Table of contents:
- Digging for eating disorders in adolescents
- 1. Social pressure
- 2. The coveted activity
- 3. Personal factors
- Overcoming eating disorders in adolescents
- 1. Encourage healthy eating habits
- 2. Discussion of media messages
- 3. Provide an overview of the questions body image
- 4. Increase his confidence
- 5. Tell me the dangers of unhealthy diets and emotional eating
- If the above method doesn't work….
Parents need to find ways to deal with eating disorders in adolescents. Sometimes the desire to have a perfect body leads them to go through ways that are actually detrimental to their health. Starting from a too strict diet, to vomiting food.
Not only psychologically, but physically teenagers are also influenced to achieve the body shape of their dreams. There are several ways that parents and schools can take to reach out to adolescents who have eating disorders.
Digging for eating disorders in adolescents
Overcoming eating disorders in adolescents is one of the duties of parents and schools. Often times this problem is insulated because there are several eating disorders that go unnoticed. In fact, this has a negative impact on health, emotions, and the ability to see important aspects of life.
One of the common eating disorders that occur in adolescents includes anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. Actually, the exact cause of eating disorders is not yet known. However, there are several factors that can affect a teenager's diet, including:
1. Social pressure
The environment affects the way adolescents perceive the perfect body, or so-called body goals. So far, social media and advertisements have described the perfect body as thin, white, which ultimately has an impact on the psychology of adolescents, thus affecting their diet.
2. The coveted activity
Being a model or a public figure is required to pay attention to appearance, especially weight. These demands can also increase the risk of eating disorders. If you see teenagers so limit their food intake, parents need to overcome their eating disorders.
3. Personal factors
Mentioned in the Mayo Clinic, that genetic and biological factors allow adolescents to experience eating disorders. Teens who are perfectionists, anxious, and tend to be fragile can get caught up in eating disorders.
Maybe not all parents know the characteristics of their children who have this disorder. Every child has a different diet and signs of eating disorders. Therefore, it is important to take steps to overcome eating disorders in adolescents.
Not all children are open to what they think often and make it stressful, so they decide to adjust their own diet in order to achieve an ideal body. In fact, unconsciously, what he does can endanger health.
The following are signs that parents must know:
- Skipping meals, it makes sense not to eat or eat in secret
- Excessive attention to diet
- Feeling anxious about his weight
- Laxative abuse
- Excessive exercise
- Consume lots of food or snacks
- Depression and feeling guilty about her eating habits
So, immediately take a step approach in overcoming eating disorders in adolescents.
Overcoming eating disorders in adolescents
If you find some of the signs above in adolescents, try to communicate directly properly. Ask if anything has been bothering him all this time. Is there anything that makes him nervous about his own posture.
To overcome eating disorders in adolescents, try to discuss and raise the following points.
1. Encourage healthy eating habits
It is possible that teenagers have a certain idol as a benchmark body goals. Support him by providing information for a healthy diet. This method is done so that their nutritional needs are also balanced, and increase their energy and appearance.
Also tell him, there is nothing wrong with eating when hungry. Encouraging healthy eating habits is an effort to overcome eating disorders in adolescents.
2. Discussion of media messages
Teenagers tend to absorb information that the ideal body is what is seen on television programs, social media, or movies. Though not necessarily.
Lead the discussion that what he is doing could be a sign of an eating disorder in adolescents that can exacerbate his health problems.
Let your child think that what he is doing is not good for his body. There are still healthy ways to get an ideal body.
3. Provide an overview of the questions body image
Give confidence to teenagers that everyone has a different body shape. Every individual has their own way to maintain a healthy body.
Remind her that a joke call that points to a physical characteristic can trigger negative thoughts in her body image them and himself. However health is the main thing, compared to the ideal body image.
4. Increase his confidence
To deal with eating disorders in teens, try to increase their self-confidence. Appreciate and continue to provide support for what has been achieved.
Hear what he wants in the near future. Remind him that you love him unconditionally, not based on body shape or weight.
5. Tell me the dangers of unhealthy diets and emotional eating
Teens with eating disorders usually have unhealthy diets. This will certainly affect their health. For that, tell your child about the bad possibilities that will happen if he continues to live this lifestyle.
However, teenagers are still in their infancy stage. Encourage him to understand his emotions while eating and how to control them. Also give healthy diet tips if he still wants to achieve body goals-his.
If the above method doesn't work….
The method above is a preventive effort so that teenagers are motivated to live a healthy lifestyle and can see their self-image positively.
If this method still hasn't changed his mindset, try to involve a doctor, dietitian, or therapist.
They will help with eating disorders in adolescents. It is possible that the doctor will prescribe medication to treat binge eating, anxiety, or depression. This treatment and care depends on the condition of each individual.
So that, parents need to keep watching and getting closer to their teenagers. That way, eating disorders in adolescents can still be overcome before it's too late.
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