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Diagnosed with Anorexia

Laura12345Laura12345 Posts: 265 The Mix Regular
in Health & Wellbeing
Ive recently been diagnosed with anorexia. I had It before back in June last year and it was really bad. I want to let a close family member know without worrying them. how can I tell them?

​I think its come back since ive been worrying about my cousin and his chemo and ever since he has been unwell which been since the middle of Jan. I saw my cousin on Sunday and I thought that would help but its had the opposite effect on me and made it worse. It is hard to see him struggling for the sake of his family. Also it doesn't help that ive also been stressing out about work situations.

​Would appreciate some replies so I know what to do

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    SienaSiena Posts: 15,499 Skive's The Limit
    Do you live with you family members? Cause it may be obvious to them anyway so may be easier. Ive been diagnosed with anorexia. I didn't tell my family members they did because I needed a career yo make sure i ate. But If i had to tell them i would make sure they knew i wasn't completely taken over by it and knew that i needed help just a way of coping. And that i didn't want help to cope and just wanted to lose weight. Saying that makes it less worrying. But I'm not sure on your situation or how it affects you. I'm a lot better from it now. So I hope you ge there and want to get better.
    But for me it was a lot harder recovering once they found that out. Because even now I feel like if i ate something I have that label of anorexia and I would look like im failing and looking weak. And that everyone expects me to look stick thin.
    Hope that helps at all
    “And when they look at you, they won't see everything you've been through. They won't see the **** that turned to scars that began to fade with time. They won't see the heartbreaking things that shook up and changed your entire world. They won't know how many tears you cried or even what it was you were crying about. They won't see how strong you had to be because you had no other choice. What they will see though is how compassionate you are because you experienced pain. What they will see is how kind you are because you experienced how cruel the world is. What they will see is how good you are because you've seen how bad things or people can be. The difference between you and your experiences are who you choose to be, despite everything that could have turned you cold and unkind.You are the good the world needs and the best of us.” ~ Kirsten Corley
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    Laura12345Laura12345 Posts: 265 The Mix Regular
    yeah I live with my family members, not the one that I was planning on telling though. the doctor said it isn't that obvious at the moment because its only at the mild stages and they are glad they have found it at this early stage unlike last time when it was bad and I was in hospital for over 2 weeks. glad to hear youre feeling a lot better now but I'm always here if you need anything. yeah I want to get better so it doesn't get as bad as last time. thanks for the help x
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    SienaSiena Posts: 15,499 Skive's The Limit
    Did they offer help? Let me know if you tell them. And you're welcome . X
    “And when they look at you, they won't see everything you've been through. They won't see the **** that turned to scars that began to fade with time. They won't see the heartbreaking things that shook up and changed your entire world. They won't know how many tears you cried or even what it was you were crying about. They won't see how strong you had to be because you had no other choice. What they will see though is how compassionate you are because you experienced pain. What they will see is how kind you are because you experienced how cruel the world is. What they will see is how good you are because you've seen how bad things or people can be. The difference between you and your experiences are who you choose to be, despite everything that could have turned you cold and unkind.You are the good the world needs and the best of us.” ~ Kirsten Corley
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    Laura12345Laura12345 Posts: 265 The Mix Regular
    yeh the doctors are doing all the can to stop it before it gets worse. I will let you know if I speak to someone. always here if u need me though
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    AifeAife Community Manager Posts: 3,031 Boards Guru
    edited August 2022
    Hi Laura,

    You are taking a really positive step in wanting to tell a family member about your diagnosis of anorexia, you should be really proud of yourself :).

    This article on The Mix's website might be useful to read as it goes over a few ways of how to start talking to your family about your mental health and I've included a quote from it below:
    So how should you approach the conversation? Start by following these steps.

    Get your expectations sorted: Think about what you actually want from your family. Ask yourself why you want to tell them about how you’re feeling. What reaction are you hoping to get? How will you feel if their response isn’t what you wanted?

    Consider who to approach: “Look at the family members you’ve got and ask yourself who’s going to listen and understand,” says Corinne. “Sometimes we haven’t got anybody like that, though.”

    Write things down: It can help plan what you want to say and get things straight in your head. And if talking face to face is just too hard, you might want to text or email your family instead.

    Keep it practical: Don’t just say what’s wrong and hope they’ll know what to do with the information. “Be clear about what you actually want,” says Corinne. “You might say, ‘I find this difficult to talk about, but I really want you to know how I’m feeling. I’d like you to take it seriously and not tease me about it.”‘

    Don’t overwhelm them: This is just an initial conversation to introduce the issue. You might build up to talking in more depth, but it’s probably unwise to say everything that’s on your mind right away.

    How do these different approaches sound to you Laura? Are there any you feel might be useful?
    Post edited by TheMix on
    Maybe somethings don't get better, but we do. We get stronger. We learn to live with our situations as messy and ugly as they are. We fix what we can and we adapt to what we can't. Maybe some of us will never fully be okay, but at least we're here. We're still trying. We're doing the best we can. That's worth celebrating too ❤
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    Laura12345Laura12345 Posts: 265 The Mix Regular
    Hi Alfie. Thanks for the reply. I managed to speak to my auntie about the whole situation and she is there to support me as much as possible. Thanks for the advice by the way it was really helpful.
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    AifeAife Community Manager Posts: 3,031 Boards Guru
    Hey Laura,

    That is no problem at all, do feel free to keep posting here about anything whenever you need to, we are all here for you :) Really great that you managed to speak to your auntie, this such a big step and you should be so proud of yourself :)
    Maybe somethings don't get better, but we do. We get stronger. We learn to live with our situations as messy and ugly as they are. We fix what we can and we adapt to what we can't. Maybe some of us will never fully be okay, but at least we're here. We're still trying. We're doing the best we can. That's worth celebrating too ❤
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm sorry you've been having such a difficult time. I have it too...you're not alone and when I was diagnosed I found it really hard to cope with. But it helps if people do know because they'll at least try to be a bit more understanding of your control or routine around food.
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    Laura12345Laura12345 Posts: 265 The Mix Regular
    Thanks Aife for the reply. Yeh I managed to speak to my auntie but it was difficult.

    ​Al0neInMusic thanks for the reply. I'm going through a difficult time right now. I'm sorry to hear that you have it too and I'm always a PM a way if u need me. Yeh I know I need to tell people cause its hard to cope with but at the same time its hard
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