Should Someone with an Eating Disorder Serve an LDS Mission?

The question comes up often: Should someone with an eating disorder serve an LDS mission? My answer is no. Missionary work is demanding, spiritually, emotionally, and physically  and those demands can make an eating disorder worse, not better. Even someone who isn’t using active eating disorder behaviors still needs a strong and stable eating disorder recovery still needs strong and steady recovery before entering an environment as stressful and structured as a mission.

I want to be clear about my intention in writing this. This isn’t about criticizing missionary service or questioning the faith of those who want to serve. I have deep respect for young adults who choose to give so much of themselves. What I cannot do is minimize the risks. Eating disorders are serious medical and psychological conditions, and ignoring them in the name of faith or duty only causes more harm. Not serving because of an eating disorder does not mean someone is weak, less faithful, or lacking in desire, but it means their health and safety come first. My goal is to give families honest information so they can protect their loved ones and make decisions that put health first. If you or your family are navigating these challenges, know that eating disorder therapy in Utah can provide the specialized support needed for eating disorder recovery and long-term health.

In this post, I’ll walk through why serving a mission with an eating disorder is unsafe, what stable eating disorder recovery should look like before missionary service, and how families can take steps toward healing and hope.

Why Serving with an Eating Disorder Is Unsafe

Missionary life is physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding. Long days, strict schedules, and constant pressure to represent the Church can take a toll on even the healthiest young adult. For someone with an eating disorder, these demands can make symptoms worse instead of better.

It’s also important to be clear about this: serving a mission does not make an eating disorder go away. The Church has even acknowledged this in the Ensign (2007): “Eating disorders … will not resolve themselves during a mission. Because they are so difficult to treat, they may not be compatible with missionary service.” In other words, hoping a mission will “fix” the problem is not realistic.

I explore more about how anxiety, perfectionism, and missionary culture connect with eating disorders in my full post on LDS Missionaries and Mental Health.

Treating an eating disorder is already an intense process, even outside of missionary service. Most people in recovery need a full team: an eating disorder therapist, dietitian, and medical doctor, along with regular therapy sessions, meal support, and daily work on eating patterns and coping skills. Recovery also requires steady access to family, loved ones, and supportive relationships. These supports help keep recovery on track, especially during moments of stress or setback.

One common mistake families make is believing that their missionary “isn’t sick enough” to need this level of care. Eating disorders don’t have to reach a certain weight, shape, or severity to be dangerous. If symptoms are present, treatment is necessary. Minimizing the illness only delays healing and increases the risk of serious complications.

This is especially true for binge eating disorder. Binge Eating Disorder often looks different from the stereotypical picture of an eating disorder; people may dismiss it as “overeating” or a lack of willpower. However, binge eating disorder is a serious medical and psychological condition. It can cause physical complications, deep shame, and emotional distress, and it requires the same level of professional eating disorder treatment and support as anorexia or bulimia.

Missionary life doesn’t allow for the kind of support eating disorder recovery requires. Missionaries are far from family and treatment teams, and their schedule leaves little room for coping strategies like rest, hobbies, or social support. Even if a missionary wants help, getting the right treatment during missionary service is extremely difficult. Without this support, the risks of relapse, medical complications, or emotional harm increase significantly.

What Stable Eating Disorder Recovery Should Look Like Before Serving

If serving a mission is the goal, eating disorder recovery has to come first. Mission life is simply too stressful and structured for someone who is still in the early or fragile stages of healing. Stable eating disorder recovery means more than just “not using eating disorder behaviors” for a short time. It means having the tools, support, and consistency to stay well even when life feels hard.

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) reminds us that recovery usually takes years, not weeks or months. Many people need ongoing treatment and support before they can live free of eating disorder symptoms and handle triggers without slipping back. That’s why someone should only consider serving once they’ve been in steady recovery for a good amount of time, with both their loved ones and their treatment team agreeing they’re ready.

Some signs that eating disorder recovery is stable enough to even think about serving might look like this:

• Eating regularly. Meals and snacks are consistent without skipping, restricting, bingeing, or purging.

• Coping with triggers in healthy ways. Stress, body image struggles, or perfectionism don’t lead back to old eating disorder behaviors.

• Emotional balance. They can face rejection, companionship stress, and spiritual pressure without falling into shame or constant self-criticism.

• Support system agreement. Their eating disorder therapist, dietitian, doctor, and family all feel confident that eating disorder recovery is solid.

This decision should always be made with the guidance of an eating disorder treatment team, especially a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. They understand how complex eating disorder recovery is and can give honest feedback about whether someone is ready. Families and leaders shouldn’t have to guess, and faith alone is not enough to keep someone safe.

Eating disorder recovery also depends on steady support from family and loved ones, as well as access to coping tools like rest, hobbies, and relationships. Since missionaries don’t always have these things in the mission field, it’s important that those skills are strong and reliable before leaving.

Eating disorder recovery takes time, courage, and patience. A mission may be part of someone’s future, but it should never come before their health.

The Risks of Serving Too Soon

When someone with an eating disorder tries to serve a mission before they’re ready, the risks are very real. Missions are already stressful for healthy young adults. Adding an eating disorder on top of that stress can cause serious harm.

Some of the risks include:

• Eating Disorder Relapse. The pressure, strict schedules, and lack of support often bring old eating disorder behaviors back, even if someone has been doing well at home.

• Medical problems. Eating disorders affect the whole body. Serving too soon can lead to fainting, malnutrition, heart strain, or other dangerous complications.

• Emotional and spiritual harm. Missionaries who relapse often feel shame, guilt, or unworthiness. Instead of feeling closer to God, they may feel like they are failing spiritually when, really, it’s their illness.

• Early return. Many missionaries who relapse have to come home early for medical care. This can add even more pain and stigma when it could have been prevented by waiting.

These risks aren’t about weakness or lack of faith. They are about the reality of how serious eating disorders are. Serving too soon can make recovery longer and harder. Putting mental and physical health first is not failure. 

The reality is that eating disorders are complex and difficult to treat, even in the best circumstances. The Church and mission presidents often don’t have the resources, training, or support systems in place to manage these illnesses during missionary service. As a result of this, missionaries with eating disorders are often sent home quickly if their struggles become visible. Knowing this, many missionaries do their best to hide symptoms out of fear of being sent home, which only makes the illness worse and prolongs suffering.

Support for Missionaries with Eating Disorders: Next Steps

If you’re worried about a missionary or future missionary with an eating disorder, the most important step is to put eating disorder recovery first. Missionary service is meaningful, but it should never come at the cost of long-term well-being.

Families and leaders can help by listening without judgment, asking open questions, and encouraging honesty. An eating disorder cannot be resolved by faith, prayer, scripture study, or the atonement alone, and it’s important not to pressure someone to believe otherwise or to push through without help. Faith can be a source of strength, but eating disorders need professional care. 

Whenever possible, these decisions should be made with the guidance of an eating disorder treatment team, including a therapist who specializes in eating disorders. Professional support makes a huge difference in whether eating disorder recovery is lasting and stable.

Begin Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah

If you or your loved one is facing the question of whether to serve a mission while struggling with an eating disorder, the first step isn’t deciding about service; it’s choosing eating disorder recovery. Mental health and healing have to come first.

Eating disorders don’t get better by pushing through, and they aren’t cured by faith or willpower alone. They need professional care, steady support, and time. Choosing therapy now can protect the future and open the door to a healthier, stronger life, whether or not that includes a mission.

How to Start Working with an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah

Taking the first step toward recovery can feel overwhelming, but I want to make starting eating disorder therapy simple for you. This Utah Eating Disorder Clinic has an eating disorder therapist who can help.  Here’s how to get started:

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet online with a therapist for eating disorders.

3. Begin eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

You don’t have to live near my office to get the support you need. Through secure online therapy in Utah, I’m able to work with women across the entire state of Utah. Many clients find that meeting online feels just as personal and supportive as being in the same room. You can talk openly from the comfort of your own home. 

Whether you are located in St. George, Cedar City, Heber City, Salt Lake City, Logan to Provo, or anywhere in between, I can help you recover from your eating disorder

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Maple Canyon Therapy, an online counseling practice serving women across Utah. She earned her master’s degree in Social Work from Utah State University and has extensive experience treating eating disorders at every level of care, including inpatient, residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient therapy.

Ashlee specializes in helping adult women heal from eating disorders, body image struggles, and anxiety. She combines her clinical expertise with years of direct work alongside missionaries, returned missionaries, and women of faith, giving her unique insight into the pressures and cultural influences that can affect recovery.

As both a therapist and an advocate, Ashlee is passionate about breaking the stigma around eating disorders and making compassionate, evidence-based treatment more accessible. Through her blog, she provides education, resources, and hope for families navigating eating disorder recovery.

Can LDS Missionaries Develop Eating Disorders While Serving?

Missionary work is demanding: spiritually, emotionally, and physically. There’s no way around it. What many people don’t realize, though, is how those demands can affect food, body image, and mental health.

In my blog “LDS Missionaries and Mental Health: Eating Disorders, Anxiety, and Perfectionism,” I shared a disclaimer that I’ll share again here: my intention is not to criticize missionary service, but to shine a light on the challenges missionaries face so we can support them better. These young adults are giving up everything familiar to follow their hearts and serve. They deserve care, compassion, and resources that match the level of sacrifice they’re making. That’s why I’m here. This is my compassion and conviction not to be unsupportive. For those already struggling, eating disorder therapy in Utah can provide compassionate, specialized support.

