I struggle with the same thing when I'm dating someone new and it sucks when they want to take me out to eat because I don't want them to think I'm not interested in them when its actually just that I'm nervous to eat in front of them.
Cheers for this, I been tryin to find out about "what age group does anxiety affect the most?" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Senonnor Puzzling Superiority - (search on google ) ? It is a good exclusive product for discovering how to conquer your social anxiety minus the headache. Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my neighbour got great results with it.
Absolutely, I don't care about calories, I don't care about weight gain are lost, I just have food anxiety and I don't know why. I do have a lot of stressful situations that happen in my life but I just want to be able to eat like normal people
Luxurious Interior Designs I really recommend talking to a therapist about this - I think it would be really helped to get to the bottom of the cause of anxious feelings which then in turn, links back to food and eating. You are not alone and it will get better! All the best x
@@LottieRainbow Thank you I did reach out to a therapist after watching your video. Thank you for letting me know that we're not alone it took a lot of courage to do a video like this.
Get the exact same thing. Im 18 year old male, always stuggled eating growing up, only when i was really nervous about something, normally just exams. When I was 17 i suffered bad during a levels, waking up and not being able to eat breakfast without feeling incredibly nauseous and wanting to vomit. I would normally take 2-3 scoops of my cereal and then just bin it. I wanted to keep at least a tiny bit of what ive eaten, and not eat more with the risk of vomiting. I decided I would have breakfast drinks like those wheatabix ones thinking theyd be easier to digest, but i remember sipping at one in the morning pre exam for like half hour. I eventually forced myself to finish it, went to brush my teeth and just threw it all up. Thankfully it didnt effect my a levels. It was after a levels when my food anxiety spread to other situations. I found a girl I really liked and whenever wed go out to eat id feel incredibly nauseous just at the smell of food. Literally couldnt think about anything else apart from thinking about the food thats about to come. On multiple occasions ive taken one bite then had to excuse myself to the bathroom, thinking id throw up. Normally id just take a moment to let myself calm down cause in a way it kind of feels like you cant breathe. Thankfully the girl that i had these meals with is an absolute angel and didnt care at all. There was even a time i cancelled my order while they were making it cause i knew i wasnt gonna be able to eat it. Following these experiences the feeling continued to spread to more situations like when going out with my family for birthdays and stuff. It became a viscous cycle where i really want to eat (to be polite and to enjoy myself), so i will be angry if i cant eat, then therefore the result is i cant eat. These situations are more on and off, and i dont get the anxious feeling when out for meals with the family unless something else is stressing me out. Also what happens is once the event that i was nervous about is over (eg job interview), my mindset is completely changed and i can feel my body wanting to eat food and i know that im not going to feel ill. Physically when experiencing food anxiety, my mouth feels dry when i put food in there, and that bite requires so much more chewing than normal, then when you come to swallow, i have to psych myself to take the plunge and swallow the food. Id then take some deep breaths to get my bearings back and try to go again. Fortunately im not underweight as i take advantage of times i have appetite and i eat like a fucking pig and live a healthy lifestyle. I have always been truthful with those around me and they know about how i can feel at times. My sister had the same thing and she said it eventually passed and i shouldnt worry. I understand i should try be positive but like anyone else watching this video you probs understand that not being able to eat when you want to is incredibly upsetting, although its not something ive like cried about but its always at the back of my mind, ironically eating me up. This kind of anxiety is still something i live with and i am yet to control it. I really hope i get over it by the time i go to uni in september after my gap year. I cant believe ive never looked to youtube for help and to see if there are more people that have experienced this. Id be very surprised if somebody reads this far, but from reading the comments its seems like everybodys experiences are slightly different but this was mine and hope somebody can relate.
Bro... I'm 21.. I'm also experiencing the exact same thing... Like when i was reading, i felt as if it's my story... I've been suffering from this from 1year. It's really upsetting 😔🙄
ur situation matches with me....but just i am underweight . I was kind a giving up on me that i couldn't overcome this fear but the Only motivation that made me not to give up was bodybuilding.....i was very motivated in bodybuilding which was going super but when this anxiety came it all turned up...as u know building body also requires intake of more good calories so...because of eating i couldn't Help my muscles. so....i just wanted to say thank u...i felt really good after realising that there are people out there like me.
