How to parent kids with both anxiety and eating disorders
Anxiety and an eating disorder often go hand in hand. Sometimes anxiety comes first, and the eating disorder becomes a coping mechanism for handling anxiety and worry. But also, eating disorders naturally increase anxiety. A hungry brain is an anxious brain, so the less your child feeds themselves regular, healthy meals, the more anxious they will become. Parents can do a lot to help kids who have both anxiety and eating disorders. What you do matters!
Online Course
Reduce Anxiety & Eating Disorder Behaviors (SPACE 4ED)
This online course is a parent-led treatment program for anxiety and eating disorder behaviors. Parents actively shape kids’ anxiety, and when you change your behavior, your child’s anxiety-driven eating disorder behaviors will decrease.
Getting through panic attacks with an eating disorder
Panic attacks are a way to cope with emotions that are overwhelming and unmanageable. If your child struggles with panic attacks, there’s a lot you can do to help!
Is anxiety in charge of your family?
People who have anxiety tend to make a lot of demands in an attempt to control situations and feel less anxious. But anxiety, while understandable, should never run the show. Find out why and what to do.
Food fear in eating disorder recovery
A person with an eating disorder can develop powerful anxiety about specific foods, textures, smells, and even sounds. Find out what you can do to reduce your child’s fear of food and help them eat and get healthy.
Eating disorders and anxiety accommodation
Eating disorders and anxiety are stressful for the whole family. Find out how something called “parental accommodation,” something the most loving, caring parents do, can get in the way of recovery.
Find out about parent coaching for an eating disorder
Free ebook
Emotional Regulation for Eating Disorders
Kids who have anxiety and eating disorders need support with their ability to regulate and tolerate their emotions. Luckily, parents are key to learning emotional regulation skills, and there is a lot you can do to help your child feel a lot better!
Handling a child who is dealing with anxiety is frustrating and overwhelming for most parents. But don’t be discouraged! Parents have a lot of influence over anxiety, and there’s a lot we can do to reduce our kids’ anxiety. In fact, there are even entire treatment programs that treat only the parents for a kids’ anxiety disorder. It’s pretty amazing and offers an incredible opportunity for you to make a huge difference! Let me know if you have any questions about how to handle the anxiety in your household.
