Obesity due to mental health problems
Being overweight because of mental health problems is a bit different from being overweight because of just too much snacking. Or... is one more related to the other than you think? It is important to find out for yourself the cause of your (excessive) eating behaviour and to determine whether you might need help on a mental level before you can move on to the physical part.
If food really is an obsession for you, if you sometimes have really extreme binge eating, if you sometimes vomit your meals on purpose, if you use laxatives, if you have extremely low self-confidence and low self-esteem, then you can check further down this page to see if you recognise any of the descriptions in yourself so that you can get to the root of the problem with or without appropriate help.
If you recognise any of this in yourself, you probably have a lot of pent-up emotions and/or sadness from the past that you have tucked away very deeply, gradually creating an eating problem that you can no longer control or solve yourself.
Only when you dare to face where your love/hate relationship with food comes from, in which situations you eat (too) much (and why! ) and learn to appreciate and love yourself (again) is it time for step two: the physical part of the problem.
First, it is important to clarify in your mind what made it come to this.
Knowing precisely why and what caused such an emotional imbalance is important in processing this experience and seeking help to cope with it. Indeed, sometimes help is really needed.
Never be ashamed of what you have been through or what another has done to you. There are people who are eager to help you. And who can do so once you dare to ask for help yourself.
Finding out the cause
- Take a leisurely look at whether you have one or more of the complaints below, described at the bottom of the page. Both physically and mentally.
- Write down recognisable symptoms for yourself.
- Then, under the possible causes described, see if anything happened that could have caused this blockage or imbalance.
- Note this cause.
- Think in what way this might be related to your obesity or eating problem and make a note of this
- Move on to the next type and write down everything you recognise in yourself.
Especially important is that you dare to confront the cause in the process, however difficult this may be for you. A problem cannot be solved until you get to the root of it.
Once it is clear to you where your blockages or imbalances lie, start the processing and possible healing process as soon as possible.
Symptoms are always a warning. A warning from our body to show that something is not right. That something is not functioning properly and that a drastic change or healing will have to take place.
Often, symptoms are a sign that the body can no longer cope with a certain lifestyle or a certain workload or emotion. You also often see psychological complaints manifesting themselves in physical discomforts. The body and mind are inseparable.
If you really threaten to go over your limit psychologically or emotionally, your body will protest to warn you that something has to change. Often, you know quite well what is causing your body to protest but don't quite take it seriously or you are just stubborn and continue to work too hard anyway or bury your head in the sand.
Eating problem
Sometimes it is more difficult to identify what certain symptoms are caused by. Sometimes symptoms are passed off as physical discomforts while the real cause is of a psychological, spiritual nature. In some cases, certain physical symptoms may be caused by something that happened a long time ago but which you still haven't processed. You may have tucked it away deep in your subconscious.
Hiding and storing away is different from actually processing something. Repressed emotions or tucked-away sadness can eventually cause you considerable distress without you knowing that this tucked-away sadness is the cause of physical problems.
Fortunately, your subconscious still knows exactly what happened and is ultimately trying to give you a warning. Take it as an urgent piece of advice to still process your grief and confront hidden fears because this is the only way certain emotions can really be processed!
Physical complaints should always be taken seriously. Sometimes the cause is of a harmless nature and you can easily do something about it yourself, but in some cases the cause is more difficult to determine and you have to 'dig' a little deeper to find out what is going on.
Especially if you often suffer from a certain ailment or pain, it is important to find out where this is coming from and what your subconscious is trying to tell you with this.
- In many cases, overeating is a way of (for example) subconsciously seeking comfort or distraction or filling a particular void.
- Starving yourself can (for example) be a manifestation of low self-esteem, fear of failure, sexual abuse, too much sense of responsibility or the conscious or unconscious urge to want to be in control of something (possibly due to being held down or constantly criticised).
- Overeating yourself and then deliberately vomiting can (for example) be a manifestation of low self-esteem, low self-confidence, a conflict-avoiding nature or fear of failure.
Symptoms and possible causes
Note: This is only a guideline to find out what the possible cause of your eating problem might be. This is NOT a way to make a diagnosis. Always consult a doctor and/or psychologist!
Type 1
Emotional complaints:
- anxious
- depressed
- lack of self-confidence
- powerless
- restless
- unable to sit still
- little (self) discipline
- chaotic
- difficulty indicating boundaries
Or right:
- slow
- lazy
- tired
- fear of change
- abnormal need for security
- greedy
- gluttonous (eating too much)
Physical complaints:
- haemorrhoids
- anus problems
- intestinal complaints
- bladder and/or kidney complaints
- bone or dental problems
- lower back pain
- pain in knees
- painful legs
- problems with feet
- anaemia
- high or low blood pressure
Possible causes of imbalance (past or present):
- pregnancy/birth trauma (mother's difficult pregnancy, delivery or postnatal depression)
- abandonment (at an important moment in life)
- rejection
- emotional or physical neglect
- bad relationship with mother
- violent environment
- poverty
- poor nutrition
- having to do things reluctantly
- dissatisfaction with the (current) situation
- feeling trapped in/attached to something
Type 2
Emotional complaints:
- depressed
- Addictive
- creative block
- rigidity
- socially awkward
- inability to set/indicate boundaries
- fear of/aversion to sex
- fear of change
- lack of passion
- shouldn't have fun themselves.
