Hi, I’ve never made a post on here, but I am asking for help for my sister, she is 22 and is obviously struggling with an ED, probably bulimia. My brother and I are going to talk to her next week about it, but I’m not really sure what I am going to say/do to help her. If you have any advice for how to encourage her, or know any resources to help her I would greatly appreciate it!
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Hey, @Thesunwillrise. I am sorry to hear that your sister may be struggling with an eating disorder. I myself battled with anorexia for quite a few years. What helped me was family and close friends encouraging me to eat and letting me know that they cared for me, no matter what I ate or what I looked like. That they just wanted me to be healthy. My mom ended up taking me to a doctor who encouraged me to lose weight in a healthier way and stressed the damage that I was doing to myself by not eating. I do not have any experience with bulimia, but I feel that therapy or talking with a medical professional would probably be helpful for your sister, too. She needs to make the decision on her own, though. But I think your sister could use some support and encouragement from you and your brother. Eating disorders usually stem from some form of body dysmorphia or self-esteem problems, and possibly a fear of being rejected or bullied by others or society for being “too fat”.
It’s a really complex disease, and it may be a long road to recovery. But the most important thing you can do is encourage her to form healthy habits and let her know that you are there for her unconditionally. If you could encourage her to talk to a doctor, that would be even better.
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This really helps, thank you!
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This is such a hard topic to approach. I know when I was going through a similar situation as your sister I didn’t want to hear anything anyone said and it’s very hard to see yourself the way others do. You don’t see the effects it has on your body.
If she’s open to it I think eating disorder hope is a great site with resources and tools. Online events and vlogs. Of course also talking to a health professional would also be super beneficial.
As cyberpeach stated it is her choice, but you supporting her and being there for her is so wonderful.
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I’ll check out that website! Thank you for sharing your experience, it helps to get your perspective
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