Do you need help overcoming food fear? Are you at the end of your rope and want to change? ARFID is curable, like all eating disorders. Just because you have suffered with it for a very long time does not mean that you are hopeless. In fact, it is never too late to completely cure your avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. This is a fact I know to be 100% true, since I was cured after suffering for nearly 40 years with an extreme version of selective eating disorder.
If you really want to overcome a food phobia, you must be motivated. It will likely be a difficult task and it is easy to quit along the way. However, you must take heart! You have already expressed the single most important factor towards a successful outcome… You WANT to change. This is soooo important! If you have motivation to ensure that you will change, nothing will stop you from eating better in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
This post provides some really important info for people who do want to end their restrictive eating habits. While I completely agree that every person has the right to change or stay exactly the way they are, I feel obligated to help those who do want to change their lives. The main reason for this feeling is that I now know how wonderful eating a diverse diet can be and how many other opportunities it opens up in life. The world is filled with food and people who DO enjoy it. If you want to join them, let’s prepare you to succeed! If you don’t, that’s ok too!
Overcoming Food Fear Preparations
It will help to become proactive in mind and body ahead of actually attempting to eat new foods. I suggest carefully considering your reasons for why you want to change your eating habits. Think about why each reason is important to you and what goal may be attained if you succeed. Right from the start, these benefits will be obvious:
- Feel less anxiety about food
- Enjoy better health from eating more foods
- Have exponentially improved social interactions
- Enjoy travel much more
- Feel better about yourself
- Feel less isolated and different
Of course, you might have some highly specific reason for wanting to change your picky eating habits. Make sure to account for these and even write them down. If you can write about your reasons for wanting to change, it will give these ideas more willpower. It will make your goals tangible. Write all you can about your fears and why you want to change yourself to be less fearful. This process of introspective journaling is so helpful in trying to overcome any hurdle in life, including overcoming ARFID.
Fear of Food Decisions
You should make a decision about how you want to try to overcome your food phobia. There are many possible paths, including self-help programs, joining real-world or online support groups, or retaining the services of a mental health professional or doctor to assist you in getting the help you really need. Of course you can certainly select more than one of these ARFID treatment paths, since the more assistance you have, the better it will be!
I am a strong advocate for self-help in all matters of difficulties in life. If you overcome a problem by yourself, you will have the best chance of avoiding the same problem in the future. You will also gain insight, knowledge and experience that will help you grow in your personal development and life skills. Finally, self-help is within the reach of EVERY person, without barrier to cost, time or distance restraints that might prevent other forms of ARFID treatment.
I do understand that some people work better with a doctor or therapist. There is no shame in this and if you are one of these people, then do whatever you must in order to make the changes you desire in your life and eating habits. However, I do caution you that some doctors like to use pharmacological interventions to facilitate recovery from eating disorders. These drugs are dangerous and do not provide any long-term solution to their problem. In fact, they create issues of their own, much in the same manner as starting smoking or drinking to stop using illicit or prescription drugs. Try not to trade one set of problems for another. This is not a good solution.
Overcoming Food Fear Success
I am so completely empathetic to your situation. I always hated my eating habits and this hate grew as I got older. Despite the consequences I suffered, and despite the strong distaste for my own eating decisions, I NEVER had any real desire to change for decades I suffered with my ARFID. I simply thought that it would be impossible to change, since my habits were so deeply ingrained and protected by a very strong personality structure.
I never sought help for my problem (and a very real problem it was!), but help found me… I was cured without trying to become cured. I found an end to my suffering without seeking the answer to my problem. Best of all, my cure not only lasted (now for 14 years and counting!) but also facilitated an amazing new life for me.
I am now a professional traveler. I live abroad. I eat whatever I want (I am still a vegetarian). I really love food and thank the process and person who led me to my cure. I am forever changed for the better and life is a completely different adventure. Would I love to see you achieve the same blessing in your life? Of course! This is MY MOTIVATION for writing this website and my book. I think you can see how passionate I am about helping people in their personal eating struggles. I have been helping people with chronic pain my entire life and feel that my experiences can really assist you in reaching whatever level of comfort you are trying to find with food.
If you are interested in My Story, I highly recommend reading my humorous and helpful memoir and self-help program, My Food Fear. If I can help you to overcome your eating difficulties, it will make all of my suffering with ARFID worthwhile. Not ready to make changes now? That’s cool too. I support you either way and welcome you here just as you are, now and always.
