ISSUES TREATED
WEIGHT CONTROL
Weight related issues – whether it’s being overweight, underweight, or struggles with certain foods or body image – can have profound impacts on our mental health. There are huge misconceptions about how this can be treated purely in a physical way, through eating a healthy and balanced diet. However, to make any physical changes, we must understand our brain's role in gaining and maintaining control.
Weight issues can manifest psychologically in many ways:
Low self-esteem and body dysmorphia
Depression
Anxiety (including social anxiety)
Disordered eating such as bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder
Social isolation
Chronic stress
Guilt and shame
There are numerous ways in which psychological factors can influence our relationship with food and weight:
Emotional eating – as a way of coping with stress, anxiety, depression, boredom, or loneliness. Using food in this way can cause a cycle of guilt, shame, and temporary relief from distressing feelings.
Body image and self-esteem – whether the view of yourself as overweight, underweight, or unattractive. This can lead to unhealthy yo-yo dieting, restricted eating, excessive exercise, or a sense of helplessness and a lack of motivation to change.
Social and cultural pressures – society and social media values on beauty, success and worth. These societal ideals can create pressure to conform to a certain body type.
Food and reward system – we can develop an attachment to food as a reward or as a way to feel pleasure, comfort or control. This can lead to binge eating, emotional over-eating or unhealthy eating habits that are hard to break. This can make weight management an ongoing struggle.
If you are struggling with any of these, you will often be battling complex emotional and health factors, such as body image issues, emotional eating, anxiety and depression.
I can help you to address the emotional and psychological roots of your struggles. Together, we can foster a healthier attitude towards your body image and food. We will go on to develop sustainable ways to improve your mental and physical health.