Exactly the same here. I build up in my head that I won’t be able to eat when I go out for a meal and that it’ll be embarrassing if I can only have one bite. The first bite is always the worst but then sometimes I can eat the rest and feel hungry but the feeling of anxiety exists from the moment I find out that I’m going for a meal and gets worse when I actually order the meal. I’m also 18 and has only really started after finishing exams which is strange.
Aditya Verma I am suffering too and it’s been exactly one year. I am trying my best to overcome it but it’s still here. Whenever I go out for a drink with friends or eating at restaurants with my family I get anxious and say I can’t swallow especially around people. I also find taking sip of tea is very hard because I hold it in and wait then swallow it I never took a sip for one go I always like pause then swallow. This always happens to me. Every time I’m nervous my heartbeats fast and I can’t control my body therefore swallowing becomes harder. This affects my quality of life. I have suffered a lot and thought at the beginning that I have something else. The first two weeks this started I lost 7kg I struggle just to take a sip of water I thought I’m going to die. I went to so many hospitals for check up I did endoscopy, barium swallow, ultra sound scan, blood test. I even did the endoscopy twice and they said there is no major problem only you have irritated esophagus due to acid reflux but that’s normal. Anyway, I I’m still struggling to be honest sometimes I also have panic attacks which later results to more anxiety. There are days when I swallow fine without getting scared or anxious but the feeling that I’m unable to swallow comes frequently. My situation becomes worse now I really don’t know how to deal with it. I tried taking deep breaths, but it never worked I always feel very nervous whenever I eat and think of my swallowing. If you have figured how to overcome this please help. Thank you for sharing with us your experience I thought I was alone.
I suffer horribly from this! It’s gotten so much worse in the past 3 years I don’t even know if it’s social anxiety all I know is once i eat in a restaurant.. I develop this sudden urge to throw up or gag then people judge me for not eating much or wasting food!
Its crazy to see how many of us there actually are dealing with a form of this. For me i get it with only real meals.. i can eat snacks anywhere and drink but with real food its just the anxiety comes in.. I realized i had it last year on my girlfriend’s birthday. We went to a restaurant and me knowing i don’t eat much.. i only ordered fries.. while everyone ate fries I probably ate like 10 fries in a hour or 2 of sitting there. Its like the hunger goes away and is replaced with a full feeling and anxiety. The same happened at my graduation recently where me and my girl’s families went to a restaurant where i tried and ate only one chicken tender and a few fries and i was done.. if anybody knows ways to combat this it would really help us all. I barely have an idea of why this happens but i don’t want it to ruin any special moments for us all.
Hello! I hope you’re doing well. For one, I try to opt for the outside dining at restaurants! I would feel trapped in one room. Another thing is my first time I went back into a restaurant and did well, was when I visualized everything before I went. I visualized: the waitress is going to be nice. The music is going to be calming, the food is going to be delicious. I will do well.
Remember to forgive yourself for getting nervous. It’s okay. I also started writing down all of my little Victories. Etc: I ate with a friend today! When you face that bully piece by piece, you’re gonna gain confidence in it and as you get more confident the fear of getting an attack etc reduces. You can do it!!!
@@teagan1636 i dont really like restaurants anyways. We also went to a buffet oneday just me and her and i was fine. Idk what the anxiety is for. Lol. Thanks tho. Hope we both complete this weird journey
The concept of eating dinner in front of someone genuinely terrifies me now, i don't know why, i NEVER used to be like this. I used to eat so quickly within minutes and not care. Now I'm picking at my food, not even wanting to go out with friends since they'll want to eat. It seems so stressful now.
Wow! Thank you for this video. I had no idea that other people dealt with eating anxiety. My anxiety is that the food will either make me sick or that it will upset my stomach and I’ll have to go to the bathroom in a public restroom. I’ll usually stick with soup if I’m out eating. For sleep, I use guided meditations. I like Kelly Howells guided meditations. I always fall asleep. Also lavender essential oil on the bottom of your feet. Yoga before bed really helps me too.
