3.2 Describe the feelings an individual with an eating disorder may experience

This guide will help you answer 3.2 Describe the feelings an individual with an eating disorder may experience.

An eating disorder can affect a person in many ways, including their emotions and mental well-being. For a support worker, understanding the emotional impact of an eating disorder is essential to provide effective support. This guide describes the range of feelings an individual with an eating disorder may experience. It explains how these feelings can change based on the type of eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, while focusing on the common emotional experiences across all forms of eating disorders.

Feelings of Guilt and Shame

Individuals with eating disorders often experience intense guilt and shame.

• Guilt: After eating, particularly if they believe they have consumed “bad” or “unhealthy” foods, they may feel they have failed or let themselves down. In binge eating disorder, for example, consuming large amounts of food in a short period may lead to feelings of guilt afterwards.
• Shame: Many hide their eating habits to avoid judgement. They might feel ashamed of their behaviours, such as bingeing, purging (vomiting), or severely restricting what they eat. Shame comes from the stigma associated with eating disorders, making them feel isolated or judged by others.

These feelings can lead to secrecy, making it difficult to open up or ask for help.

Low Self-Worth and Lack of Confidence

Most people with eating disorders experience a negative view of themselves.

They may feel:

• That they are not “good enough,” leading to low self-worth.
• Critically about their body and appearance, believing they are unattractive or unworthy compared to others.
• That they do not deserve food, comfort, or care, which can drive restrictive eating patterns like in anorexia nervosa.

Low confidence often affects their relationships, work, and social life. They might avoid social events where food is involved or withdraw from loved ones to avoid exposure to their behaviours.

Anxiety and Fear

Anxiety is a frequent feeling for those with eating disorders.

They might feel:

• Anxious about food, eating, or mealtimes.
• Fearful of gaining weight or losing control around food.
• Uncertain about how others perceive them, leading to social anxiety.

For someone with anorexia nervosa, the fear of gaining weight can become overwhelming and stop them from eating. Similarly, someone with bulimia nervosa may feel extreme anxiety after eating, knowing they will engage in purging behaviours.

This constant worry can affect sleep, focus, and overall mental health.

Sadness, Loneliness, and Hopelessness

Sadness, loneliness, and hopelessness are common among those living with eating disorders. These feelings often come from isolation, self-criticism, and a lack of understanding from those around them.

Sadness: They may feel sad about their body image, lack of control over their mental health, or the impact their disorder has had on their relationships.

Loneliness: Many people feel emotionally distant from others. They might feel that no one else truly understands what they are going through. Embarrassment or fear of judgement can also cause them to hide their behaviours, leading to isolation.

Hopelessness: Some may feel like they will never recover or see no way out of their disorder. This might cause them to give up trying to seek help or to continue following destructive behaviours. Hopelessness can lead to depression in many cases.

Feeling Out of Control

People with eating disorders often report feeling out of control, both in their lives and in their relationship with food.

For a person with binge eating disorder, the act of bingeing may feel uncontrollable, as though they cannot stop. After a binge, this can spiral into further guilt.

For others, the need to control their eating patterns can itself feel overwhelming. For example, in anorexia nervosa, individuals may follow extremely strict diets, which can feel like a compulsion they cannot stop.

This loss or excessive need for control makes it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship with food and their own bodies.

Numbing or Emotion Suppression

Some people with eating disorders use their behaviours as a way to block emotions. They may feel emotionally numb or suppress feelings of sadness, anger, or frustration by focusing on food instead.

This “numbing” strategy is often a coping mechanism to avoid dealing with deeper emotional pain. Bingeing, purging, or restricting food intake may become a distraction from more difficult personal issues or trauma they are unable to face.

Emotions can become dulled over time, making it harder for individuals to recognise and process their true feelings.

Irritability and Frustration

Long periods of poor nutrition, overexercising, and anxious thoughts can lead to irritability.

This could mean they:

• Snap or become easily frustrated with others in their lives.
• Feel irritable due to constant internal conflict between wanting to eat and fearing food.
• Experience frustration at themselves for not being able to “fix” their issues.

Hunger and malnutrition may worsen this irritability, particularly for those who severely restrict their food intake.

Feeling Trapped

Feeling trapped is another common emotion.

This sense of being stuck might come from:

• Not knowing how to change their behaviour.
• A feeling of dependency on eating disorder habits for comfort or control.
• Internal conflict between wanting recovery but being scared of it.

They might feel caught in a loop. For example, a person with bulimia nervosa might binge, feel guilty, purge, and then promise not to binge again, only to repeat the cycle.

Relief and Comfort (in the Short Term)

Initially, behaviours linked to eating disorders might bring short-term feelings of relief or comfort.

This might look like:

• Feeling control over their body or diet.
• Experiencing a brief moment of calm after purging.
• Distracting themselves from stress, sadness, or trauma through bingeing or restricting.

Support workers should know that this sense of relief is temporary. Over time, these behaviours often cause more emotional harm, leaving the individual in distress.

Feelings of Inadequacy

Many people with eating disorders believe they are not meeting their own or others’ expectations.

They may feel:

• Not thin enough, even when their body is significantly underweight.
• That they are failing to live up to societal or personal ideals of beauty.
• That their inability to control food makes them a failure.

This can lower their self-esteem and reinforce harmful behaviours, as the disorder becomes tied to their sense of self-worth.

Confusion About Their Own Feelings

Eating disorders often create confusion.

A person may not know why they are engaging in certain behaviours or feel unable to explain their emotions. They might struggle with:

• Understanding the root cause of their eating disorder.
• Identifying their feelings, especially if they are using the eating disorder to suppress emotions.

This can make it hard for them to express how they feel and why to others.

Hyper-Focus on Food and Weight

People with eating disorders often think about food and weight most of the time.

They may feel:

• Exhausted by the constant mental focus on these topics.
• Trapped in routines or patterns that revolve around their disordered eating habits.
• Consumed by thoughts of calories, diets, or exercise.

This hyper-focus leaves little room for enjoying life or engaging fully with relationships, hobbies, or work.

Conclusion

Understanding the feelings of someone with an eating disorder is key to supporting them. Remember that their emotions may change and can include guilt, shame, low confidence, sadness, fear, and a sense of being trapped. These feelings often drive the behaviours linked to their eating disorder. By being aware of the complex emotions they face, you can create a supportive and empathetic environment for their recovery. If you are concerned about a person’s mental health, ensure they are signposted for the appropriate professional help.