Anyone struggling with food-related anxiety???

[Meeper]

Hi everyone,

I've been struggling with my eating for years after job cuts in my work area in 2012. I have fairly severe emetophobia and I get reflux in periods of high stress. I thought if I didn't eat I wouldn't feel sick and I'd be sure not to miss work. Sadly then I started avoiding it all the time and then avoiding other things until I was almost a shut-in.

I made some good progress until this year when life got really stressful and I got sick for a long time and my reflux kicked back up again. I live alone most of the time now and I just can't seem to find the courage to eat in case something happens when no one is around to help me. I know it would solve a lot of problems if I could make an improvement on this but I'm not sure how to break it down so it feels manageable. 

Does anyone else have anxiety-related food avoidance? 

[Kennaugh8]

Hi Meeper,

I have known a couple of people who have had anxiety-related food avoidance and they have since overcome it. Because of the emetophobia, your thoughts tell you that you are going to be sick and that you can't eat the food. Anxiety and worry feed off these thoughts and it very quickly becomes an overwhelming experience to deal with. Fortunately, our bodies work and are designed to keep us healthy and functioning at an optimum level, and this includes not being sick.
Knowing this, try and change your reaction to your thoughts and question them. There is no reason to trust these negative thoughts and it is the "worry" that is causing you to feel this way. It is very easy for these thoughts to snowball and become a daunting proposition but by consciously changing how you react to the thoughts and the worrying, you may be able to slowly change the way that you feel.

 A technique that one of my friend's used was whenever they were getting those feelings of being sick, they would try and distract themselves. If they feeling went away when distracted, it confirmed for them that it was just their thoughts and worry that made them feel that way. Slowly but surely, they realised that the only time they experienced these feelings was when they were caused by their thoughts. 

Hope this helps,

Chris

[Doolhof]

Hi Meeper,

Congratulations for having the courage and determination to write here about your concerns. Welcome to Beyond Blue and to the community here as well.

Do you have a GP or Dr. whom you see regularly or a Dr that is close by you? It may help to have a chat with them about how you are feeling and reacting.

If you find it hard to chat to a Dr in person, you could use one of the telephone help lines like the one here at Beyond Blue and the people on the other end will listen to your concern and will be able to offer you advice and suggestions on where you can go for help.

If you find it too daunting to chat with a Dr. then maybe you could write down how you are feeling and hand that piece of paper to the Dr. I have done that before. It helps me.

Do you have some foods that you particularly enjoy? Could you make sure you have that food available so you have something to eat?

Are there healthy snacks you enjoy? Have a container of say nuts or dried fruit on hand. I am certainly no expert, but for me my body works best with foods and plays up when I don't eat.

Maybe even talk to a chemist about your reflux, they could give you some suggestions. Too much reflux and acid is not good for you in the long run.

Hope you can manage to have a chat to a Dr about this. They will be able to help you work out a way to over come this issue.

Cheers for now from Lauren

[Lostdreaminglover]

Hi There, 

 I have been struggling with this exact thing for months now. I've lost over 7kgs and I'm a small girl so it's very noticeable. I throw up with this reflux thing literally every morning before work which stops me from eating and going to work.. I won't eat all day because I'm scared I will just throw it up. I got every test done they could, even a camera down my stomach. Apparently everything is fine. So we have put it down to food aniexty, I still can't eat very much and scared to even eat most things.. 

I still haven't a cure for this Hun but I know what your going through. My doc said to try and just small things and then eventually u will get that appetite back. We feel sick daily because I bodies arnt getting the fuel we need. 

I hope your on your road to recovery, and if I get any more tips or ideas il be sure to pass them on. No one should be living with any of these issues on a daily basis.. 

Lostdreaminglover x 

[Gerinse24]

Howdy Meeper,

I gotta say, it takes quite the person to soldier on like you have. I myself have suffered from severed Anxiety since I was about 14 when I was diagnosed with a uncommon auto immune disease Vitiligo.

Anxiety of any form is nothing to be ashamed of and sometimes people need a little push. First step has to be seeing your GP, great services exist like Bulk Billing Psychologists and even Bulk Bill Psychiatrists(Medicare). While anxiety is something that triggers in the brain, it's not always simple to change your mindset purely on your own. A GP can refer you and sometimes even provide you with anti-anxiety medication and I know a lot of people aren't willing to take medication because of side effects, but this is a step that has changed my life a fair bit.

More unorthodox methods are meditation, very soothing and relaxing. Meditation usually focus on clearing the mind, some even use meditation to focus on something e.g. Eating. 

Emetophobia is very similar to panic attacks, as you avoid anything that causes you to "trigger", but you shouldn't avoid them. You have to kind of train your mind to embrace(?) these triggers and counter act them.

I think you're really brave for seeking help and doing what you can to better life for yourself. Remember that even though you may not know someone that has anxiety or depression, that you aren't alone in this fight. You join the ranks of countless others fighting day in and day out to change their lives and even the lives of others and that makes you amazing.