Why Missionaries Are at Risk for Eating Disorders

Eating disorders often begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, which is exactly when most missionaries are leaving home to serve. Ages 18 and 19 are already a vulnerable time for developing disordered eating, even without the added pressures of missionary life. When you layer on strict rules, loss of control, and the constant expectation to represent their faith, it creates an environment where eating disorders can easily take root.

Eating disorders can develop during missionary service, even in young adults who have never struggled with food or body image before. The stress, structure, and constant expectations of missionary life can create the perfect storm for disordered eating to take hold. For those who already had concerns about eating or weight before they left, the pressures of mission life can make those struggles worse.

Sometimes this is hard for members to recognize because of the belief that missionaries carry a mantle and are protected. While that spiritual protection may bring strength in some ways, it doesn’t make missionaries immune to mental health struggles. Eating disorders can happen to anyone, and they often show up more in missionary service than most people realize. This isn’t about blaming missionary work. It’s about telling the truth so we can notice the signs early and give missionaries the support they need.

The Pressures of Missionary Life and Eating Behaviors

Missionary life is built around a strict daily schedule. Every hour is planned. From studying to proselytizing, to working with ward members. Structure can be helpful, but it can also leave little of their own control.  For a missionary who is already feeling anxious or out of control, that lack of flexibility can quickly turn into trying to control food. 

On top of that, missionaries live with the constant pressure of making sure everyone hears their gospel message.  Every interaction is seen as a reflection of their role as a representative of the Church and Jesus Christ. Always having to put on a brave face can make basic needs like rest, comfort, or food feel like weaknesses instead of part of being human. Over time, that pressure can twist into worries about eating or appearance.

Food itself also looks very different depending on where a missionary serves. Some are placed in cultures where refusing food is considered rude, and they may feel pressure to eat beyond fullness. Others may serve in areas where food is scarce, unfamiliar, or very different from what they grew up with. In both cases, missionaries don’t always have the ability to eat intuitively,  to listen to their body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. Instead, meals may become about politeness, rules, or survival rather than true nourishment.

Many missionaries also feel a strong push to model discipline and self-control. While discipline can be a positive trait, it sometimes shifts in harmful directions. A missionary who feels like they can’t teach enough lessons or control their numbers may turn instead to controlling their food intake, exercise, or appearance. Over time, this can grow into unhealthy patterns.

This is one of the ways missionary body image struggles can develop. The drive to be seen as dedicated and disciplined can spill into how missionaries view their bodies, convincing them that weight, size, or appearance somehow reflects their worth or spiritual strength.

Diet Changes and Cultural Shifts

One of the biggest changes missionaries face is food. Serving in a new place or even a new country often means eating meals that are different from what they are used to. What feels normal in one culture may feel overwhelming or uncomfortable for a missionary trying to adjust.

Portion sizes can also be very different. In some areas, meals are large, and missionaries may feel pressure to eat more than they want so they don’t seem rude. In other areas, food may be limited, and missionaries may not know if they’ll get enough to feel full. This back-and-forth can make eating stressful and may lead to skipping meals, overeating, or feeling guilty about food choices.

Another part of mission life is that Church members often feed missionaries as a way to show love and support. While this can be a blessing, it can also bring extra pressure. Missionaries may feel like they have to clean their plates to show gratitude, even when they are full. Over time, this can make it harder for them to listen to their hunger and fullness cues and may add to worries about body image.

On top of all this, there’s the constant talk about missionary weight gain/loss. Talk of missionaries gaining weight is so common that it’s often joked about before they even leave. What’s often missed is that this age group is still growing and developing. Many missionaries are still in their teenage years, and it’s completely normal for their bodies to change at this stage of life, including weight gain. Weight changes don’t mean they are doing something wrong; this is just a part of healthy development.

On the other hand, missionaries who lose weight because of stress, illness, or food scarcity may also get comments. Whether it’s about gaining or losing, these remarks can create shame and increase anxiety about appearance.

When food becomes more about politeness or pressure than about true nourishment, missionaries may begin to feel disconnected from their bodies. Over time, this disconnection can open the door to disordered eating.

Companion Dynamics and Food

Missionaries don’t eat alone. Meals are tied to companionship rules, which means eating together at set times and often eating the same foods. This lack of personal flexibility can feel hard for someone who may already struggle with food choices or who simply eats differently than their companion.

Eating side by side with a companion also creates constant opportunities for comparison. Missionaries notice not only how much their companion eats but also what kinds of foods they choose, how quickly they finish, or whether they go back for seconds. For people who are already prone to eating disorders, this type of comparison can become overwhelming. What might start as a simple observation, “My companion eats less than I do,” can grow into guilt, shame, or pressure to change eating habits just to match.

Comments can make this even harder. Even lighthearted or well-meaning jokes about weight, appetite, or body size can be harmful. A remark like “you eat so much more than me” or “you’re lucky you don’t gain weight” may seem small, but it can stick and deepen food anxiety.

Another challenge is how missionaries pay for food. Companions often put their money together and shop for groceries as a pair. This can make budgeting easier, but it also means they usually end up eating the same meals. For a missionary who is used to eating differently at home, this can feel hard. They may not get the foods they prefer or need and may feel pressure to go along with whatever their companion chooses. Over time, this lack of choice can add stress around food and make it harder to keep a healthy relationship with eating.

Signs a Missionary Might Be Struggling with an Eating Disorder

Eating disorders can be hard to see, especially for missionaries who are far from home. Families usually only get weekly emails, short calls, and a few photos, which makes it easy for struggles to stay hidden. Still, there are warning signs to look for:

• Talking a lot about weight or food in emails or calls
  Frequent comments about gaining weight, eating too much, or focusing heavily on meals can point to deeper concerns.

• Avoiding or refusing foods in social or cultural situations
  Saying “I’m too full” or “I don’t like that” may sometimes be true, but if it becomes a pattern, it could signal food anxiety or control issues.

• Excessive exercise or guilt about missing workouts
  Feeling like they must exercise no matter what, or making up for eating by pushing themselves physically, can be a red flag.

• Emotional changes
  Increased shame, self-criticism, irritability, or frequent apologies may reflect inner struggles with food and body image.

None of these signs alone proves that a missionary has an eating disorder, but noticing them with compassion can open the door for honest conversations and needed support.

Support and Next Steps

Missionaries may not always have access to an eating disorder therapist while they are serving. That can make it hard to get the help they really need during missionary service. Families and leaders can still play an important role by listening without judgment, encouraging open conversations, and helping a missionary feel less alone.  Families and leaders should also avoid pressuring a missionary to “have more faith” or to stay in the field when they are clearly struggling. Faith is not a substitute for professional care, and asking a missionary to push through an eating disorder can cause more harm. Supporting their health first is the most loving and faithful choice. Struggling with an eating disorder means they might have to make the difficult but brave decision to pause missionary service so a young adult can focus on recovery.

Start Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

The most important thing to remember is that eating disorders are treatable, and recovery is possible. Working with an eating disorder therapist makes a difference, both during missionary service and afterward. If you or someone you love is struggling, know that help is available. This Utah Eating Disorder Clinic has an eating disorder therapist who provides compassionate, specialized care to guide the healing process. To start eating disorder therapy in Utah, follow these steps: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a therapist for eating disorders 

3. Begin eating disorder recovery 

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah

Getting the right help should not depend on where you live. That’s why I offer online therapy in Utah, so you can access specialized care no matter your city or county. Therapy is private, convenient, and focused on helping you build a healthier relationship with food, body, and self. With online care, compassionate support is available anywhere in Utah.

 Whether you’re in Salt Lake City, Provo, St. George, Cedar City, Heber City, Logan, or a smaller town in between, online sessions make it easier to get consistent support without the stress of travel. 

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Maple Canyon Therapy, an online counseling practice in Utah. She specializes in eating disorder therapy for women and has worked at every level of care: inpatient, residential, and outpatient — before starting her own practice.

Ashlee earned her master’s degree in Social Work from Utah State University and has over a decade of experience helping women heal their relationships with food, body image, and self-worth. She also teaches university-level social work courses, training the next generation of therapists in empowerment, multicultural competence, and trauma-informed care.

Drawing on her clinical expertise and lived experience within LDS culture, Ashlee writes about the unique mental health challenges faced by missionaries and young adults in faith-based settings. Her goal is to break stigma, offer compassionate support, and make specialized therapy accessible to people across Utah.

LDS Missionaries and Mental Health: Eating Disorders, Anxiety, and Perfectionism

We rarely talk about eating disorders in LDS missionaries, but it’s time we do. You may be asking yourself, can LDS missionaries develop an eating disorder while serving? If you want a deeper dive into how these challenges first emerge in service, check out my dedicated post on that very question.

Five years ago, I sat down at my keyboard and poured out a blog post called “LDS Missionaries and Eating Disorders: It’s Time to Talk About It.” I remember writing with urgency, every thought I’d carried as an eating disorder therapist working with future, current, and returned missionaries spilled across my computer screen. 

Now, half a decade later, that post is still one of the only pieces outside of official Church resources that even mentions this issue. In the years since, my experience has only deepened. I’ve seen more clearly why missionaries are so vulnerable, I’ve felt greater compassion for their struggles, and honestly, more frustration with how these challenges are often handled.

Before I go further, I need you to promise me something, please don’t take offense. Please don’t think that I’m unsupportive of missionaries.  Nothing could be further from the truth. I also can’t sugarcoat the reality when it comes to the well-being and mental health of these young people. If I don’t tell the truth, then we can’t help them get better. We need to make changes, and change is a good thing. I’m here to offer both my professional expertise and my lived experience, because these missionaries deserve better.

