I remember a time, not too long ago, when there weren’t as many disorders as there were just crazy people. New discoveries are made every day as technology and pharmaceutical companies become increasingly sophisticated and as important as these findings are, with that, it seems people are starting to lose accountability in result of everything getting a name. For example, I got awful grades in high school and can’t seem to read an entire book on a beautiful summer day. I must have ADD because it is a thing and I show symptoms. Not to question the existence of these disorders, as I have seen what they can do to people, but I feel that we as humans are becoming desensitized to the word “disorder”. To claim a disorder without having seen a doctor is not only dangerous to yourself and everyone around you, but it tells the world that you are trying to excuse yourself from your past rather than be willing to accept and rectify it. The one that I want to bring to everyone’s attention are eating disorders.
Almost daily I encounter someone posting about their eating disorder on social media and for me, that’s a dead giveaway of self-diagnosis and makes me cringe every time. Having had someone very close to me go through the nightmare, I would say the hardest part about the whole experience was the fact that I, nor anyone else, could protect them from it. Not just because of the victim’s blatant denial of the illness, but because you usually don’t even know it’s happening until it’s too late. Eating disorders don’t want attention. In fact, they require just the opposite in order to fester and rewire your brain without interference from others. When you falsely claim you have an eating disorder for whatever the reasoning behind it may be, what this is actually doing is conditioning us to believe that an eating disorder isn’t to be taken as seriously as any other sickness. If anything, eating disorders should be held on a heightened level of caution as they have the highest mortality rate out of all mental illnesses. As a hypochondriac, self-diagnosis is tempting but extremely unhealthy, and not to mention it causes needless stress. It will always be worthwhile in the end to ask a medical professional while sitting in that awful, paper-covered hot seat.
A big part of confidence is showing ownership of your life choices and letting go of any excuses for yourself. Do some critical thinking. If you want to get healthier, analyze your eating and exercise regimen and see what needs modification. If you find it difficult to focus, look around to see if it is your environment that is distracting you. If you’re having mood swings, factor in your sleep schedule and workload. Afterwards, if you feel you have a genuine inability to function properly, show accountability and some respect for the ones who love you and see a doctor. Let’s stop confusing habit with disorder. To read more about confidence building, visit Adamymind.com!
Until next time, stop taking life so seriously, and don’t forget to breathe!