Hey Guys! i wanted to make a masterpost on harm reduction for people who struggle with eating disorders. i have written this one mainly focusing on anorexia and bullimia as thats what i struggle with.
so, what is harm reduction? harm reduction is basically steps put in place before someone does something dangerous to make it less risky - to put it simply. people who have eating disorders dont get a choice to have the ed, and recovery is very hard, so for the people who cant recover yet they can at least use these tips to stay safe.
some dangers of starving are:
low iron and other vitamins and minerals
passing out, fainting, feeling dizzy, hot flushes and sweats
weak and damaged hair, nails and skin
unstable heart rate/weakened heart
some things you can do to manage these symtoms are:
taking iron tablets with vitamin c tablets (for better absorbtion) and any other minerals and vitamins for general health
keep small candies on you at all times like jelly beans in case your blood sugar drops quickly
if you feel like youre going to faint please try to eat something even small or at least drink water snd sit down
be gentle when you wash and brush your hair, use strengthening shampoos and oils and you can even get tablets to help with hair and nail growth
use benefiber or eat food with fiber in it to increase bowel movements
drink lots and lots of water, add lemon if you like the taste
haemorrhoids are common with irregular bowel movements so having cream for that can be helpful
get regular blood tests if you can to see where you may need to add more of something
adding salt to foods can up your heart rate
ultimately if youre starving yourself youre going to run into health complications down the line and a lot of them cannot be fixed with a few tips like these. more serious things like muscle deterioration, loss of bone density, heart/cardiac problems etc you will need to go to the doctor or the hospital. please get help if you can, this disorder is horrible and you dont deserve the bad outcomes.
just like starving, purging is also very dangerous and has many bad side effects such as:
poor oral hygine eg bad breath, cavities, yellow teeth etc
damage to the insides of your stomach and throat and esophagus
weakness, fainting, light headed
(many of the other things i would say were mentioned in the starving section so read both)
purging is an addiction thats very hard to stop once you start and if bad damage is done youll need to go to the dentist, doctor or hospital but heres a few things that can help:
brushing your teeth regularly but not straight after purging
carry around breath mints and lip balm
drinking lots of water and i mean LOTS, purging dehydrates you insanely
laxative abuse is also a form of purging which causes constipation, diarrehoea and haemorrhoids so again creams and fiber and water especially
if you start to vomit or excrete blood go to the hospital asap because its very dangerous
over exercising is something many people with eating disorders do but again there are risks:
fainting, dizzy, light headed, nauseas
if youre on a treadmill or something and you start to feel faint get off straight away because if you did faint you would really hurt yourself if you fell.
dont exercise on hot days or if you do make sure its somewhere cool and if you start to get flushes sit down in the shade or cool and drink lots of water
when you exercise always have water and maybe an elecrolyte drink next to you so that you can replenish your electrolytes and feel a bit better
before you exercise stretch a lot and make sure your body is warmed up before doing anything too strenuous
other stuff to be aware of:
driving- this on is important because if you are undereating you will probably start to feel faint and if you pass out while driving youre not only putting yourself but others at risk too
temperature- you will start to get cold all the time so make sure you always have warm clothes to wear, beanies, gloves and thick socks are best because those are the places your body needs to stay warm the most
water- some people think water will make them gain weight, IT WILL NOT, if anything it will help you lose weight, without drinking water youll surely die
sleep- sleeping with a restrictive ed is hard for many reasons so try out songs, meditation guides, audio books, podcasts, rain sounds, scents and literally anything you can to at least try to sleep because sleep is SO important and youll be tired enough as it is
this is just a part one for now but if people like it and find it helpful ill make a part two so give suggestions on other harm reduction techniques and categories
titsay
baratheonpilled
gummygunk
romaincrisis
izzy806
discoholicmusic
annaxmalina
