How To Prevent Anorexia? Tips To Avoid The Development Of This Disorder
Anorexia has become a real epidemic in recent decades. Eating disorders are among the leading causes of death at an early age and are one of the most common chronic diseases in adolescence.
The body dysmorphia associated with this disorder causes patients to reduce their caloric intake, leading to extreme thinness and malnutrition. The prevailing beauty canon and social pressure are factors that influence this alteration of self-perception.
This eating disorder is one of the most serious psychological problems, since it often leads to death. That is why many people wonder how to prevent anorexia. Let’s see it below.
Anorexia is an eating disorder that has become one of the most widespread psychological problems in recent decades. Contrary to what many people believe, it is not the simple fact of being extremely thin, but it is not perceiving the body as it really is, accompanied by a pathological rejection of accumulating fat and an excessive desire to be extremely thin.
We live in a society that, despite large sizes being increasingly tolerated, the prevailing canon of beauty is associated with a desired body image that is usually that of a thin person. The constant bombardment in the media with almost skeletal women has caused extreme thinness to be associated with something beautiful, causing any woman who does not comply with that canon to be automatically seen as ugly and repulsive.
Of course, there are men who can suffer from anorexia, but they are rather few. The male beauty canon is that of a muscular man, neither thin nor fat. In fact, extreme thinness in men is perceived as weakness and lack of masculinity, which is why it is strange that there are cases of anorexic men. In this case, men tend to become obsessed with being muscular and fit, and the disorder associated with this is vigorexia.
But No matter how many prevailing beauty standards there are and the social pressure that there may be, anorexia is a disorder that can be prevented.. Of course, it is not easy, but by turning to the right professionals, promoting good health habits, both dietary and sports, and being aware that body image is not everything, we can prevent young people from falling into the trap of extreme thinness.
Warning signs
In order to prevent anorexia, it is very important to know what warning signs that may occur. Of course, if everything possible has been done to prevent it, the first symptoms of anorexia are less likely to appear, but still It is essential to take into account behavioral patterns and other aspects that the person may express that indicate that something is not going well..
Among the signs that adolescents can manifest and that, if not properly treated, can end up becoming victims of anorexia, we have:
Although all this does not have to mean that we are facing a case of anorexia, It is very important to detect them and consider the need to approach the person.
Since many of these signs manifest themselves at home, the first to detect the problem are parents. That is why the most appropriate thing is to try to delve deeper into it, establish constant communication with the adolescent and deal with the matter calmly. If the person is not receptive, if you trust their friends or other important people in their life, tell them if they have noticed something different about them.
Anorexia prevention and family environment
The family environment is an important factor in the prevention of anorexia in adolescence. The relationship between parents and daughter or son is fundamental, especially the mother-daughter. The reason for this is that the mother knows first-hand the physical changes that women go through during puberty, knowing that it is a time of crisis and with ups and downs in self-esteem. Along with this, going to the psychologist as early as possible reduces the severity of the disorder if it ends up manifesting itself.
Although adolescent girls know that they are in a time of change, On many occasions, your idea of an ideal body image seems to be above your health., and they take risks such as stopping eating with the intention of losing weight. For example, in the case of adolescent girls, weight changes at these ages are normal, and are accompanied by body dissatisfaction, the fear of being judged by other girls in their environment and not being liked by potential partners.
The best way to prevent them from giving too much importance to their body image is to not make it a recurring topic in the home. That is, being fat or thin should not be a reason to treat that person differently, nor should it be a reason for ridicule, not even in a loving way. No matter how innocent it may seem, calling a girl “my chubby daughter” or making negative comments about her image, at these ages, They can be perceived as real daggers for their self-esteem, becoming obsessed with being thin.
Thus, if at home being fat or being skinny is seen as an important aspect, the teenager will interpret that this is also important on a social level, especially taking into account the prevailing canon of female beauty. In the family environment, a girl’s weight should only be of concern if there are medical reasons for it, whether overweight associated with a metabolic disease or underweight associated with some nutritional deficiency, or if there is a suspicion of an eating disorder.
If you have not developed a deep bond with the adolescent, before approaching her and telling her our concern about her eating behavior, it will be necessary to improve the relationship. Both the mother and the father can plan activities with the adolescent, to foster a relationship of complicity and emotional connection, in which the girl is increasingly willing to share her feelings and experiences with her parents. This is difficult, but by trying you don’t lose anything and, in the long run, everything is an advantage, whether there are warning signs of anorexia or not.
The family can help avoid anorexia by incorporating order and organization into the eating life of the entire family.. Among the fundamental rules that must be applied to avoid any eating disorder are eating at least three meals a day, having fixed times, always eating together and supervising all meals. The ideal is to speak with a nutritionist and establish a meal calendar that is varied and palatable for everyone.
Can anorexia be prevented from childhood?
As surprising as it may seem, anorexia can be prevented from childhood. Although girls are not yet showing the changes associated with puberty, they are being influenced by the prevailing beauty standards. It’s quite sad, but at an early age, such as six years old, they have the bias that a beautiful woman has to be thin. When they start to be women, they will apply this idea to themselves and if they see themselves as “fat” it will be the origin of a self-esteem problem..
This is why, with the intention of counteracting the harmful effects of the beauty canon and the obsession with extreme thinness, boys and girls are educated in good health habits from a very young age. Your diet should have the appropriate amount of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, in addition to fighting certain food myths such as that all fats are bad. The school can educate in good nutrition by offering the parents of their students ideas for healthy menus, with regular schedules and with all types of nutritious foods.
From a very young age they must learn that to grow their body needs all kinds of nutrients, in addition to exercising regularly. Exercise should not be done thinking about being thin or muscular, but rather about being healthy and having fun. Staying active and eating correctly are aspects that should be done not thinking about your body image, but about your health.
It is very important to promote your self-esteem. Although they may not have problems in this regard at such a young age, the truth is that they may feel self-conscious about their body. We must teach them that no one is perfect, that in the same way that we have our strengths we also have our failures, and that we must learn to feel comfortable with ourselves. The ideal is to prevent them from feeling self-conscious.
Promoting their autonomy and being critical is crucial to prevent media messages from affecting them.. It is not about teaching them to be skeptical of absolutely everything, but teaching them that the messages on TV are not the absolute truth, and that what appears on it does not have to conform to reality. In the same way that a movie or series is fiction and may use special effects, advertisements featuring thin models may also have been doctored.
Conclusion
Eating disorders, and especially anorexia, are very serious problems in our society, especially if we take into account how the canon of female beauty makes extreme thinness seen as ideal. People who do not conform to such a body image are automatically seen as unattractive and even very ugly.
Anorexia is especially harmful in adolescence, since it is during this period that physical changes make girls focus above all on how they look to others and to themselves in the mirror. If they see something they don’t like, especially if they look fat, they can restrict what they eat and, in extreme cases such as anorexia, end up malnourished and die.
Due to many social factors outside the family or school or institute, anorexia can be prevented both in childhood and adolescence, even if the first signs of it have already occurred. Going to a psychologist is essential in all casesin addition to the fact that the role of teachers and adequate communication in the family environment are crucial aspects to prevent and reduce the severity of anorexia.
Good eating habits in the family, together with encouraging an active lifestyle, being aware that media messages do not fit reality and that all bodies can be attractive is very important to fight anorexia. In addition, girls should be made to understand that they should worry about their body not based on how it looks, but on how healthy it is, regardless of how thin or fat they may be.
