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Body Image
I am a 17 year old female. For about the past 2 years (maybe longer) I have always wished I was skinnier. I KNOW I am not fat. I am average for my age and height, probably even on the smaller side. However, everyday, if I have nothing else to occupy my mind, I automatically begin to think about food, what I shouldn't eat, and how I want to loose a little weight. Not once in these few years have I ever attempted to do serious harm to my body...I have absolutley no will power. Even if I tried harder then anything in the world, I would not be able to go on any serious diet (I cave in too eaisly). Yes, I have tried cutting down a little, exercising, etc., but it has never gotten any where near any kind of eating disorder. The problem is, I can't get the THOUGHT about not eating out of my mind. It seems like in the morning and all throughout the school day I plan on how to loose weight, but after school ends, I just eat like any normal girl. The thing that is bugging me is that there hasn't been one day in the past 2 or 3 years, not one single day, where I haven't obsessed about loosing weight in my mind. I don't want to hurt myself and my body, and I don't believe I am in any danger of doing so, however I just do not know how to get these thoughts out of my mind. I just want to stop thinking ahout body image...I feel abnornmal because when I have nothing else on my mind I obsess over it. How can I get rid of these thoughts? I just need some advice on how to stop obsessing over loosing weight, even though I have never actually attempted to starve myself or throw up my food. Thank You!
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Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
It's easy to get obsessed with your weight after hearing about it everywhere you go, so don't worry, every single girl thinks about their weight a lot. Try not to let your thoughts get to you so much no matter how silly they may seem. It sucks and it's annoying, but it's not hurting you. I don't think that you have a problem with body image. You don't think you're fat. You didn't talk about how ugly you were or how you didn't like certain parts of your body. You're just caught up in the buzz over weight loss, which is totally unrelated to body image. It's a fad and it has been pounded into your brain since you were born by the media and by those around you. First, get rid of the scale. Just throw it away or have someone hide it from you. Don't let it even be there to tempt you. There's no reason to know how much you weigh. It's not doing you any good and most likely it doesn't ever change significanty enough to matter. Continue eating what you want. Talk to a counselor at your school about all this and see if you can get any reassurance from there. The best advice I can give you though, is to just wait it out. You will most likely grow out of this. It's very, very normal to have the thoughts that you do. As you get older things like this won't matter so much. If they still do, that's when you get help. Good luck! :)
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It sounds like you need a confidence boost. What I think you should do is go to the mall, with friends you can trust in things like this, and try on a ton of clothing you like. It seems frivolous, but this can help you prove to yourself that you look good as you are. Then, when you begin to worry too much about your weight, just remember how great you can look!
Learning to cook might also help your food issues. That way, you can know you are eating healthy, and it can be something you enjoy rather than dread.
Try keeping a journal. Write down all of the negative thoughts you had during the day. Then, at the end of the day, write down a statement to counteract that thought. It might take a while, but forcing yourself to think more positively will eventually help change your perspective.
Also, you might just need to distract yourself. Find something else to occupy your mind during idle moments. Try writing, or drawing, something creative to make you think of other things.
Anyway, I hope that helps. ^^ Good luck!
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