The one trait that is obviously apparent in most sufferers of an eating disorder is their low self-esteem. Often they feel as though they are not good enough, that they never do anything right, that they are scrutinized by others for their appearance, and that their lives would get better if they could just lose weight. Sufferers can feel like they do not deserve to be happy, that they do not deserve good things to happen to them, and that they don’t deserve to have anything but what is felt as a miserable existence. They often feel like a burden to others, trivialize their own problems, and feel as though other people deserve help more than them.
It is not uncommon for eating disorder sufferers to be viewed by others as compassionate, warm, giving, sensitive, and intelligent people. The problem is that each person suffering cannot see in themselves the beauty that others do. Their own hate from within distorts their perception of how truly wonderful they really are.
“…I tell you I love you,
You can’t love what I see,
The mirror tells lies,
Reflects to you what must be.
It makes you distrust me,
You can’t trust even you,
Your doubt won’t believe,
so it kills what is true…”
Lyrics from the Song: The Fading Away