lifestyle create a healthy body and mind whatever shape you are.