Missionaries are following their hearts, sacrificing years of their young lives, and doing something they’ve likely looked forward to for years. The least we can do is acknowledge their struggles and offer better support. That’s why I’m here again to share more insights, more compassion, and hopefully, more hope. If you or someone you love is struggling, please know that help is available through eating disorder therapy in Utah. 

 Why Mental Health Challenges Are Common Among LDS Missionaries

The Unique Pressures of Missionary Life

Missionaries live under a highly structured schedule: waking up early, studying for hours, walking or biking miles, learning another language,  teaching lessons, and reporting numbers. They are doing all of this while being away from home for 18–24 months with FaceTime and emailing their family only once a week.  That level of structure can be helpful for some, but for others it creates intense pressure. Missionaries are expected to be “always on,” representing both their family and their faith. It can feel heavy to always act according to what their name badges represent. There’s very little downtime, privacy, or ability to enjoy hobbies or use the coping skills they used at home. This can leave young people vulnerable to anxiety, depression, or unhealthy coping mechanisms like disordered eating.

One of the biggest challenges is that missionaries have very little control over their day-to-day lives. From the moment they wake up until lights out, every hour is planned, and choices like when to rest, what to eat, or how to spend free time are limited. For some, this lack of choice can feel overwhelming. Eating disorders are often rooted in a search for control. The rigid structure of missionary life can unintentionally create the perfect storm of controlling food, or the body becomes one of the few ways a missionary feels they can take ownership of their experience.

Spiritual Expectations and Perfectionism

Missionary culture often emphasizes exact obedience, diligence, and giving your all to the work, as this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve. While those values can be motivating, they can also feed perfectionism. Many missionaries feel that if they aren’t constantly working, baptizing, or inviting others to Come Unto Christ, they’re letting God down. That belief can make normal struggles and feelings, such as fatigue, loneliness, and discouragement, feel like personal or spiritual failure. Missionaries carry this weight that everyone they meet needs the opportunity to hear their message, and what if they don’t deliver it in a way that others feel the spirit? For those predisposed to anxiety or eating disorders, this perfectionism can easily turn inward, fueling negative self-talk, body image issues, shame, and scrupulosity. Scrupulosity is a form of religious OCD where worthiness and spiritual performance are constantly questioned.

Physical and Emotional Demands

Missionary service is physically and emotionally exhausting. Missionaries adjust to new diets, climates, and cultures while often getting far less sleep and free time than they’re used to. They carry emotional burdens as they listen to people’s struggles, face rejection daily, and navigate companionship relationship dynamics. Add homesickness and limited contact with family, and it’s no wonder mental health challenges are common. When you combine that level of stress with limited access to mental health care, the result can be overwhelming, sometimes showing up as anxiety, depression, or eating disorders.

Eating Disorders in LDS Missionary Service

Can Missionaries Develop Eating Disorders While Serving?

Yes. Missionaries can develop eating disorders while serving, even if they never struggled with one before. Mission life is stressful. Schedules are strict, missionaries are far from home, and the pressure to “always do your best” can feel overwhelming. In that environment, some missionaries turn to food or body control as a way to cope.

For those who already had concerns about weight or eating before their mission, the stress and structure can make things worse. This isn’t about blaming missionary service. It’s about telling the truth, so struggles can be noticed and help can be offered.

Common Triggers for Missionary Eating Disorders (Weight Comments, Schedule, Food Restrictions)

There are a few common triggers that can lead to eating problems on a mission:

• Weight comments: Many missionaries hear about mission weight gain being common in missionaries.. Even lighthearted jokes can cause shame or worry.

• Rigid schedule: Missionaries don’t get to choose when or what they eat. That lack of control can trigger restriction, bingeing, or food obsession.

• Foreign countries and food culture: Some missionaries serve in places where the food is very different from what they’re used to. They may feel pressure to eat meals out of politeness or struggle with limited access to familiar foods. In other areas, food might be scarce or portions unpredictable. These cultural changes can be stressful and sometimes lead to disordered eating or over-exercise as a way to cope.

• Stress and pressure: Constant rejection, long hours, and the drive to do more can make food and body control feel like the only thing a missionary can manage.

What may start as “just trying to be careful” can easily grow into harmful behaviors.

 Sister Missionaries and Body Image Pressures

Sister missionaries often face extra pressure around appearance. In society in general, young women can feel judged more closely for how they look. On a mission, this pressure may grow stronger.

Sisters may compare themselves to companions or worry about how they look in photos. Even well-meaning comments like, “You look great, you haven’t gained weight!” can send the message that staying thin is part of being successful or worthy. Many sisters silently struggle while appearing dedicated and strong on the outside.

Warning Signs Families Should Look For

Families don’t see much of their missionary. Weekly emails, short calls, and photos are often the only window into their life. That makes spotting an eating disorder hard, especially when you cannot tell someone is struggling with an eating disorder based on appearance or weight, but there are signs to pay attention to:

• Talking a lot about food or weight, “I don’t want to gain weight,” “the food here is too much.”

• Changes in tone — sounding tired, discouraged, or withdrawn.

• Exercise habits — being strict about workouts or feeling guilty for missing one.

• Shame and self-criticism — saying things like, “I’m not doing enough” or apologizing often.

• Visible changes in photos — sudden weight loss, tired eyes, or muscle loss.

If you notice these things, the most important step is to respond with love, not panic. Gentle, open questions like, “How are you feeling about food and your health lately?” can open the door for honesty without shame.

Anxiety and Stress Among Missionaries

Why Anxiety Is So Prevalent on LDS Missions

It’s no secret that missionary work is stressful. Missionaries are young, most often 18 or 19 years old, and suddenly find themselves living in a completely different environment, away from family, friends, and the comforts of home, often for the first time in their lives. On top of that, they’re expected to adjust quickly, learn new skills, and perform at a high level every single day. That’s a lot for anyone, let alone someone still figuring out who they are.

There are several reasons why anxiety is so common among missionaries:

• Homesickness and separation: For many, this is the first time living away from home for such an extended period. Limited contact with family can heighten feelings of isolation.

• Constant rejection: Missionaries hear “no” far more than they hear “yes.” Repeated rejection, even when expected, takes a toll. Rejection is often not delivered politely, and missionaries are often met with anger and hostility

• High expectations: Missionaries are reminded daily that they are representing God, Jesus Christ, their families, and their Church. That responsibility can feel heavy.

• Strict structure: Schedules are tightly controlled with little flexibility. While structure can help some, for others it amplifies anxiety, especially if they feel they’re falling short.

• Companionship dynamics: Living 24/7 with another person can be difficult, especially if personalities clash or if one companion struggles emotionally. Missionaries don’t get to choose their companions, and they may have little in common. They are still expected to teach with unity and work well together.

All of these pressures add up, and anxiety often shows itself in racing thoughts, trouble sleeping, physical tension, or perfectionism. In some cases, missionaries hide their anxiety out of fear that acknowledging it means they’re not strong enough or don’t have enough faith” to serve. This silence only makes the struggle worse.

 Naming these realities isn’t about being negative toward missionary work. It’s about being honest, so that families, leaders, and missionaries themselves can recognize anxiety for what it is, an expected response to very real pressures. It’s not from lack of faith, not trying hard enough, not being exactly obedient. It’s from being a human.

The Role of Perfectionism in Missionary Anxiety

Perfectionism is one of the biggest drivers of missionary anxiety. Many missionaries believe that anything less than giving 100% all the time means they are failing God, their leaders, or themselves. The culture of “exact obedience” can intensify this pressure. A missionary might ruminate about how they used their time, worrying about whether they talked to enough people, studied long enough, or followed every rule perfectly.

When mistakes or shortcomings happen, which they inevitably do, and are expected, perfectionism makes them feel like they are unworthy rather than opportunities for growth. Over time, this mindset fuels anxiety, creating constant self-criticism and fear of letting others down. For some missionaries, perfectionism doesn’t just drive anxiety, but it can also spill over into how they treat their body, food, or appearance, making them even more vulnerable to eating disorders.

Recognizing perfectionism for what it is, a heavy, unrealistic burden, is the first step to helping missionaries find healthier ways to measure their worth.

Signs a Missionary May Be Struggling with Anxiety

Anxiety doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. Some missionaries push through with a smile and seem upbeat with a good attitude, but inside they’re exhausted, tense, and on edge. Others may show it more openly. Every missionary is different, but here are some common signs that anxiety may be taking a toll:

• Physical symptoms: headaches, stomachaches, trouble sleeping, feeling shaky or restless.

• Emotional strain: frequent worry, irritability, or becoming tearful over small things.

• Behavioral changes: withdrawing from their companion, avoiding people, or becoming overly rigid with rules and routines.

• Spiritual concerns: feeling like they aren’t good enough, worrying constantly about worthiness, or struggling to feel peace even when they’re doing their best.

It’s important to remember that none of these signs mean a missionary is weak or unfaithful. Again, they mean they’re human and are carrying more stress than their body and mind know how to handle on their own. Naming these signs with compassion opens the door for support rather than shame.

How Anxiety and Eating Disorders Overlap in Missionaries

Anxiety and eating disorders often occur together, and missionary life can highlight that connection. Both are driven by perfectionism, self-criticism, and a desire for control. When a missionary worries about whether they’re doing enough, teaching well enough, or being obedient enough, that pressure doesn’t always stay in the spiritual or emotional area but can spill over into their relationship with food and their body.

