Fear of Anorexia, Help!:(

[laurenn]

I've had anxiety and health anxiety for awhile and recently I've been really frightened about food, as if its a big challenge for some reason, I don't have much appetite and I don't really enjoy eating at the moment:-( my auntie had anorexia and sadly she passed away because of the problems I gave her, I am only 16 and I am terrified its happening to me, I also feel anxiety symptoms like cant breathe, like my tongue it swollen, like my throat and chest are closing up and as if I'm not getting enough air, however I am becoming really depressed and distressed over this right now. I'm scared it'll happen to me and ill never be okay again. Please help me guys..

[chickpea]

Have you seen anyone about your anxiety - your GP?
It sounds like you would benefit from some counselling to help understand the symptoms of your anxiety and help you get back to being able to eat.

You are not alone, so please don't beat yourself up about it.xxx

[Carnation]

Ok Laurenn.
Stop panicking. I have had Anorexia and I am perfectly fine now.
The symptoms you are describing sound like Anxiety. What you need to do is find foods that are easy to digest and that you really, really like.
Stop comparing yourself to your Auntie, you are you; a different person and a different Mind. I do however, think you should visit your GP and they will be able to put your Mind at rest about any of your symptoms. As long as you drink plenty of fluids and eat something, you will be fine. :)

[swanick15]

your symptoms have probably been made worse by grief as well.

[Sunflower2]

I'm not sure if it's anorexia I may have, but it's some eating disorder anyway which I've been struggling with for quite some time now. I am extremely fussy with food and obsessional about it, and have been known to not eat proper meals. It's not as scary as it sounds, and as long as you aware that it is problem you know what you need to do to get past it.
You will definitely be ok again! If you don't have much of an appetite, have foods that are usually your favourites and have little snacks. And don't worry about food,your body will definitely let you know when it wants food badly enough!

[AyAna_Apple]

I am not a professional, but to me it seems like you are just having really bad anxiety. There are a lot of different occurrences in those with anorexia, and where a fear of food is a piece of it, it is much more than that and fears of food can vary.

I currently struggle with Atypical Anorexia. And having this eating disorder is definitely more than just being afraid of food.

From my personal opinion, I think your anxiety is feeding off of the death of a loved one. And that cause of death could be really prominent and taking a huge part of it.

There is a disorder called Orthorexia. Symptoms/health effects of this disorder are very common to Anorexia. However, it isn’t based on the factor of weight and body image, it has a basis of fear that what you are eating isn’t healthy. So people have a lot of restriction due to the believe that only specific foods are healthy.

Even then, from what you have said I wouldn’t think it would be a risk of that eating disorder as well. However, being afraid to eat and not wanting to eat are still important to get help for. I recommend seeing a professional that works well with anxiety disorders, so you can get the answers you need. If you already do see a professional, then talk to them about it.

I would suggest trying a few coping skills to try and get you grounded.

Accept how you feel. It’s okay to feel this way. Recognize it, tell yourself how you feel and why.

Then combat those irrational fears with rational thoughts. It’s not always easy, but looking into the rational side of things can calm you down in the sense that you really recognize that fear doesn’t control you. It is your life, your body. You just need to find a way to benefit yourself and fight the fear with what’s true.

[jojo0328]

You would know if you had anorexia, trust me. You would actively go out of your way to not eat, or to make food that had a specific number of calories. You would be absolutely consumed and obsessed. Ive dealt with anorexia (and relapses). Even though i'm fine now, you could likely list any food and I could still name off the calories within seconds. You would be constantly taking photos of your body parts, touching your bones, weighing yourself etc.

People can have unintended anorexia as a side effect of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. In that case, you are sad or anxious so you don't feel like eating. If you get your medication sorted, you'll feel way better.