Or right:
- lusty
- possibly sex addicted
- mood swings
- aggressive
- compulsive
- jealous
- selfish
- impulsive
- obsessive
- about emotional
- waltzes over other people's boundaries
- manipulative
- wish to flee
Physical complaints:
- urinary tract and/or bladder inflammations
- problems with the spleen
- problems with sexuality
- problems with the reproductive organs
- lower back pain
- menstrual problems
- painful or stiff knees
- lumbering motor skills.
Possible causes of imbalance (past or present):
- sexual abuse
- emotional abuse
- neglect
- rejection
- cold upbringing
- victim of bullying
- emotional manipulation
- restricted in freedom
- addiction problems within the family
- anti-sex education (lust prohibition, excessive prudery)
Type 3
Emotional complaints:
- lack of self-esteem
- easy to manipulate
- chilly
- distant
- tendency to see themselves as victims
- self-pity
- little self-discipline
- does not finish anything
Or right:
- stubborn
- aggressive
- predominant
- performance
- want to have the last word,
- about ambitious
- arrogant
- need for control/power
- hyperactive
- relentless
- jealous
Physical complaints:
- upset stomach
- gastric ulcer
- digestive problems
- problems with pancreas
- gallbladder problems
- problems with the liver
- lower back pain
- diabetes
- nervous disease
- little energy
- chronically fatigued
Possible causes of imbalance (past or present):
- authoritarian upbringing
- uncertain living environment
- suppression
- physical abuse
- fear of being punished/harassed
- emotional manipulation
- parentification (the child has no opportunity to be a child is involved in parental problems or otherwise treated as an adult)
- (self?) instilled sense of shame
- inferiority complex
- too much (self-imposed?) responsibility
- too many (self-imposed?) obligations
Type 4
Emotional complaints (past or present):
- insensitive
- lonely
- difficulty (making) contact
- socially awkward
- hostile
- fear of relationships
- little need for friendships
- withdrawn
- distant
- critical
- intolerant
- narcissistic
- unable to feel genuine love for others (because it is consciously or unconsciously held back)
Or right:
- insecure
- claiming
- claiming
- self-effacing
- jealous
- overly affectionate
Physical complaints:
- heart disease
- high or low blood pressure
- lung complaints
- respiratory problems
- shortness of breath
- cara
- allergy
- cold
- high back pain (chest high)
- shoulder pain
- chest pain(s)
- pain or numbness in arms.
Possible causes of imbalance (past or present):
- rejection
- abandonment
- loss
- betrayal
- constant criticism
- unresolved grief
- death of a loved one
- separation of parents
- chilly environment
- lovelessness or 'conditional' love (quid pro quo)
- sexual abuse
- physical violence
Type 5
Emotional complaints:
- shy
- braked
- confused
- difficulty being alone
- have no opinion of their own and/or cannot express it
- speech impediment
- a-musicality
Or right:
- too much talk
- difficulty in listening to another person
- too loud voice
- constantly interrupting others
- wanting to be in the foreground and centre stage
Physical complaints:
- sore throat
- laryngitis
- problems with the teeth and/or gums
- neck and/or shoulder pain
- thyroid not functioning properly
- speech impediment
- hoarseness
- loss of voice
- ear and/or hearing complaints
Possible causes of imbalance (past or present):
- verbal abuse
- constant shouting
- bickering parents
- (emotional) neglect
- quarrels in the (current) living environment
- constant criticism
- authoritarian upbringing
- addiction problems within the family
- obliged to keep secrets
- unstable living environment involve many lies, untruths and contradictions.
Type 6
Emotional complaints:
- poor memory
- lack of imagination
- anxious
- mental confusion
- feeling of futility and/or aimlessness
- numbness
- black-and-white mentality, something is right or wrong; there is no in-between
- poor eyesight.
Or right:
- obsessive
- nightmares
- concentration problems
- learning disabilities
- hallucinations
Physical complaints:
- headache
- problems with the brain or stimulus transmission in the central nervous system
- problems with vision
- eye diseases
- problems with the ears or hearing
- sinusitis
- nervous disorders
Possible causes of imbalance (past or present):
- violent living environment
- upbringing with aversion to spirituality or religion
- absence of emotional warmth
- lack of empathy and understanding in the environment
Type 7
Emotional complaints:
- depressed
- apathetic
- indecisive
- confusion
- lack of concentration
- learning disabilities
- rigid and stubborn
Or right:
- floaty
- confused
- feeling of not being there (dissociation)
- blackouts
Physical complaints:
- headache
- migraine
- brain diseases
- chronic diseases
- weak immune system
- mental illness
- delusions
- poor memory
- nerve pains
- weak immune system
Possible causes of imbalance (in present or past)
- forced religious education (accompanied by scaremongering about hell and demons)
- suppression
- no right to own opinion
- unfairness
- lies
The above text previously appeared in the Balance book. The book is now sold out, but may still be available to order second-hand via the link below.
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