Some missionaries cope with anxiety by restricting food, hoping the discipline will bring a sense of control. Others may binge eat when stress feels unbearable, then struggle with guilt and shame afterward. For some, anxiety shows up as obsessive thoughts about weight, appearance, or how much exercise they’re getting, all while trying to manage the constant expectations of missionary service.

The overlap between anxiety and eating disorders isn’t a sign of weakness but is the mind and body’s way of trying to cope with an overwhelming amount of stress. Recognizing this connection is the first step toward offering missionaries compassion, support, and real help instead of judgment.

Perfectionism and Missionary Culture

What Perfectionism Looks Like in Missionary Life

Perfectionism often shows up in missionary culture because so much focus is placed on exact obedience, hard work, and “giving your all.” Many missionaries believe that if they don’t follow every rule perfectly or work as hard as possible, they’re letting God down.

This can look like:

• Feeling guilty if they don’t meet daily or weekly goals.

• Comparing themselves constantly to companions or other missionaries.

• Believing that if someone doesn’t feel the Spirit during a lesson, it’s their fault.

• Struggling to rest, relax, or take breaks because it feels “lazy.”

• On the outside, these behaviors may look like dedication. On the inside, they can create shame, burnout, and a sense of never being enough.

How Perfectionism Fuels Anxiety and Eating Disorders

Perfectionism doesn’t just impact missionary work, but it can spill into other areas of life, including mental and physical health. Missionaries who are already vulnerable may start to tie their worth to how perfectly they follow the rules, how much weight they gain or lose, or how “in control” they appear.

• Anxiety: Perfectionism feeds racing thoughts, constant self-criticism, and fear of failure. Missionaries may lie awake at night thinking about what they could have done better or worrying that they didn’t do enough.

• Eating disorders: The same drive for control and “perfect” performance can shift toward food and body image. Restricting food, over-exercising, or obsessing about weight can feel like a way to regain control or prove worthiness.

What starts as wanting to do a good job can turn into patterns that are harmful and exhausting.

Healthy vs. Harmful Motivation

Not all motivation is bad. Many missionaries want to serve well because they love God and the people they meet. That’s healthy. Healthy motivation is grounded in love, balance, and the understanding that mistakes are part of growth.

Harmful motivation, on the other hand, is rooted in fear and shame. It pushes missionaries to believe their worth depends on being flawless, which is unhelpful and unrealistic,  and that any slip means they’ve failed spiritually.

One helpful way to see the difference is to ask: “Am I acting from my values or from fear?”

• Healthy motivation comes from values such as compassion, service, or faith. It’s about choosing behaviors that align with what matters most, even when things aren’t perfect. This type of motivation feels more encouraging and sustainable.

• Toxic perfectionism is driven by fear, shame, or comparison. It feels heavy, exhausting, and never enough.

When missionaries learn to focus on living by their values instead of chasing perfection, they often find more peace, resilience, and purpose in their service.

How Families and Leaders Can Support Missionaries

What to Say (and What Not to Say) About Food, Weight, and Success

Words carry weight, especially for missionaries who are already under a lot of pressure. Even lighthearted jokes about gaining weight during service or “eating too much” can stick and cause shame.

It’s not just about avoiding comments on a missionary’s body. Families and leaders should also avoid commenting on other people’s bodies or even their own (saying things like “I feel so fat” or “I need to lose weight”). Missionaries (and all of us)  take these messages in, and it can reinforce the idea that worth is tied to appearance.

It also helps to avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” or calling certain meals “healthy” and others “unhealthy.” These labels create guilt and confusion. Food is simply food, some foods give more quick energy, others give more lasting energy, and all have a place in nourishing a body.

Instead, encourage a more balanced approach. Missionaries benefit from learning to listen to their bodies and noticing when they are hungry, when they are satisfied, and what foods help them feel their best. This is sometimes called intuitive eating, and it focuses on trusting internal signals rather than rigid rules.

Families and leaders can support this by:

• Talking about meals as fuel and enjoyment, not morality.

• Reminding missionaries that it’s okay to eat when hungry and stop when full.

• Celebrating food as part of culture, connection, and care and not a test of self-control.

By focusing on encouragement that has nothing to do with appearance or food rules, families and leaders create safety and support. Say things like:

• “I’m proud of your effort and heart.”

• “It sounds like you’re working really hard to connect with people.”

• “I love hearing how you’re growing as a person.”

Helping a Missionary Seek therapy

If you’re worried that a missionary may be struggling with anxiety, depression, or an eating disorder, the most important thing you can do is approach it with love and openness. Don’t accuse or demand. Instead, ask gentle questions like:

• “How are you really doing with your health?”

• “Have you felt extra stress or pressure around food or your body?”

• “Would you feel okay if we helped you find someone to talk to about this?”

Missionaries may feel scared to admit they’re struggling because they don’t want to be seen as “unworthy.” For many, there’s also a deep fear that if they speak up, they’ll be sent home. That fear can keep them silent, even when they’re suffering.

This is why it’s so important to respond with compassion and reassurance. Remind them that it is ok to need support. It means they are brave enough to take care of their health, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

It’s true that many missionaries won’t have access to an eating disorder specialist while they’re serving. Families and leaders can still listen carefully, validate their feelings, and encourage honesty. If possible, local medical care may be arranged, or missionaries may be referred to LDS Family Services or another therapist in their area. It may be true that, eating disorder recovery may require pausing missionary service or even returning home for specialized treatment. That decision is not a weakness and is a courageous step toward long-term healing and well-being.

Breaking the Stigma Around Missionary Mental Health

Mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders do not mean a missionary is weak, broken, or lacking faith. It doesn’t mean they aren’t accessing the atonement or do not have enough faith to be healed.  Still, many missionaries and sometimes even families or leaders carry the belief that struggling makes them “less spiritual” or unfit to serve. This belief creates silence, shame, and unnecessary suffering. Family members and leaders may unknowingly encourage missionaries to lean further into prayer, scripture study, and faith as a means of coping with mental health conditions.  Emotional and mental struggles require the support of a trained professional, not by trying harder. 

Leaders and parents can shift this narrative by:

• Talking about mental health as something that naturally comes up in the intensity of missionary life.

• Reassuring missionaries that getting therapy never cancels out their calling or their worth.

• Sharing stories of faithful people, past and present, who also wrestled with emotional or mental struggles and received counseling.

When missionaries hear that their struggles do not erase their faithfulness or devotion, they feel safer reaching out for support, and they are far more likely to get the help they need.

Supporting Missionaries Who Return Home Early 

Returning home early for mental or physical health can feel like the hardest part of a missionary’s life. Many missionaries carry guilt or shame, worrying that they “failed” or disappointed others. On top of that, they often fear how people will interpret their return. In LDS culture, there can be harmful speculation that someone who comes home early must have sinned or “broken rules.” That fear of judgment makes the shame even heavier.

Families and leaders play a vital role in changing that story. Here are some ways to support:

• Affirm their worth immediately. Say: “We’re so glad you’re home. Your health matters more than anything.”

• Avoid labeling it as failure. Instead of “He couldn’t finish,” say “She served faithfully until it was time to come home.”

• Do not speculate about why someone returned. Family members, leaders, and ward members should never guess, assume, or spread stories about why a missionary is home early. Even well-meaning speculation adds to stigma and shame.

• Challenge harmful assumptions. If you hear others gossip or make comments, gently correct them and redirect the conversation toward compassion.

• Encourage continued growth. Help them find therapy, education, or meaningful service at home to show their life and faith still have direction.

Returning early changes the timeline, not the impact of their sacrifice. With support, compassion, and therapy, returning early can mark the beginning of healing and is not the result of not being good enough.

Healing, Hope, and Recovery After a Mission

What Recovery Can Look Like for Missionaries

Every missionary’s journey is different, but eating disorder recovery and stabilizing mental health is possible. For some, it may mean learning new ways to manage stress or anxiety. For others, it may mean untangling perfectionism or healing their relationship with food and body image. Healing is rarely quick or simple, but with the right support, missionaries can and do build healthy, meaningful lives after service.

The Role of Therapy and Professional Help

Therapy gives missionaries a safe space to process what they’ve been through. A trained therapist can help them address anxiety, depression, or eating disorders with evidence-based tools. Medical care, nutritional support, and counseling often work together to strengthen both body and mind. For missionaries returning home, connecting with an eating disorder therapist or another qualified provider can be life-changing.

Gospel Principles and Mental Health Support

Spirituality can be an important part of healing. Gospel principles such as grace, compassion, and agency remind missionaries that their worth is not tied to flawless performance. Faith and professional help are not in competition, but they work together. Seeking treatment is not a lack of belief; it’s using the resources God has provided to support healing.

Final Thoughts

Missionary service is demanding, and it can bring out both the strengths and the struggles of young people who are still learning how to care for themselves. Anxiety, eating disorders, and perfectionism do not erase a missionary’s faith or devotion, but they are signs that the load has become too heavy to carry alone.

Missionaries deserve to serve with dignity and worth, no matter what challenges they face. Families and leaders can make a powerful difference by offering compassion, avoiding harmful comments, and encouraging honest conversations. When therapy is needed, it can help change negative beliefs and heavy emotions.

The more we talk openly about mental health in missionary life, the more we break down stigma and create a culture of support. Healing is possible. Hope is real. With love, faith, and the right resources, missionaries can move forward not only as servants of God but as whole, thriving people

Eating disorder therapy in Utah can help

Missionaries and their families don’t have to face these struggles alone. As a licensed therapist specializing in eating disorders, I offer compassionate therapy to help those build a healthier relationship with food and their body. Whether you’re a returned missionary, preparing to serve, or navigating life after a mission, therapy provides tools for healing and lasting eating disorder recovery. If you or someone you love is struggling, know that support is available here in Utah.

