Highly Sensitive People and Eating Disorders
Everybody has emotions.
This isn’t a new concept. However, in more recent years, we’ve started to give names to everything as a way to “label” each other or give an overall meaning to how someone may feel, act, etc. (Labels are usually meant to organize things, not necessarily bad.) So somewhere along the way, we started to label certain individuals as “highly sensitive people”.
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Everyone is sensitive to a certain extent, but some are more sensitive than others, hence, highly sensitive. The question is, how did it come to be that somebody might be highly sensitive and the next person is just not? Why do we assume people are just born this way? Is it genetic? Is it because of their personality?
By labeling someone as “highly sensitive’, we might be shutting down the conversation instead of learning more. So here’s the beginning of the conversation.
So why is all of this thought-provoking?
Someone who is more prone to feeling intolerable emotions is generally more prone to lean into any sort of eating disorder behaviors, substance abuse, or unhealthy coping mechanisms. The feelings they feel are so big and so intolerable, no wonder they’ll want relief from the pain.
So I think the biggest question here is: if you are a person who is highly sensitive, how do you deal with intense emotions?
Let’s discuss.
In this episode, I'm diving into:
New Year's resolutions and the importance of self-growth in 2024.
Who is considered to be a highly sensitive person (HSP)?
The idea that everyone has emotions and sensitivity to some extent, which challenges the notion of some being "highly sensitive" while others are not.
The connection of being highly sensitive to genetics vs influence by experiences.
The connection between highly sensitive individuals and eating disorders or disordered eating is explored.
The importance of developing emotional resilience
The formula for increasing tolerance to difficult emotions: validation, support, acceptance, and warmth.
The significance of providing genuine validation and unconditional support to individuals, especially those who are highly sensitive.
The concept of detaching past experiences from current emotional reactions to process intense emotions.
Tweetable Quotes
"Sometimes it's like all thoughts and all logic completely go out the window because you're just seeing red or feeling so, so hurt and really impulsive." - Rachelle Heinemann
"You are just sensitive and having emotions like a human does. There's nothing wrong with you." - Rachelle Heinemann
"Everybody has emotions. Everybody is sensitive to a certain extent, even if you don't want to be." - Rachelle Heinemann
Resources
Related Episodes
Episode 98. Body Stuff with Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani
Episode 90. How Do I Learn To Trust Myself? with Diane Barth
Episode 81. What Do I Do About My Emotional Eating?
Episode 77. How to Accept Your Body
Episode 70. What’s The Purpose of Anger?
Episode 51. Overeaters Anonymous Thoughts
Episode 23. The Neurobiology of Eating Disorders With Dr. Jeffrey DeSarbo, DO
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Hey there! I’m Rachelle, the host of the Understanding Disordered Eating Podcast. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I work with clients to make sense of life’s messy emotional experiences.
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