Image and mental health

I had to unjoin a facebook women's running group last night, because one of the women had posted that she had "eaten herself sick".  She had consumed four little rib bones and a cup of spinach...OMG!  Seriously, that's what she said, she had "eaten herself sick".

I went off when I read another woman responded with "I feel ya'".  REALLY?!  OMG!  The ignorance! I posted they should not encourage these type of comments and tried to share some sage words.  There were plenty of people on board with me, but when I read other posts saying things like' tomorrow's another day', 'everyone does that', blah blah blah, again I have to ask, really?  They may have thought they were showing her support, but if they truly believed that was support, then they also have a problem.

When you hear these type of comments, over something like a 'cup of spinach', it is clearly a red flag.  A warning for which you should take heed.  IF you hear someone you love talking like this, if you hear yourself talking like this, most often there are other issues going on.

Depression and self loathing were coming through on her post loud and clear.  What is wrong with a society that feels the need to make women feel so terribly bad about themselves?  People DIE trying to meet the enforced image of the 'perfect' woman.  It is sickening, maddening and terribly heartbreaking...

Most of you may have seen the the time lasped videos of what happens to a model's final photo before going to print.  If not, please take a moment to watch this example.

Self image must not be that of loathing, disgust and abuse.  You would not allow someone to speak to or about your best friends like this, why would you do so to yourself?  What you see can be quite different from what others see.

Ultimately it is not the good opinion of others you should be seeking.  Find your dreams from deep inside, find out what it is you love about yourself and enjoy doing and expand on that.  Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic when you are able  Add legumes, nuts, and whole grains to your 'go to' food choices.  But do NOT beat yourself up if you consume something you feel to be less than perfect.  It should not be a full time, all consuming and obsessive  job!  And it should most certainly not be a source of punishment.

Move your body everyday in some way.  Try to live your life and love your life, not despise it, and definitely not punishing yourself at every turn.  When you self deprecate, you are belittling an amazing and wonderful creation, an amazing machine your beautiful and loving spirit was given to dwell and thrive within.  Food is your fuel, and it can be fun and it can be art, but most of all it can be healthy and it can be your friend, not your enemy.  YOU are your friend and not your enemy.  Please stop treating yourself as such.

If you do find yourself or someone you love counting each corn flake, having a great day until you look in the mirror, paying multiple visits to the scale in a day, skipping meals intentionally because of calories, hear your self-speak beating you down, if you become depressed just because you put some small morsel of food in your mouth and swallowed it, or find yourself inducing vomiting, PLEASE  seek a professional's help.  At the very least, confide in a friend, a healthy friend, do NOT speak to someone who encourages your self loathing.  Ask your friend to see a professional with you if you're afraid.  But please, don't let it continue.  Love yourself, enjoy your life.  You may be the person that is going to save someone else in the future.

Note:  If you have questions or would like to do a little research on eating disorders, here is a helpful resource link:  http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/resource-links

*Images and videos pulled from various internet sites