Work with an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah

Your healing matters, and help is here. As a licensed therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy in Utah, I’m here to support missionaries, returned missionaries, and their families with compassion and understanding. If healing feels impossible right now, this Utah Eating Disorder Clinic can help, so you don’t have to navigate this alone. To start therapy, follow the steps below:

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation

2. Meet with a therapist for eating disorders

3. Start healing.

Online Therapy in Utah

Getting help should be simple and accessible. That’s why I offer online therapy in Utah for eating disorders across the entire state of Utah. Online sessions make it easier to fit therapy into your schedule while still receiving compassionate, expert care. No matter where you are in Utah, healing is possible, and I’m here to help you start.

Whether you live in Salt Lake City, Provo, St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Heber City, or anywhere in between, you can get the specialized support you need without leaving home.

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah, where she specializes in eating disorder therapy for women in Utah. With over a decade of experience treating eating disorders at every level of care — inpatient, residential, outpatient, and private practice, Ashlee brings both clinical expertise and deep compassion to her work.

She has worked closely with missionaries, pre-missionaries, and returned missionaries, giving her unique insight into the challenges young people face when faith, mental health, and cultural expectations intersect. In addition to her clinical work, Ashlee has taught at the university level, helping future social workers build a foundation in empowerment, multicultural competence, and trauma-informed care.

Through her blog, she writes about eating disorders, anxiety, and body image issues with the hope of breaking stigma and offering guidance to families and leaders who want to support missionaries in healthier ways.

Questions Family & Friends Ask About Eating Disorders

When you’re outside of an eating disorder, it can be challenging to understand the complexity of these mental illnesses. On the surface, it seems like this is all about food, weight, or the desire for thinness, and yet in so many ways that’s not what it’s about at all. Of course, those are the symptoms and the ways eating disorders manifest themselves. Regardless of the type of eating disorder, they are deep-rooted in a variety of things, and in order to heal from them they need to be addressed layer by layer. A significant part of being able to recover from an eating disorder is having support from loved ones. This is why it’s important for family members and friends to have more of an understanding of eating disorders, what they’re about, and how they can help. 

So what are eating disorders really about then?

If eating disorders aren’t just about food, weight, and eating then what are they really about? Keep in mind that the answer to this will vary from person to person but here are some common roots of eating disorders: 

Traits of Perfectionism 

Perfectionistic tendencies are common among people with eating disorders. They may strive for unattainable standards of not only thinness, rules around eating, exercise, and appearance but in sports, work, school, extracurricular activities, and relationships. Struggling with perfectionism fuels disordered eating behaviors and makes it challenging to accept themselves. People with eating disorders may have an intense fear of failure in various aspects of their lives. This fear can be a driving force behind their perfectionistic tendencies, as they believe that achieving perfection will protect them from criticism, rejection, or feelings of inadequacy.

Traumatic Experiences 

Trauma can impact a person's ability to regulate their emotions effectively. Eating disorders may serve as a way of coping despite it being unhealthy, it allowing them to numb or control overwhelming emotions associated with the trauma. Disordered eating behaviors can provide a false sense of comfort and distraction from painful memories or feelings. Traumatic experiences can also impact a person's body image especially experiences that are sexual abuse. People with eating disorders may internalize feelings of shame, guilt, or self-blame, leading to negative body image and a desire to alter their appearance through disordered eating behaviors. 

Low self-esteem

 Eating disorders can become intertwined with a person's sense of self-worth and identity. They may believe that their worth is determined by their weight or adhering to standards of beauty. Achieving a certain weight or body shape becomes a measure of personal value and acceptance and when they can't achieve this it negatively impacts their self-esteem. 

Body image issues

Body image issues are closely linked to the development of eating disorders.  Negative body image involves a distorted perception of one's body, where people perceive themselves as flawed, unattractive, or disproportionate. This negative perception can drive the desire for drastic changes in body shape or weight, leading to disordered eating behaviors. Body image can become closely tied to an individual's self-worth and identity. If someone's self-esteem is primarily contingent upon their appearance, negative body image can erode their sense of self-worth. The belief that achieving a certain body shape or weight will enhance their value or acceptability can drive the development of disordered eating behaviors.

Emotional coping

Eating disorders can develop as a way to cope with and manage difficult emotions. People with eating disorders may use disordered eating behaviors as a way to regulate and manage their emotions. Food and body-related behaviors provide a temporary escape or distraction from distressing emotions such as sadness, anxiety, anger, or loneliness. Restrictive eating, bingeing, or purging can serve as an unhealthy coping skill to numb or suppress emotional pain. People may use disordered eating as a means to avoid or suppress emotions altogether. They may find it challenging to tolerate or express their emotions directly and instead turn to food or body-related behaviors to create a sense of dissociation or numbness.

Anxiety 

Anxiety is incredibly common among those who have eating disorders. I have not met or had a client yet that didn’t have anxiety that also had an eating disorder. Anxiety often coexists with eating disorders as individuals may use disordered eating behaviors as a way to cope with anxiety. The rituals, rules, and control of disordered eating behaviors can temporarily alleviate anxiety symptoms or provide a sense of relief and structure. Pre-existing anxiety or a tendency toward anxious thinking and behaviors can increase the vulnerability to developing an eating disorder.

Need for Control

The need for control often comes from a fear of the unknown, uncertainty, and anxiety.  Engaging in disordered eating behaviors can provide a structured routine and rules that help individuals with eating disorders feel more certain and in control. When faced with unpredictable or anxiety-provoking situations, strict control over food and eating patterns can serve as a way to cope and reduce anxiety. Engaging in disordered eating behaviors can provide a structured routine and rules that help individuals with eating disorders feel more certain and in control. When faced with unpredictable or anxiety-provoking situations, strict control over food and eating patterns can serve as a way to cope and reduce anxiety.

Other Mental Health Issues

Eating disorders often coexist with other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or PTSD. These mental health issues contribute to developing and maintaining an eating disorder. 

Societal influences

Societal ideals of beauty, often portrayed through media, advertising, and social media, tend to promote thinness as the ideal body shape. The constant exposure to these unrealistic beauty standards can contribute to body dissatisfaction and drive the desire to achieve a certain body size or shape. The relentless pursuit of this ideal can lead to the development of disordered eating behaviors. Society's negative attitudes and the stigma towards larger body sizes can significantly impact body image and self-esteem. Fatphobia can lead to internalized weight bias and contribute to developing an eating disorder. The desire to avoid or escape weight stigma may drive extreme measures to control weight and conform to societal expectations.

Questions you might be asking about your loved one’s eating disorder

These are some of the common questions that family members and friends ask about eating disorders. I want to provide some answers to them to help expand your understanding of your loved one who is experiencing an eating disorder

Why can’t they just focus on being healthy?

I understand your concern and desire for your loved one to be healthy. However, it's important to recognize that eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that go beyond simply making a choice to be healthy. There are a few reasons why it's not as simple as just being healthy. Ironically the focus on health, is what has possibly led to the development of an eating disorder, and focusing on “health” can also exacerbate the eating disorder. When a person with perfectionistic tendencies tries to focus on health it can go extreme, which leads to eating disorders specifically orthorexia. A hyper-focus on health can lead to increased anxiety and stress related to food choices, exercise routines, and body image. The pressure to constantly make "right" and "healthy" choices can create a significant emotional burden and increase the risk of developing disordered eating behaviors as a way to cope with anxiety or regain a sense of control. An intuitive eating approach is an alternative approach to eating disorder recovery that can help your loved one become in tune with their body's hunger and fullness cues. 

Why can’t they just eat normally?

People with eating disorders often experience intense fear and anxiety surrounding food, weight gain, or loss of control. They experience intrusive thoughts about what they should and shouldn't eat that can be loud in their heads. These fears can make it challenging for them to engage in what may be considered "normal" eating. Overcoming these fears requires the help of a therapist and dietitian, learning to develop coping skills, overcoming negative beliefs, and working to eat foods and food groups they may be afraid of eating. All of this must be done with the support of family, friends, and treatment providers. 

Can’t they see how unhealthy their behaviors are?

Yes and no. Sometimes people with eating disorders do see how unhealthy their behaviors are and feel immense shame and guilt for engaging in them. Other times they believe their behaviors are necessary for them and may be in a state of denial on how they may negatively be impacting their mental and physical health. Eating disorders can impair the person's insight into their own behaviors and the consequences of their eating disorders. 

Why don’t they just stop or control their eating habits?

It’s difficult to stop disordered eating behaviors on your own. When they serve a purpose in the individual's life as a way to cope or make life more bearable, it can be hard to know where to turn instead. When it comes to controlling eating habits, eating disorders can be an extreme form of trying to control eating habits or ends up being the backlash of overcontrolling eating, which results in binging behaviors. People that have binge eating disorder have a history of restricting food intake, which biologically will lead to eventually binging. It’s not from lack of control but it’s the backlash of trying to control food intake too much. Trying to continue to restrict or focus on health is going to make binging worse. 

Did I do something to cause their eating disorder?

