Therapy for Disordered Eating and Body Image in Idaho
Feeling stuck with food and body image?
Are you afraid you’ll never feel good about how you look?
Do you use food to deal with your feelings and feel guilty afterward?
You’re not alone. Many women feel the same way, and it’s not your fault.
Feeling trapped in a diet cycle?
Tired of yo-yo dieting and never feeling comfortable in your own skin?
Do clothes never seem to fit right, and you hate how you look in photos?
Struggling with low self-esteem and negative self-talk?
Constantly comparing yourself to others and never feeling good enough?
The Stress of Dieting
Do you go from strict dieting to binge eating?
Feeling stuck in a cycle of dieting, deprivation, and then overeating?
Overwhelmed by the pressure to look a certain way?
Is your relationship with food causing you stress and anxiety?
What Is disordered eating?
Disordered eating includes unhelpful habits like skipping meals, binge eating, restrictive eating, or constantly dieting. These habits might come from negative body feelings, low self-esteem, or trying to handle stress or sadness with food.
Disordered eating isn’t as severe as eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia, but it can still mess up your life and health. It can make you feel tired, anxious, or even sick and might lead to more serious eating problems if not addressed.
Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorders
The main difference between disordered eating and eating disorders is the severity.
Disordered eating includes unhelpful eating behaviors that don’t meet the full criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis.
Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are more extreme and can cause serious health issues.
Even though disordered eating is less severe, it can still negatively affect your physical and mental health and might lead to an eating disorder if not addressed.
Understanding Body Image
Body image is how you see and feel about your own body. It includes your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes about your appearance. A positive body image means feeling good about your body and being comfortable in your own skin. A negative body image means you might feel ashamed, uncomfortable, or unhappy with how you look.
What is negative body image?
Negative body image or body dissatisfaction is when you constantly feel unhappy with your body. You might avoid mirrors, feel bad in your clothes, or compare yourself to others all the time. This constant worry can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and even disordered eating.
Emotional Eating: When Food Becomes Comfort.
Emotional eating often sneaks in when you feel stressed, overwhelmed, or anxious.
Instead of addressing those emotions directly, food can become a source of comfort and relief—but only for a moment.
Over time, emotional eating can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and a lack of control over your body and food choices.
You're not alone if you turn to food when emotions run high.
Recognizing the emotional drivers behind your eating habits is the key to breaking free and finding peace with food.
Learn more about emotional eating therapy here.
Food Anxiety and Stress
Food stress, also known as orthorexia, is an obsession with eating only foods that are considered healthy or pure. It goes beyond wanting to eat well and becomes a fixation that can take over your life.
People with orthorexia may become so focused on their strict dietary rules that they start to avoid social situations, feel anxious or guilty about their food choices, and suffer from nutritional deficiencies due to their limited diet.
Signs of Orthorexia
Constantly planning and preparing meals to meet strict dietary rules.
Avoiding social events or eating out because you can’t control the food being served.
Feeling stressed or anxious if you can’t follow your diet perfectly.
Feeling guilty or ashamed for eating something "unhealthy."
Constantly reading food labels and researching ingredients.
Judging others for their food choices and feeling superior because of your diet.
Your strict diet limits social interactions, making you feel lonely or isolated.
Your focus on healthy eating negatively impacts your relationships with family and friends.
Feeling constantly stressed because you’re striving for a perfect diet and feeling like you never measure up.
Therapy Can Help
Therapy offers a safe space to heal your relationship with food and your body.
Together, we will address your eating patterns and negative body image, including emotional eating, binge eating, restrictive eating, and yo-yo dieting.
We'll explore and challenge the societal pressures of diet culture that impact how you see yourself.
We will also process past traumas connected to food and body image insecurities, helping you understand and overcome the deep-rooted issues affecting your eating behaviors and negative body image.
Through this personalized approach, you will build self-esteem, develop a peaceful relationship with food, and cultivate a positive body image.
I help clients:
Enjoy food without feeling guilt or stress.
Develop strategies to deal with emotions without turning to or restricting food.
Learn to eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full.
Learn to question and reject harmful diet culture ideals and focus on a balanced approach to nutrition.
Feel more confident in yourself and your body.
Address and process any past trauma that’s affecting your eating habits.
Develop tools to prevent overeating and feel in control.
Start to love and appreciate your body as it is.
Break free from rigid food rules and unhelpful fixations on food.
Learn techniques to handle stress without turning to or restricting food.
Therapy for Disordered Eating & Body Image isn’t my only service at my Idaho online therapy practice. Other mental health services at Mountain River Therapy include Emotional Eating Therapy, Trauma Therapy for Moms, and EMDR Therapy. Contact me to learn more about how I can help you overcome your trauma, disordered eating, and body image struggles and reclaim your life!
Questions before getting started? Get in touch.
You don’t have to live with the guilt and shame of not feeling in control of your eating or your body. Online therapy can help you heal from past trauma causing disordered eating and negative body image and help you find peace with food and your body. Mountain River Therapy in Idaho specializes in helping women heal from disordered eating and body image issues. To start your counseling journey, follow these simple steps:
Step 1
Contact Mountain River Therapy
Step 2
Meet with Jarae for an intake session.
Step 3
Rediscover the joy of eating foods guilt-free and finally feeling confident in your body.