Sometimes i wonder if i have eating disorder due to my gastric and sensitive stomach IBS there are times where im actually fearful to eat when i see big portions of food it kinda scares me and when i have to eat with ppl I dont usually eat with it makes me scared and anxious like what they would think because sometimes i don’t eat a lot due to my stomach sensitivity but i don’t totally stop myself from eating because i know if i don’t eat my gastric will get worst. When im anxious or alittle stressed out it stops me from wanting to eat actually
Hi user1382,
From your sharing I can feel the worries and anxieties in you about eating.
Eating triggers a mixture of fear (which I presume might be due to difficulty in swallowing) and worries (about what others might think when you eat slowly / small quantity of food). Thankfully, you are mindful that not eating will worsen your gastric and this thought make you continue to eat something to fill your stomach.
Studies have shown that emotions can have impacts on the gut. When a person experiences anxiety and stress, this can lead to bodily sensations like heart beat faster, changes in bowel movements, and bloated feelings in the digestive system. Many people going through life challenges may experience intense worries/anxieties that may lead to fear. In the process of these experiences, they also might report negative physical sensations pertaining to their sleep, appetite and bowel movements. However, these symptoms may not be necessarily due to eating disorder, but sustaining the symptoms for a long period of time may be at risk of developing eating disorder. Thus, it might be helpful to consult a medical doctor to check on your symptoms, and the type of food you consume (to rule out that it may cause “gas” in the stomach) may worsen your gastric condition.
I am not sure how long you have experienced eating difficulty, but I can see that you are aware that when you are “anxious or a little stressed out”, you actually didn’t feel like wanting to eat. Thus , there may be a possibility that your anxiety about eating has something to do with the anxieties/stress in your daily life, or could be something that you are worried/disturbed about for a long time.
Currently, if you are not engaging any emotion regulation methods, you may want to try out these self-care methods here in this link https://mindline.sg/youth/search?q=emotion regulation&filter=all&versions=all&page=1
Coping with anxiety is a lifelong job, you may start with one or two some simple activities and see if it helps to make you feel calmer. If you feel calmer, your heart will beat in a normal pace, and gradually, you may experience less bloated sensations in your body.
Hope my sharing helps. Have a good day !
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