It is highly unlikely that you or one single factor caused your loved ones eating disorders. Eating disorders result from a mixture of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Family dynamics and environment can contribute to the development of an eating disorder indirectly, such as through the emphasis on appearance and body size, classifying foods as "good" or "bad", speaking negatively about your body or others' bodies, and other family factors. As an eating disorder therapist I recommend  Instead of focusing on assigning blame, it is more productive to provide support, empathy, and understanding to your loved one as well as educate yourself on eating disorders. 

How can I help them if they don’t want help?

If your loved one doesn’t want help, it’s not your job to try and force them to get help. What is helpful to focus on are the things that are in your control. The most important thing you can do is to educate yourself on eating disorders to have a better understanding of what your loved one is going through and why it’s a challenge for them. Continue to express empathy and concern but don’t enable their eating disorder behaviors. You want to create a safe space for them to be able to talk about their feelings and struggles. Continue to encourage your loved one to get professional help and consider getting support yourself. 

What triggers their disordered eating?

Triggers for disordered eating can vary from person to person, as each individual's experience with an eating disorder is unique. Contributing factors to developing an eating disorder include negative body image, emotional distress, high expectations, traumatic events, abuse and neglect, societal influences, and a perceived lack of control. As your loved one attends therapy and works with a dietitian you will be able to understand what specifically has impacted them individually. 

Can they overcome their eating disorder in the future?

Yes, your loved one can absolutely overcome their eating disorder. Recovery from an eating disorder is possible with the right support, treatment, and commitment to the healing process. It's important to approach recovery with a realistic understanding that it may take time and involve ups and downs along the way. Both you and them will need patience and persistence in focusing on eating disorder recovery. Being able to fully recover involves addressing the underlying issues of the eating disorder and finding new ways to cope outside of using eating disorder behaviors. 

Things not to say to someone with an eating disorder

I want to give some recommendations on what not to say to a loved one with an eating disorder. These are common things that have come up in therapy that have been known to be unhelpful. 

“Just Eat” 

It’s not that simple. When your loved one has intrusive thoughts telling them not to eat or other eating disorder behaviors, telling them to just eat won’t cure an eating disorder. 

“You look healthy” 

Telling your loved one they look healthy is maybe one of the biggest insults. In their minds, “healthy” means they are fat. While being fat isn’t a bad thing, it’s a negative thing in their mind that they need to work on challenging. 

“Why can’t you just eat more/less?”

Again, intrusive thoughts make it difficult to eat more or eat less. This is a simplistic answer but just know it’s not that simple. 

“You’re not fat” 

Saying this is placing an emphasis on body shape or size. Being fat is not a bad thing and stating this can imply that it might be a negative thing. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes and some people will naturally be in a larger body, and that’s ok. If you’re not ok with your loved one’s shape or size that’s something for you to work on. 

“You’re not trying hard enough” 

This is an invalidating and hurtful thing to say. You won’t have any idea the effort your loved one is putting into recovery. Eating disorder recovery is not a quick process and will take much longer than both you and you're loved one hope.

“You are just doing this for attention”

Having an eating disorder is a lot of effort to go to for attention. Regardless, this is a hurtful thing to say and won’t inspire your loved one to get better. It will stop them from counting you as a support and will stop opening up to you. 

How Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah can help 

Eating disorder therapy can be a life-changing decision when it comes to being able to overcome an eating disorder. Working with a therapist that you learn to trust, and that understands you and your eating disorder makes it easier to let your guard down and explore the underlying issues contributing to it.  Therapy can help to challenge and modify unhealthy thoughts, beliefs about yourself and your body. You can develop a better relationship with your body, food, and your self-esteem. 

Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah today

You don’t have to keep feeling stuck in your eating disorder. You can have freedom from the anxiety about food and your body. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist that specializes in helping women overcome their eating disorders. To begin therapy follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a therapist for eating disorders

3. Begin breaking free of your eating disorder

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

You don’t have to worry about where you are located nor do you have to worry about traveling to a therapy session. I provide online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy but without the hassle of leaving your home or office. 

Online eating disorder therapy means I work with clients all over the state of Utah. I work with clients in Logan, Salt Lake City, Provo, Heber City, 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided by this Utah Counseling Center. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include EMDR therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, birth trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, body image therapy, and counseling for college students. 

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt, LCSW, is a dedicated and compassionate eating disorder therapist with extensive experience in helping individuals overcome their struggles with disordered eating. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Family Life and Human Development from Southern Utah University, where she gained a strong foundation in understanding the complexities of family dynamics and human behavior. Motivated by her passion for helping others, Ashlee furthered her education and obtained a Master's degree from Utah State University, specializing in clinical social work. Throughout her career, Ashlee has focused her expertise on working with individuals facing eating disorders. With her deep understanding of the emotional, psychological, and societal factors that contribute to disordered eating, she provides a safe and non-judgmental space for clients to explore their experiences and work toward recovery. As an eating disorder therapist, Ashlee is committed to staying up-to-date with the latest research and advancements in the field, continuously expanding her knowledge and refining her therapeutic approaches.

Other Blog Posts Written by an Eating Disorder Therapist 

• Benefits of Eating Disorder Therapy in the Summer

• 3 Ways Eating Disorder Therapy Will Change Your Life

• 3 Topics to Address in Eating Disorder Therapy 

• What I Love About Being An Eating Disorder Therapist 

• A Common Fear In Eating Disorder Therapy 

• 4 Reasons to Ditch the Scale: Advice from an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah 

Benefits of Eating Disorder Therapy in the Summer

The summer months are some of the most difficult times for the women I work with. When you have disordered eating and body image issues, the summer can be extra hard emotionally. Summer is the time when you might spend more time in a swimming suit or compare yourself to other bodies you see in a swimming suit. Summertime means shedding the extra clothing layers that make you feel comfortable or can help you hide your body. Dieting can be more prominent in the summer months, and it’s a challenge to maintain your eating disorder recovery in this setting. The variety of foods at barbecues and social gatherings can bring on more anxiety for people struggling with their relationships with food. It doesn’t matter what type of eating disorder you have, the summer is still difficult. After a long winter, people also tend to be more social and when you struggle with anxiety in these situations it can feel overwhelming. 

Reasons to Go to eating disorder therapy in the Summer

Starting your eating disorder recovery journey is important at any time but there are some particular benefits of beginning in the summer. Here are just a few reasons why you should begin eating disorder therapy this summer. 

1. Seasonal Triggers

The seasonal triggers that arise in the summer can feel overwhelming. The weather is warmer and people start wearing shorts, tank tops, and swimming suits. This gives opportunities for you to see more people showing their bodies on social media causing more comparison and negative body image. Spending time with other people in social settings that involve eating around other people can bring on more anxiety. The media also begins to portray more unrealistic standards of beauty this time of year, and it can be tough to try and navigate all of it. Attending eating disorder therapy in the summer can help you work through these triggers and to be able to feel less anxiety and stress in these situations. 

2. Need for more support

When there are more stressors and more triggers during the summer when you have an eating disorder, having extra support can be helpful. It can be hard to start or maintain recovery when you are feeling more anxious about your body and your eating without the right level of support. Attending weekly eating disorder therapy can help you learn to cope with your emotions and triggers. You don’t have to try and figure this out on your own. An eating disorder therapist has been trained and knows how to help you manage your eating disorder recovery. 

3. Time for Personal Growth 

As an eating disorder therapist, the most common time people come into therapy is during the fall time. It seems to be that the triggers and lifestyle of the summer impacts their mental health and they’re in a rough place mentally and emotionally. One thing I recommend is to go through therapy earlier and before things really start to take a toll. I know summer can be busy with vacations and activities but I would urge you to prioritize your mental health. Summertime can be a time of personal growth where you are able to gain more self-awareness in therapy as well as more self-compassion. 

Eating disorder therapy in Utah can help maintain recovery this summer

Eating disorder therapy can help you start or maintain your eating disorder recovery this summer. Summer may be a hard time for you with your eating disorder or negative body image but working with an eating disorder therapist can help you work through it. You can have the support you need from a professional that knows how to help. Those social events, the afternoon at the pool, or your family reunion don’t have to be something you try to get through all on your own. Eating disorder therapy can give you the long-term support you are looking for. 

Work with an eating disorder therapist near Provo, Utah 

You don’t have to feel trapped in your cycle of eating and hating your body. You can find peace with food and not feel so much discomfort about existing in your body. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist specializing in treating eating disorders. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with an eating disorder therapist 

3. Begin recovery from an eating disorder

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

I know during the summer months it’s difficult to be able to balance a busy schedule and find a way to prioritize therapy. I offer online therapy in Utah to offer you convenience when it’s hard to travel or commute to a therapy appointment. Online eating disorder therapy is just as effective as an in-person therapy session but without the hassle of travel. 

Online counseling also means I work with clients all over the state of Utah. I work with clients in Logan, Cedar City, Heber City, Provo, Salt Lake City, St. George, and more. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service offered at this Utah Counseling Center. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include EMDR therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, anxiety therapy, body image therapy, birth trauma therapy, and counseling for college students. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Maple Canyon Therapy near Provo, Utah. Ashlee has a bachelor's degree in psychology and family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She earned her master's degree in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has been treating eating disorders since 2013 and loves to help women learn to make peace with food and their bodies. She believes that eating disorder recovery is possible and loves to help women who are motivated to do so.

