Outsmarting the eating disorder triggers

Outsmarting the eating disorder triggers

Anyone who has struggled with an eating disorder (ED) is familiar with the words trigger or triggered, and I am no different.

Even though I am in the space of recovery, situations that could trigger eating disorder thoughts and behaviours are everywhere. Living in this diet culture/weight-biased world, there is no way to escape the continual barrage of messages that try to undermine my recovery.
Television commercials for weight-loss drugs, body-sculpting and weight-loss programs are relentless in the quest to make everyone feel inadequate, unhealthy and not thin enough. I suspect that in this time of digital technology, many images have been altered to promote an unattainable standard of beauty.
As much as I try to tune these advertisements out by looking away or muting the television, sometimes the messages sneak through. 

Calling out the triggers

I have worked hard to overcome my ED, and I’m not about to let marketing companies and advertisers steal my health and happiness. Being told every day that I’m not thin enough or “healthy” enough, which directly translates to not good enough, is exhausting and frustrating.
Being manipulated by these companies whose only goal is to make money is dangerous, not to mention unethical. They have no interest in anyone’s health or well-being— they focus on making exorbitant profits, and they are extremely successful at it. Triggering people, primarily women, is their bread and butter, two things they tell us we should not eat. (Ironic, no?)

It’s time to turn negative into positive

Since triggers abound, I’ve decided to change the way I think about that word. Instead of allowing it to provoke negative thoughts and feelings about my weight, food and body image, I’m choosing to be triggered to think of the positive aspects of recovery. For example, I’m choosing:
–       The freedom to nourish my body so it can find its preferred weight, not what diet culture tells me it should be.
–       The freedom to eat food for its nutritional value and the other qualities surrounding food, such as community, sharing love and celebration. I used to think that showing love through sharing or preparing food was something to be afraid of or avoided. Diet culture warns us about “emotional eating”, and if food is equated with love, it is a recipe for disaster. How sad is that? Food can bring joy and excitement to life, and there is nothing wrong with that.
I think of all those years I avoided the buffet table at potluck dinners or parties because I thought it was a sign of weakness to indulge my hunger or, worse yet, my sweet tooth. What would people think? I’ll tell you what they thought: they thought I was someone who always “ate healthy” and never ate anything “bad.” As a result, I now know I might have inadvertently made someone else feel judged about what they had eaten, which was never my intent.

Beware of image triggers on-screen and online

Another common trigger is fashion or images I see on TV, in movies, and online. It used to be that only professional models and actors depicted the thin ideal. They seemed separate from me because they were so far removed—they were in a class of their own.
Today, however, the expectation is for everyone to look like models and actresses by using the same makeup, including the fascination with false eyelashes and cosmetic procedures like Botox and collagen injections. I’ve noticed on TV that all the American actresses, as well as female news anchors and reporters, seem to be wearing full makeup and false eyelashes.
The expectation for everyone to look this way has oozed into the lives of everyday people, creating insecurity and a preoccupation with “perfection.” The goal of making women feel bad about themselves exists for companies to make money. That trigger often has made me insecure, but now I am choosing to flip it to the positive.

I remind myself of all I value about my body

Now, when I spot a trigger, I think of a positive way to approach my feelings. For example, when I see one of those unattainable images, I try to remind myself of everything I value and appreciate about my body, such as how it enables me to move around in the world and all that entails. Many people do not have that ability, and I need to avoid taking anything for granted. Another example is as basic as being thankful for my body’s ability to breathe, metabolise nutrition, and experience life through my five senses.
The human body is a miracle, especially if left alone and not manipulated to do and be unnatural things.
I will be triggered to appreciate I am not a celebrity whose livelihood depends on my appearance. I will feel compassion for those who must meet unrealistic beauty standards. What an exhausting existence! I have lived many years adopting a fraction of that mindset, and for what? There are no red carpets or fashion runways in my present or future.
I choose to be triggered to believe that achieving physical beauty often comes at the expense of inner beauty. I choose to remember inner beauty is more important.

Push back on weight-loss pressure

Something else that has always triggered me is if someone I know is dieting to lose or has lost weight, I immediately think I must do the same. Even at my thinnest, I was triggered by others’ weight loss, which made no sense, but EDs do not make sense; they make misery.
Sigh. The weight loss industry does not let up. In 2024, I know people who are using weight loss drugs or losing weight in other ways (possibly because of the pressure they feel to lose weight with the weight loss drugs).
I must make a concerted effort not to let this new trend trigger me. Instead of listening to the ED voice that will try to lure me back into unhealthy habits, I’m using that trigger as an opportunity to reinforce the progress I’ve made and all that I’ve overcome. I’m also using it to trigger compassion for others, still subject to diet culture’s influence and compassion for myself.

Use triggers as springboards to positive thoughts

Finally, I must remember that situations where I might be triggered will always exist; there is no escaping them. Choosing to use those triggers as springboards to positive thoughts and further healing will strengthen and bolster my recovery. Eating disorders flourish in shame and fear. I choose to prevent that fear or shame from ruling my life and stealing my joy.

To triggers everywhere:
I see you, and I’m not afraid. Disarming triggers and turning them on their head is magical when you think about it.
* This is the second in Nancy’s series on words that have mixed translations and interpretations in eating disorder language. See: https://lifestoriesdiary.com/2024/07/30/selective-apathy-and-the-eating-disorder-connection/