PTSD stops me from being able to eat - should I seek help?

[Feya]

I'll try and make this short and sweet. I've recently undergone 4 of therapy to deal with my CPTSD and anxiety disorder. I've made massive progress and feel so much better. However, I am still struggling when it comes to food. I rarely eat and when I do, it's small snacks or fruit. I never really feel hungry but when I am, I spend hours trying to build up the courage to go into the kitchen and cook myself something. I have had a lot of trauma related incidents in the past relating to food, including having to only drink tea 10 times a day because there was no food in the house. Even though I dont eat much, I've gained almost 30kgs over the 4 or so years I've stopped drugs. I'm worried about my health but I really struggle to get past this hurdle. I dont know if I should see someone about it or if its just a matter of forcing myself.... thanks for any advice or input.

[Sophie_M]

Hey Feva,

Thanks for reaching out here today. It's great to hear that you've made so much progress in therapy. Congratulations - this is not easy. 

If you would like support more specifically around not eating enough, we would recommend checking out the Butterfly Foundation website. They also have a helpline for anyone concerned by eating disorders or body image issues. All of the counsellors are qualified and have specialist training in eating disorders and body image. https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/helpline/

Thanks again for reaching out. Please feel free to keep us updated on how you're going here on your thread.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Feya,

Thank you for your post and I'm sorry to hear about what you've been going through- it sounds so hard.

I honestly think if it was a matter of 'forcing yourself' you would have done it already. I genuinely don't believe it's about pushing yourself so matter as getting a bit of extra support. You did mention that therapy was helpful, is this something you're open to talking to your therapist about?

It's also worth noting that they've upped the MHCP to 20 sessions because of covid, so hopefully that helps financially.

None of this is your fault and a good therapist can help you build some safety so it doesn't have to be this hard.

rt

[James_M]

Hi Feya

I had (and still do sometimes) had the same trouble. Living in poverty is really, really hard and takes its toll when you have absolutely nothing to eat at all for days or more on end.

Last time this happened to me it took about 3 months to recover from. What worked for me was trying new foods, just keep doing something different until something works. Also, really plain food was helpful, like Basmati rice tossed with some finely chopped veggies in the wok (no seasoning or sauce, just olive oil, salt/pepper), salads, Viennese chicken broth, smoothies, fresh veggie juice, that sort of thing, just super simple food. no meat, small meals, build up slowly over a few months.

Also exercise was helpful to, that helped me get more hungry, it's just a matter of getting started, that's the hard part.

Hope this helps