I'm 26 and have had this my whole life, I've learnt the older you get the worse it gets as there's even more social interactions that include food as your grow up. I've still got all these issues but my advice to anyone younger would be to hit it head on, & talk to your friends & family about it. Don't bottle it up.
I am currently dealing with this same thing. I've had terrible anxiety for years but only recently, have I not been able to go out to eat. At work, I've had to find places to hide away so I can eat alone. Thank you for sharing your story. I know I can get over this. It is through stories like yours that give me hope. :)
I can relate with the “avoid eating” coping mechanism. I couldn’t and even still struggle to even eat at the dinner table at my grandmas house. I always have to eat at the living room coffee table or downstairs. I still don’t know why I can’t eat in front of people that I don’t see often or meals that other people prepared other than my parents and friends (?) ;(
@@Tia-zk1jz same here! And I’ve been dealing with it for the last 3 years or so lol. Man even till this day. But! I can eat around families or close close friends. Lol idk why I feel this way with certain ppl or group. Some of us r just nervous
When friends ask to get together over lunch or dinner, most of the time I suggest we grab coffee, instead. It is not a solution to my food anxiety, but it is a way of getting around it, so I can just focus on enjoying time with friends.
This is mind blowing because there are A LOT of similarities with my story 🤯 Not being able to swallow it, eating in front of others, going abroad for the first time with a friends family. Wow! Thanks for sharing ☺
I’ve been suffering this problem for around 7-8 months now. Around November last year, I went round to have dinner with my dad, which led to me seeing something that led to me having a full on panic attack. Whilst I was having this panic, dinner was ready and I sat down, took a bite of pizza and immediately ran up to the bathroom because I felt so nauseous. I was in there for half an hour panicking that I was going to be sick. ( I had slight emetophobia anyways ). Since then, that one reaction I had has grown inside me and I now struggle with anxiety everyday. I struggle to eat, I struggle to eat at restaurants, I struggle to go anywhere that it’s my house at this point, as well as a constant fear of becoming anxious. It has completely ruined my life and now I’m starting to struggle with simply living. Knowing there’s others who feel the same and have similar experiences helps me feel so comforted, because for a while I thought i was all on my own.
I thought I was the only one who felt this way. I thought I had emetophobia, (maybe I do) since I feel nauseous and get panic attacks whenever I have to eat food in front of people or before having to go to a place where there’s a lot of people. It goes down 2 different ways: 1. Eating with others/in public: the second someone asks me to go to a restaurant or go to their place and eat, my throat tightens up, I start sweating, and my heart starts racing. It’s the only thing I can think about until the day comes. The constant anticipation of the event eats at me. When the day comes, I get a full on panic attack and my mind starts coming up with excuses to try and get me out of the situation OR my mind starts putting negative scenarios into my head like: “you’re going to throw up”, “you’re not going to finish your food and people are going to be mad at you and judge you”, “what if you get an allergic reaction to the food”... I feel incredibly nauseous, become pale, and start trembling. If I force myself to go, the anxiety lasts up until I take my first bite of food, (I try to order things I’ve eaten before) or my anxiety lessens and doesn’t go away for the remainder of the time I’m eating. 2. Eating before going out: I used to struggle with this, not so much anymore. I had a fear of throwing up in public, therefore my coping method used to be not eating hours before and during an event. Later, I started to eat before and during events as long as they were “safe foods”, (foods I was comfortable with). I continue to eat food that I know is good for me and will sit well in my stomach. This has been my healthiest coping mechanism up to date. If anyone has advice on how to cope with anxiety while eating in restaurants or in front of people please let me know! Right now, my best strategy is to eat around people who understand my situation and won’t judge me.
@@KomalSingh-yl3iq Wow the timing of this is so perfect. I'm currently on a 3 week road trip with my boyfriend and had to face my eating anxiety head on. For the first 7 days of the road trip, I was barely able to eat anything because my anxiety was so strong. Luckily, my boyfriend is someone who I can be open and honest with without feeling judgement. I told him about my struggle with eating and he was nothing but calm and supportive. By the 8th day of the road trip, my physical symptoms lessened and I was able to eat! