Eating Disorders & Body Image Group

The Voices of an Eating Disorder

“You're fat", "You're disgusting", "You don't deserve to eat", "You’re worthless", "You deserve to die"

The voices of an eating disorder, a never ending dialogue that plays inside the mind of a person suffering with an eating disorder.

Those voices and the cruel words they speak are with a person from the minute they wake up, until the minute they fall asleep. They encourage their victims continue to abuse their bodies through starvation, bingeing, purging and other dangerous methods of weight control, and can bring them to the brink of death.

It is not very often you hear people talk about the voices that go along with having an eating disorder. I feel it is very important to talk about those voices because they do play a big role in keeping the eating disorder active. They convince us that we are worthless, unlovable, fat, ugly, disgusting, hopeless, and so much more. They convince us that the world would be better off without us and that we deserve to die.

It is very understandable why victims of eating disorders have so much trouble developing self-esteem and finding a reason to live. These voices are very powerful and their ultimate goal is to destroy you.

It takes a long time to destroy those voices, but it can be done. It is also important for everyone suffering to know that they do have a choice about whether or not to listen to those voices. No matter what they say, you do not have to listen to them. Remember that they only lie to you and you can go against them. The more you do that, the weaker they become. It is not easy to go against those voices, but you do have the power within yourself to do it. You will not always succeed in going against them, but remain determined not to let them win. Recovery takes a long time, but one day you will be able to live the happy, healthy life that you deserve and you will be able to silence those voices forever.

Written by: Colleen Thompson