Dealing with an eating disorder can be frustrating and tiring. Eating disorders are serious behavioural issues – they can be either severe overeating or eating extremely small amounts of food.

Eating disorders can be termed as mental illnesses causing grave disturbances in a person's daily diet. Eating disorders frequently occur along with depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. They also cause concern about your body shape and weight.

Types of eating disorders:

-Anorexia nervosa, you think you are fat and you don't eat enough food, in which you become too thin.

-Bulimia nervosa, eating lots of food in a short amount of time followed by purging (tries to get rid of the food) through self-induced vomiting or using laxatives to avoid weight gain.

-Binge-eating, which is out-of-control eating.

Treatment varies and can take months or years, but can be treated effectively. Treating eating disorders become easier when they are detected early. If left untreated, they can lead to heart disease, kidney problems and even death.

Below are few important tips to help you recover and the changes you need to make for your health:

Talk to your family/friends: Seek help by talking to your family or trusted friends about your problems. Tell them about your specific eating disorder and the ways you'd like them to support you during this time.

Seek professional help: Find a dietician to help you figure out what needs to be done.

Find a support group: Besides family and friends, who support you in this tough time, it is a great idea to join an eating disorder support group. This will help you a lot in path to recovery as you will come to know that you are not alone and other people too go through the same things.

Have patience: You should know that this is a process and the problem cannot be solved in a fortnight. Give time to your body as you continuously get support from your family and friends, reminding yourself that you are a strong person and that you can overcome it.

Listen to your 'self': Although it is necessary to get help from others, the most important thing to overcome an eating disorder is taking responsibility for your own recovery. Be kind to yourself while recognising and honouring your needs. Trusting yourself that you can do it, spend quiet time to hear your self.

Source: ZeeNews