Restricting Food Can Also Be Compulsive

Restricting eating, like overeating, can be a compulsion for the purpose of suppressing emotions.

It is not only overeating that can be an addiction; restricting eating can be, too.

We often talk about eating too much as a compulsion, but we don't talk as much about the fact that eating too little can be just as much of a compulsion.

Some people mostly or entirely eat too much, and some people mostly and entirely eat too little, with many people engaging both sides of the spectrum at times. I have been in this last category myself; at times in my life I engaged the compulsion of overeating and at times I engaged the compulsion of restriction.

Restricting eating can be a significant addiction.

And any addiction, whether to restrict or to overeat, is driven by the desire to suppress and control our emotions.

The reasons for the compulsion to restrict are many; everyone is different and there is a wide range of why a person might feel compelled to do so.

In some cases it is a distraction obsession where we can become fixated on controlling our eating or our bodies in order to avoid how out of control some other area of our lives feels.

When everything feels like it's crumbling down around us and we want to avoid all the emotions that such a dark night of the soul brings, the compulsion of restriction can give us an illusion of control.

We may restrict as an act of self-harm, a misdirection of anger towards ourselves when we don't feel like we're allowed to get angry at who we are really angry at.

Restriction can also be a way we suppress emotions around body image, trying to force our bodies into a certain shape or size to avoid the fact we really just feel unworthy and unloved.

Limiting foods is not always or necessarily a problem if it is done for ethical or health reasons.

Here I am attempting to discuss the panicked, compulsive feeling that we have where we are driven by fear and a desire to emotionally control ourselves.

If you have the addiction of restriction, be compassionate with yourself. There is a reason and it comes from somewhere.

Gently explore the question, "What does the addiction of restriction help me to avoid emotionally?"

Photo by Aaron Burden via Unsplash