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Long Term Effects of an Eating Disorder on a Career/Business
Contributor: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, Director of Content and Social Media at Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope
When it comes to eating disorders, many people may automatically assume that physical effects are the primary consequences.
While individuals struggling with anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder will suffer with physical effects as a result of abnormal eating behaviors, a person dealing with these psychiatric illnesses faces far more implications than may be apparent.
Eating disorders permeate every aspect of a person’s life, including physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, social, and more.
Impact of Eating Disorders on Career
The effects of eating disorders can be debilitating, and often, a person will suffer in silence due to a variety of reasons, including shame, guilt, fear, and the like. It is understood that eating disorders impact a variety of individuals, irrespective of gender, age, socioeconomic status, and other such factors. For the person who has an established career or business, treatment may be avoided or postponed due to fear of falling behind, losing business, work, and money.
The reality is that eating disorders crumble a person’s potential and ability to truly thrive in life. On the outside, an individual struggling may appear to have things together: a business is thriving or running effectively, a career is evolving and developing, but the many effects of an eating disorder can prove to be harmful in one form or another.
As a person’s health slowly begins to fade or eating disorder symptoms become more severe, functioning properly on the job may become more difficult. Everything from concentrating, making important decisions, relating to co-workers, traveling and more can become increasingly difficult while struggling with an eating disorder.
When preoccupied with eating disorder behaviors, there is little energy or effort left for other important aspects that are necessary for a business and career to thrive. The danger lies in thinking that an eating disorder is something that can be “tolerated”, or that it is possible to still function well enough to keep a business or career afloat.
Making Recovery a Priority
If you or someone you care for has been dealing with an eating disorder and trying to maintain a business or career, it is necessary to seek out appropriate help for treatment and recovery. Consider meeting with an eating disorder treatment professional to understand what steps might be needed to begin your recovery journey today.
Your career and business will function more optimally if you are able to take the time you need to recover and heal form an eating disorder.
Community Discussion- Share your thoughts here!
What aspects of recovery might be challenging for a business owner?
About the Author: Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.
As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on August 14, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
Baxter Ekern is the President of Eating Disorder Hope. He is responsible for the management and operations of Eating Disorder Hope. Baxter has been lending his services to Eating Disorder Hope for several years but came on board as the full-time president in November 2016.
