More on the eating disorders topic

More on the about Eating disorders topic
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The first part below needs to be read first btw.
Unfortunately, competition among people with eating disorders is rampant. It is a part of the nature of the illness... to judge ourselves constantly (what an ultimate waste of time, by the way!) and to judge ourselves against others. One place where this competition can flourish is in an Eating Disorder Support Group. All of the eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating) are vulnerable to the competition trap. Mainly because it is EASIER to spend the group time comparing oneself to another than to FOCUS on the emotions and therapy that is going on in the room. There is no easy way around this phenomenon. It can be very powerful to talk about the competitive feelings one of the group members is having. Usually there are many others who feel the same and this opens a discussion among the group which allows for honesty and openness in a safe place. If you are in an Eating Disorder Support Group and this issue has not been talked about yet, I encourage you to bring it up as a subject of conversation.
Do NOT let the existance of competition discourage you from getting help! Eating Disorder Support Groups have tremendous healing power and it is unfair to use the competition part of the illness to stop you from having a fair chance at living a better life!!
Part of healing and LETTING GO of disordered eating is to talk about your competitive thoughts and feelings. There is nothing wrong with feeling this way, but it is something that ought to be talked about. There is something underneath those competitive thoughts... often feelings of not being "good enough" (not good enough as an anorexic, not good enough as a non-anorexic, not good enough at anything... it feels like a trap, doesn't it?) are behind the competition. The irony is that we are all looking at one another and utilizing one another to feel worse about ourselves, thinking all the while that the other person is "better" then we are. They are thinking the same thing! So NO ONE ends up winning.
Instead we all just feel bad collectively. We are often able to care about each other but not about ourselves. I would encourage you to try to think of yourself as one of those people suffering that you care about and want to help. Imagine that you appear to them as they appear to you... as a kind loving person who is suffering and dying needlessly. How would you support them? Apply those same ideas to YOURSELF. It is time to step up to the challange and treat yourself better than you ever have.
Rather than pretend that competition doesn't exist in the complex world of disordered eating, I'd like to instead call us all on it. And challange us to begin to think differently. The competition doesn't work and whatever it is you want out of life you will not find it spending you time competiting with others, real or imaginary. Looking at the pictures in the gallery and trying to compete with their appearance won't help anything. There is nothing impressive about those bodies except their utter ability to remain living... which they are barely doing, and, actually, they have NO quality of life whatsoever and they are competing against yet another shadow figure themselves because the trick of anorexia/bulimia/overeating is that there is NO good enough available. So the disease will keep you trapped by having you chase the impossible while lying to yourself that it is possible. Try to see the truth in the pictures as they are meant to show how utterly undesireable and awful and painful and deadly the eating disorders are.
If you are currently involved with the competition among us (either in a support group or with a dieting buddie or disordered e-mail pal) please consider bringing the topic up and to the surface. Please.