Other Blog Posts Written about Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah:

• 3 Ways Eating Disorder Therapy Will Change Your Life

• The Importance of Finding the Right Eating Disorder Therapist for You

• 4 Surprising Truths About Eating Disorder Therapy

• 4 Reasons to Ditch the Scale: Advice from an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah 

• 5 Things I’ll Never Say Because I’m an Eating Disorder Therapist 

3 Ways Eating Disorder Therapy Will Change Your Life

I have been learning and caring about eating disorders for more than half of my life. At the age of 15, I started learning about eating disorders and realized they impacted people around me. I’m 36 years old now, and the passion and fire to help women escape their eating disorders just get stronger. I’m never going to get tired of helping people see that life is so much better without their eating disorders, and it’s truly life-changing. If you are struggling with an eating disorder and you’re unsure if recovery is worth it, I want you to know it is. I also want to tell you what you can escape and why it’s life-changing. It doesn’t matter what type of eating disorder you have, eating disorder therapy will make a difference.

How Eating Disorder Therapy is Life-changing

Eating disorder therapy is hard work. It may be the hardest thing you’ll ever do but it is incredible. I want you to know why it’s worth it and what to keep in mind when you want to give up. 

You’ll trust your body 

I know you don’t trust your body right now. I know you think your body is something that needs to be controlled and managed. You believe that without your help your body will gain weight, you’ll never stop eating, and life will spiral out of control. You don’t trust your body’s cravings and hunger, and you don’t trust your emotions. You try to numb and keep things manageable. You might have episodes of binges and it reinforces to yourself that you can’t be trusted. You fail to see how your restriction plays a big part. Eating disorder therapy can and will help you have trust in your body. Your body is not the enemy. It never has been but you don’t know that yet. You will be able to recognize your body’s hunger and fullness cues. You will be able to know that eating doesn’t have to spiral out of control. Eating disorder therapy will help you trust yourself in more ways than just with food. 

You’ll have more self-compassion

You are not very nice to yourself right now. People around you have pointed that out. You don’t see a point in being kind to yourself because you believe it’ll make you lazy and unmotivated. You also don’t believe you deserve self-compassion. If anything you think you deserve to be punished for not being good enough. That could not be further from the truth. People who are compassionate with themselves are more motivated and able to achieve their goals long term. Eating disorder therapy will help you see that you don’t deserve punishment and you are good enough where you are. Working with an eating disorder therapist will help you develop kindness for yourself, and you’ll learn how important it is to be gentle. You deserve tenderness and kindness and eating disorder therapy will help you learn to also give that to yourself. 

You won’t feel panicked about eating

You find excuses not to go out with friends or skip family gatherings because you know there will be food there. You also know you will have to eat in front of other people. This all sends you into a tailspin of panic. You probably try anything you can to avoid situations like this. You would rather eat at home alone with your safe foods. Eating disorder therapy will help you enjoy food again. It will help you learn to enjoy the experiences of eating foods outside of what your eating disorder has decided is safe and permissible. You will not have to put so much thought or energy into what you eat. You won’t have to think about excuses to get you out of dinner with friends. You’re going to be able to enjoy food and your life again.  

Eating disorder therapy is the next step to healing

Eating disorder therapy is going to give you the freedom you desperately seek right now. You feel trapped and scared when you think about how to ditch your eating disorder. You can overcome your body image issues. I promise you you don’t have to keep feeling this way. Those feelings of anxiousness and fear won’t go away right away but eating disorder therapy is going to help you do it. You deserve so much more than what you are struggling with now. You can move on from your eating disorder, and eating disorder therapy is going to be able to help you take those steps. 

Begin working with an eating disorder therapist in St. George, Utah

You can find freedom with food and your body. You can enjoy your life again. Eating Disorder Therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Center has an eating disorder therapist specializing in treating eating disorders. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation

2. Meet with a therapist for eating disorders

3. Begin eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

When you are starting eating disorder recovery, it’s important that you work with a therapist specializing in eating disorders. Not every city in Utah has an eating disorder therapist close by. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. You can access an eating disorder therapist without having to travel or commute to a therapy session. 

Online Eating Disorder Therapy also means I work with clients all over the state of Utah including St. George, Cedar City, Provo, Heber City, Salt Lake City, Logan, and more. 

Other Mental Health Services at Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service offered at this Utah Counseling Practice. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include EMDR therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, anxiety therapy, counseling for college students, body image therapy, and birth trauma therapy. 

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt is an eating disorder therapist and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy, an online counseling practice located in Utah. Ashlee has been treating eating disorders since 2013 and has long been passionate about them long before that. Ashlee loves helping women escape the grasp of their eating disorders and create a happy and fulfilling life outside of their eating disorders. She uses a health-at-every-size approach to eating disorder recovery.  Ashlee has two bachelor’s degrees from Southern Utah University in psychology and family life and human development. She received her masters in social work from Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

Other blog posts to check out

• How To Stop Binging: Tips From a Binge Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah 

• 4 Reasons to Ditch the Scale: Advice from an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah 

• 5 Things I’ll Never Say Because I’m an Eating Disorder Therapist 

• What to Do If You Suspect Your College Student Has An Eating Disorder

• Why College Students Develop Eating Disorders 

• 3 Topics to Address in Eating Disorder Therapy 

• What I Love About Being An Eating Disorder Therapist 

• A Common Fear In Eating Disorder Therapy 

The Importance of Finding the Right Eating Disorder Therapist for You

It feels incredibly vulnerable when you are struggling with eating disorder symptoms and realize that you might need help. You feel embarrassed and terrified that you’ll be judged if you open up about what you are experiencing and feeling. Finding the right eating disorder therapist is essential in your journey to eating disorder recovery. When you are feeling tender and afraid on the inside, you need a place where you know you’re going to be safe. You need to be able to find the one that you connect with you and is the best fit for your personality and your struggles. 

Treating eating disorders is a specific specialty that requires specific training and knowledge to be able to help you overcome your eating disorder. The truth is when you work with a therapist without this specialty, it can harm you. Eating disorders are mental health condition that directly impacts your physical health. Finding a therapist that can help you navigate both is going to make a huge difference in your healing. Let’s talk more about why it’s important to find the right eating disorder therapist for you. 

The right eating disorder therapist knows the best approach to therapy

Eating disorders require a specific approach to have the best outcomes for success. I have worked with many clients that worked with a general therapist before deciding they needed to find a therapist that specifically treated eating disorders. There’s no doubt that their therapists were doing the best they could with the knowledge they had. However, without having experience in treating eating disorders, the clients shared they didn’t seem to make progress in the ways they wanted to.

Eating disorders are complex mental health diagnoses. They involve multiple factors that contribute to their development and knowing how to deal with each of these is important. Underneath eating disorders there may be anxiety, depression, and traumatic experiences that are part of the equation. Body image issues and low self-esteem also contribute to eating disorders. On top of all of that, people with eating disorders often have medical conditions to stabilize on top of their eating disorders. A good eating disorder therapist will know that this is not a quick process and will focus on helping you become medically stable and consistently eating first before jumping into working through trauma and other aspects of eating disorder recovery. 

The right eating disorder therapist will help you find the best coping strategies

When you're struggling with an eating disorder, finding effective coping skills is crucial for managing difficult emotions, triggers, and behaviors related to food and body image. A skilled eating disorder therapist can help you identify and develop coping skills that are specific to your unique needs and eating disorder behaviors. They can teach you skills like mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and problem-solving, which can help you manage difficult emotions and cope with the triggers that can fuel disordered eating behaviors. With the support of a skilled eating disorder therapist, you can develop a range of coping strategies that work for you as a unique person with unique needs, and help you overcome your eating disorder. Over time, you can learn to replace maladaptive coping mechanisms with healthier ones and gain the tools and skills you need to maintain your eating disorder recovery throughout your life. 

The right eating disorder therapist will provide a supportive and safe environment

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you feel safe in eating disorder therapy to make progress in recovery. The right eating disorder therapist will provide the right environment for you to not feel judged but for you to feel accepted and validated. You deserve to feel heard and understood. The best eating disorder therapist for you will help you feel hopeful for your recovery and help you trust that you can do it even if it’s hard. A skilled eating disorder therapist will be aware of the unique issues and circumstances that someone with an eating disorder will have and will know how to address and work through them. You need a therapist that will have the resources and information to provide you with more understanding of your eating disorder. With the help of the right eating disorder therapist, you can gain a better understanding of the underlying issues driving your disordered eating behaviors and develop more self-awareness that can be incredibly valuable in the recovery process.

The right eating disorder therapist will know they can’t do it all

Because eating disorders are complex, they often require more than just meeting with a therapist once a week. A good eating disorder therapist will know to recommend you to other providers to support you such as a dietitian, a psychiatrist, and a medical provider. All of these areas are important in being able to ensure you are in the best position for a full recovery. There are times when seeing a therapist once a week is not enough to support someone with an eating disorder. An experienced eating disorder therapist will be able to properly evaluate if you need more structured support because they know they can’t do it all. Eating disorder recovery requires a team approach and you deserve to work with people that specifically know how to treat all angles of your eating disorder. 

Trust your gut when it comes to finding the right eating disorder therapist for you

The most important thing I can emphasize to you is to trust your gut when it comes to picking the right eating disorder therapist for you. This is the most valuable thing that I want my clients to learn in eating disorder recovery, and that is to learn to listen to their own needs and opinion on what’s best for them. Eating disorders disconnect you from your identity and numb your desires as they are often focused on pleasing everyone else. You don’t have to people-please when it comes to your eating disorder recovery. You don’t have to do that in healing from your eating disorder. You get to decide what is right and what feels best. Trust that. You are the expert on yourself and what you need. If something doesn’t click or feel right, you get to choose someone else. Keep having hope that you will find the right therapist that you feel comfortable with and who knows exactly how to help you. 

