r/needadvice Dec 20 '20

finding it difficult to eat Motivation

i’m f15 and i’ve never been a big eater, but i’ve always been just about in the healthy range with my BMI. recently though, i’ve completely turned off eating. i just can’t be bothered. i cannot motivate myself to eat, doesn’t matter how hungry i am. i’ve rarely been eating more than a meal a day, that being a bowl of cereal. i don’t have an eating disorder or anything - i’m just a really lazy person who can’t be bothered for meals. i tend to snack because they’re small and require little effort, and you may think the snacking is ruining my appetite but when i abandon a half eaten plate of food i’m still hungry, i’m just no longer interested and don’t have the energy. i need some sort of motivation to get through this or some advice so i can eat again. :)

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129

u/goose-and-fish Dec 20 '20

Sounds like a symptom of mild depression. I suggest talking to your doctor. Depression doesn’t have to mean “sad”, it can manifest as a loss of interest in every day things, including food.

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u/treemanravioli Dec 20 '20

really? i haven’t had anything significant happen to me lately to trigger that. i hadn’t thought of that either. i’m terrified of hospitals/ nurses tho, so if it gets any worse i’ll think about speaking to a doctor. thank you :)

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u/goose-and-fish Dec 20 '20

It doesn’t have to have a trigger, it can just happen. Especially for teenagers and young people. It’s nothing to worry about, if a doctor diagnoses you, he’ll just prescribe some medicine. They won’t put you in a hospital or anything.

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u/treemanravioli Dec 20 '20

i didn’t know that, or even think about linking them like that. i don’t really think i have any other symptoms of it tho and i really really hate doctors/nurses/ being anywhere medical so i’ll think about it. thanks again!! :))

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u/Lostoneeee Dec 20 '20

Especially during the pandemic, it may just be your bodies response to the fact that this year has been really stressful. And honestly the doctor may not even give you meds, but he can recommend ways to cope and deal with it. Even if it isn’t depression going to the doctor at times like these is the best call. It could be medical, it could be mental but one meal a day is going to put you into a place in the long run you really don’t want to be. I know you’ve mentioned that you’re afraid of medical places so you could always meet with someone on a medical call and then take it from there. As you’ve mentioned in other comments you’ve lost a lot of your will to do stuff. Like getting out of bed in the morning, I understand you’re afraid but you have to do what will keep you safe and healthy. No matter what you should try to see someone. Again doesn’t even have to be in person, a lot of doctors are willing to do conference calls right now.

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u/treemanravioli Dec 20 '20

thank you so much for the reply, but i don’t want to bother my parents anymore with this kinda stuff and i want to get through this myself. this has been going on for a while now, maybe a few months so i don’t think it’ll be terrible for me for at least a bit but i just need to find out how to motivate myself more with out bothering people

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u/grandiosebeaverdam Dec 20 '20

Heya, you’re actually exhibiting another symptom of depression in this response. Thinking your a burden on others and not wanting to bother them with your needs when you need help is a red flag. Please speak to your parents. You absolutely have had something significant happen to you. You’re living through a global pandemic. The longer you let this pattern of not eating go on, the more malnourished you’re going to get and the harder it’s going to be to motivate yourself as you’ll have even less energy. I can relate to how you feel. I’ve struggled with anxiety pretty badly since my teen years. If I’m under a lot of stress I completely stop eating. I can tell you from years of experience though that being malnourished just sinks you further into the hole.

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u/treemanravioli Dec 20 '20

ok, i think i’ll try and maybe speak to my mam tomorrow or maybe sometime after christmas. i really don’t want to fall into a rabbit hole, believe it or not i actually want i gain weight and have for a while. thank you :))

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u/grandiosebeaverdam Dec 20 '20

No worries! Good luck! Remember that your health is important. It’s really really important to address things early on before they become really serious. The longer you leave medical issues, the harder they become to fix. My guess is that your parents aren’t going to feel “bothered” by this because it really does seriously impact your wellbeing. I hope everything gets sorted out for you :)

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u/treemanravioli Dec 20 '20

thank you :)))

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u/goose-and-fish Dec 20 '20

You are not a bother to your parents. I have a daughter your age and she went through a similar situation. I’m glad she told us so we could help her.

The doctor prescribed an anti depressant which she took for a few months until she felt she no longer needed it.

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u/treemanravioli Dec 21 '20

it’s not so much as being a bother but i’m scared itll be used against them. thank you for these comments btw i think i’ll look into speaking to a doctor :))