We can become fearful of a variety of things. Wendy, you're right that as a parent we can be afraid of what might happen to our children. We can also be afraid of what may happen to us.
Two of the biggest things we can be fearful of are: the unknown, and what we don't understand.
Eating disorders and other psychological/emotional issues can seem baffling to people who don't know about them. Because of that, people, especially loved ones, often assume or imagine things, and usually what they imagine tends toward the fearful.
Fear can be expressed as anger, frustration, confusion...
In order to understand eating disorders, family members challenge the boundaries of what they understand, how they usually think, what they believe, and some of their fundamental assumptions about how the world and their loved ones work. The process of learning about, understanding, and accepting eating disorders is really, really important. It's also a real challenge for most people, one that creates discomfort, anxiety and uneasiness.
Everyone, from the sufferer to his/her loved ones, needs to have compassion and patience for this process. Turns out... the more compassion, gentleness and patience we have, the more connected we feel to those we care about, and the easier it is to deal with fear.
We can become fearful of a variety of things. Wendy, you're right that as a parent we can be afraid of what might happen to our children. We can also be afraid of what may happen to us.
Two of the biggest things we can be fearful of are: the unknown, and what we don't understand.
Eating disorders and other psychological/emotional issues can seem baffling to people who don't know about them. Because of that, people, especially loved ones, often assume or imagine things, and usually what they imagine tends toward the fearful.
Fear can be expressed as anger, frustration, confusion...
In order to understand eating disorders, family members challenge the boundaries of what they understand, how they usually think, what they believe, and some of their fundamental assumptions about how the world and their loved ones work. The process of learning about, understanding, and accepting eating disorders is really, really important. It's also a real challenge for most people, one that creates discomfort, anxiety and uneasiness.
Everyone, from the sufferer to his/her loved ones, needs to have compassion and patience for this process. Turns out... the more compassion, gentleness and patience we have, the more connected we feel to those we care about, and the easier it is to deal with fear.