Eating disorder therapy in Utah can help you heal

Working with the right therapist in eating disorder therapy can help you overcome your eating disorder. You can learn to work through your anxiety around food and why you don’t trust yourself eating. You can have more self-compassion for yourself and stop being so critical of yourself for everything. Eating disorder therapy can help you understand how your past experiences may be contributing to how you feel about yourself and your body. Eating disorder counseling can help you leave your eating disorder behind and live a happy and fulfilling life. 

Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah

You don’t have to keep feeling this way. You don’t have to feel stuck and overwhelmed by eating and your body. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has an eating disorder therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. To begin therapy follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with a therapist for eating disorders 

3. Begin recovery

Online eating disorder therapy in Utah

It’s important to be able to have an eating disorder therapist you connect with regardless of where you live. Many cities in Utah don’t have an eating disorder therapist who has specialized training and experience in treating eating disorders. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy without you having to travel or commute to a therapy office. 

Online counseling also means I work with clients all over the state of Utah. I work with clients in Cedar City, St. George, Provo, Heber City, Salt Lake City, Logan, and more. 

Other mental health services at Maple Canyon Therapy,

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided by this Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, body image therapy, birth trauma therapy, EMDR therapy, and therapy for college students. Reach out for a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how I can help. 

About the Author

Ashlee Hunt is an eating disorder therapist and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy near Provo, Utah. Ashlee has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a bachelor's degree in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She obtained her master's in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has worked with eating disorders at all levels of care including in a psychiatric eating disorder hospital. She understands how important eating disorder recovery is and knows the proper steps to help her clients get there. 

Other Blog Posts You Might Like

• How To Stop Binging: Tips From a Binge Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah 

• The Truth About Emotional Eating

• 4 Reasons to Ditch the Scale: Advice from an Eating Disorder Therapist in Utah 

• What is Toxic Perfectionism?

• 5 Things I’ll Never Say Because I’m an Eating Disorder Therapist 

• How EMDR Therapy Can Treat Eating Disorders

• 3 Topics to Address in Eating Disorder Therapy 

5 Reasons to Go to Eating Disorder Therapy

Some of my clients share that they believe they are better people with their eating disorder. For some women, it feels like an eating disorder shows they have control, and that feels empowering to them. It can feel this way at the beginning but eventually, you surrender all of your control to your eating disorder. You are no longer the one calling the shots but it’s your eating disorder. You don’t want to feel like this anymore but you don’t know any other way to live. You might be skeptical that therapy can even help you. It’s hard to know if it’s worth the risk. 

What is eating disorder therapy?

Eating disorder therapy involves working with a therapist who has the specialized training to know how to help you overcome your eating disorder. Often times when you have an eating disorder, it is helpful to use a team approach. I recommend my clients work with an eating disorder dietitian and a medical provider to monitor their physical heal and nutrition. What I do in eating disorder therapy with my clients is help them recognize the underlying issues and experiences that have contributed to their eating disorder. As much as your eating disorder is about food and body image, it’s also about so much more. What you do with food and how you feel about your body are symptoms of negative beliefs you may be holding onto. 

Eating disorder therapy focuses on identifying the negative beliefs and where they came from. You can learn to challenge these beliefs and focus on viewing yourself in more helpful ways. How you feel about yourself holds a lot more power over you than your relationship with food does. 

Why should I go to eating disorder therapy?

There are probably hundreds of reasons why you going to eating disorder therapy might be beneficial for you. I’m happy to keep writing blog posts on the reasons why you should go to eating disorder therapy but here are some things to think about for now. 

Reasons to go to eating disorder therapy: 

       1. Eating disorder therapy can help you feel better physically 

Here is the reality, eating disorders cause physical complications in the body that you may not even realize. In fact, if a doctor isn’t trained in treating eating disorders, they can also miss them. Honestly, getting my clients to understand the medical issues that are associated with is one of the most difficult parts of my job. My clients have had medical doctors tell them to lose weight even in the midst of their eating disorders. They have missed issues that are a result of my client’s eating disorder or minimized at the least. If you have read “Sick Enough” by Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani then you know about the medical complications of your eating disorder. 

Attending eating disorder therapy can help you recognize the physical impact that your eating disorder is having on your body and to focus on getting your body to heal physically while therapy helps you heal emotionally and mentally. Clients have shared that they didn’t realize how much their eating disorder was impacting them physically until they start to focus on decreasing eating disorder behaviors and utilizing an intuitive eating approach to eating and recovery. 

2. Eating disorder therapy may improve your relationships 

One of the hardest things for the women I work with who have been struggling with their eating disorders is recognizing how it’s impacted their relationships. You don’t realize when you are in your eating disorder how much it is changing your relationships with the people you love. One of the ways an eating disorder thrives is in secrecy. You keep things from the people who love and care about you, and it’s hard to remain connected. Your eating disorder can keep you isolated and lead you to believe you don’t need other people or even worse that other people don’t care about you. Eating disorder therapy helps you rebuild and improve your relationships. A significant part of eating disorder recovery is replacing your eating disorder with meaningful and caring relationships. There will be people in your life that don’t even realize you have an eating disorder and being able to gain support from them can aid you in eating disorder recovery. Therapy can help you change your relationships for the better and help you feel more connected again. 

3. Eating disorder therapy can help manage anxiety better 

Part of what we explore in therapy when it comes to your eating disorder is how much it is used to manage or numb anxiety. This isn’t always a conscious connection for some people. Realizing that you are coping with anxiety using eating disorder behaviors is something that is addressed in eating disorder therapy. Finding newer healthier ways to cope with anxiety is also an important aspect of counseling. You can learn to understand how you started dealing with your anxiety using eating disorder behaviors and start utilizing healthier strategies instead. You may be reading this now and feeling skeptical that this is true for you. The women I work with don’t always realize they have anxiety until they stop using eating disorder behaviors. Eating disorder therapy can help you make connections that you haven’t realized before. When you begin focusing on eating disorder recovery, your anxiety might get higher than it was before because you have stopped using eating disorder behaviors. This is a normal part of the experience. However, the more you utilize therapy and understand yourself better the less anxiety will have an impact on you. 

4. Eating disorder therapy will help you make peace with food 

You have learned to manage a lot of your life using food. Food has become a weapon in some ways. You don’t trust it, and you don’t trust yourself with it. The women I work with share experiences where they heard someone, a parent, or a grandparent make a negative remark about themselves or someone else’s body. This changed the way they viewed their body and learned that food could be used to change their size in some ways. The clients I work with also have learned that foods are “good” or “bad” and have learned to avoid certain foods because they are “bad” and might make them “fat”. There is a lot to try and undo when these experiences have had a profound impact on how you view food. This is not a helpful way to view food or use food. Eating disorder therapy can help you learn to challenge the messages you have received about your body and foods. Working with an eating disorder therapist allows you to change what you believe about food to something more helpful and healthy. 

5. Eating disorder therapy can help you recognize your values

When we have troubles in our lives sometimes it’s helpful to recognize what we value the most and find ways to align our actions more so with our values and beliefs. What happens when you are engaged in eating disorder behaviors is that you often neglect the values and beliefs that mean the most to you. The women I work with share how they don’t even feel like themselves. When it comes to their eating disorder it feels like someone else is controlling them when are using eating disorder behaviors. They feel like they’ve abandoned themselves and the things they care about most for their eating disorder. Eating disorder therapy can help you find your values again and what you care about. Therapy can help you recognize how your eating disorder behaviors are behaviors that go against your values. Letting go of your eating disorder will help you live what you value more fully. 

Eating disorder therapy can change your life. 

Eating disorder therapy has the power to change the entire trajectory of your life. I know that sounds like a big and bold statement but it’s the absolute truth. I have worked with women in inpatient hospital settings to outpatient therapy, and I’m confident in saying therapy is the thing that has impacted these women. When you don’t have the tools it can be hard to see another way out of this. The feeling of hopelessness and being trapped doesn’t have to last. As a therapist, I have spent years and years learning how to help women that feel just like you. I have been able to see them leave their eating disorders behind and live happy and purposeful lives. You can experience this too. 

Start working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

You don’t have to live the way you are living now. You know you feel miserable in your eating disorder but you just can’t find a way out of it. You’ve probably tried everything you can think of on your own to feel better. You don’t have to do it alone and eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Clinic has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below: 

1. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation 

2. Meet with an eating disorder therapist in Utah 

3. Begin eating disorder recovery

Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah 

It can be hard to find a therapist that lives close by in the town you live in Utah. There are many areas in Utah that are rural and don’t live close to an eating disorder therapist. Just because you live away from an eating disorder therapist doesn’t mean you can’t get quality care to help you recover. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Using online eating disorder therapy can help you recover from your eating disorder just as effective as in-person therapy.

Online eating disorder therapy means that I can help you wherever you are located in Utah. I work with clients in Salt Lake City, St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Heber City, and more. 

Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy 

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only counseling service provided at this Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include body image therapy, anxiety therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, EMDR therapy, and birth trauma therapy. 

About the Author 

Ashlee Hunt is a licensed therapist and owner of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. She has a master's degree in social work from Utah State University in Logan and two bachelor's degrees from Southern Utah University in Cedar City. Ashlee has worked with women with eating disorders since being a student therapist at Utah State University CAPS. She enjoys helping women find freedom from their eating disorders by utilizing self-compassion and learning their identity again. Ashlee believes that women (and of course men!) can recover from their eating disorders and live happy and fulfilling lives. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she enjoys exploring the outdoors of Utah County.