In our culture, we are consistently surrounded by images of what it means to be beautiful, desired, accepted. Images conveyed through our media and displayed within our community speak to the value of appearance most notably depicted by the physical body. Regardless of whether we personally value the ideal or should ascribe to its belief, the message of our culture is clear — to be regarded as beautiful, one must be thin.

When health and fitness are attended to, often the natural result is a physic thin and toned. When such physical attributes are achieved through healthy measures and a balanced lifestyle, it is an expression of an intention to live in pursuit of physical wellness. However, when individuals strive toward perfection of body at any cost, there is a danger of dying to be thin — a pursuit often inspired by and enforced by the intensity of our culture’s standards of beauty and physical appearance.

While the risk of striving toward such bodily perfection may exist in numerous realms, it is most commonly seen in the experience of eating disorders. Disordered eating is most clearly classified by the experiences of anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is an experience where an individual struggles to maintain normal body weight, carries a fear of gaining weight and has a significant disturbance in the perception of his or her body shape. Desired weight loss may be achieved through excessive dieting, fasting and/or exercise.

Bulimia nervosa shares similarities with anorexia in that an individual’s perceptions of their body size and shape are influenced by a fear of weight gain. As a result, an individual experiencing bulimia will engage in binge eating behaviors followed by participating in compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain. Such behaviors may include excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting and/or the use of diuretics, laxatives or enemas.

The attention toward one’s body and the dietary regiments that accompany are often an external measure of the emotion an individual is experiencing in their life. Generally, experiences of depression or anxiety accompany behaviors of disordered eating. As such, it is imperative to acknowledge the relationship between our emotions and the patterns developed pertaining to how we choose to care for our bodies — whether this sense of care exists to nourish one’s body or to destroy its sense of health.

While not a traditional classification of disordered eating, and not evidenced by a loss of weight, behaviors of overeating are also a concern worth noting in this regard. Patterns of overeating generally have an intense connection to emotional experiences that create a means of coping with emotion or experiences that may not be expressed or attended to. The pleasures of food and the sense of being physically satisfied often compensate for a deeper emotional experience that is desired.

Often, behaviors connected with disordered eating are often done in isolation and with much secrecy. Beginning to seek help and share with others can be a vulnerable process requiring much honesty where there have been lies and courage where there has been shame.

If you or someone you know is discontent with their body and is struggling with dietary behaviors that put their health at risk, contact a personal physician or seek consultation with our local providers at the Lakeshore Clinic, the Northshore Group Health Cooperative or the Bothell Community Health Center.

To those that may be struggling with an eating disorder — know you are not alone. In a culture that leaves us all vulnerable to its influences, you are among numerous men and women sharing in the experience of disordered eating, as well as the desire to rid its effects in your life. Beginning the initial stages of choosing change and seeking help are seldom easy — but the reward is life-giving, perhaps life-saving. You are worth beginning the journey.

Shannon Renae West is a licensed family therapist in Bothell. Visit www.ShannonRenae.com.