Buenos dias,
So if you suffer from Emetophobia, you’ll know that skipping meals is really just a normal part of having this phobia. I wanted to write a post about how important it is to maintain healthy eating and to avoid skipping meals as much as possible.
If you don’t suffer this phobia, well, skipping meals is just as unhealthy. It’s pretty self explanatory as to why people with this phobia skip meals so I won’t go into that. About 18 months ago I was in a rut of skipping meals. Prior to that, it had never really become a reality to me. Once you skip a meal, it can be addictive. Here are some reasons that skipping meals while having this phobia isn’t really advised:
1. It actually makes you feel worse: If you weren’t feeling crappy enough with anxiety and fear, to not eat will make you feel worse. Something about having no food in us gives us a sense of comfort (us, as in those with this phobia), however, it is not doing you any good. First of all, you’re having all this anxious energy and running on empty. Secondly, that empty hollow feeling is enhanced with the anxiety, well at least for me anyway.
2. Anxiety causes digestive disruption: When someone is anxious, their body begins to shut down systems that won’t help it in the fight/flight mode. One of these systems is the digestive system. This is what makes people feel nauseous when having anxiety (which only makes this phobia so much harder). In saying this, I will admit, it is harder to eat because you’re probably not digesting the food properly, but there are many foods that don’t require a huge amount of digestion from your body. People with Emetophobia have this unwritten rule that dry biscuits and toast are the best things to eat when your anxious and when you really just want to skip a meal. This is definitely what I eat when I want to skip a meal, and although it’s healthier to have a proper meal, well dry biscuits and toast are better than nothing.
3. Your weight may fluctuate: I noticed, and my friends also noticed, that I was getting very thin. I usually skipped breakfast and would probably have something small for lunch. I didn’t really put weight on and I still struggle to put weight on, but with skipping just one meal a few times a week, my weight was seriously fluctuating. I was worried people thought I was anorexic. People used to say “You’re so thin! I’m so jealous” and I thought, seriously? I’m not jealous, it takes a whole lot of fear and anxiety to get this thin.
4. It’s too easy to skip… set yourself a challenge: Skipping meals really does become an addiction. It’s so easy to say to people “Oh I’m not hungry, I already ate SO much later” or “I’ve been snacking all morning, no thanks!”. It got to a point where I was lying to people so much that it was just becoming normality. People started to assume I wasn’t going to eat. I had to stop myself. If it takes me an hour to slowly eat a bowl of cereal or a sandwich, so be it. If it takes longer, so be it. Just one bite at a time.
5. I’ve been diagnosed with hypoglycaemia: I’ve recently been told that I have low blood sugar. This means that the sugars from my food aren’t being processed properly and they aren’t being stored for me to use later in the day. Most people have breakfast and can keep going until 12 or 1 for lunch. The sugars from my breakfast won’t last me that long and I need to snack in between meals. I honestly put this down to skipping meals. I’m not a doctor haha I could be totally wrong. Anyway, this means that if I skip a meal, all my friends and family will know that I’m supposed to be eating more because of having hypoglycaemia so I’m pretty much forced to eat.
I’ve not skipped meals in the same way that I have 18 months ago, which is a huge achievement. If you’re thinking of skipping a meal, have a sip of tea and some crackers. It’s better than nothing. 
Respire 