They affect your thoughts, your relationships, and how you move through life.

When living with an eating disorder, disordered eating, or body dysmorphia, you might find yourself struggling with a variety of extreme habits, behaviors and thoughts that impact the way you live your life. You might feel like you’re living by a set of unspoken “food rules” that leave you feeling extremely anxious around meals and labeling certain foods as completely off limits. Maybe your days are filled with comparisons, always noticing how your body looks next to someone else’s, or worrying about gaining weight.

It could be that thoughts about food or your body take up so much mental space that feels obsessive, to the point of exhaustion. Exercise might feel less like joy and more like a punishment, and resting could bring waves of guilt.

The pressure can goes beyond food and body. This can shows up in the fear of making mistakes, of being judged, of never being “good enough.”

If any of this feels familiar, you’re not alone. To outsiders, the struggles of an eating disorder may look like superficial concerns about weight or appearance, but in reality, they run much deeper, and are rooted in complex emotions and experiences. These struggles don’t define you, and freedom from these challenges is possible.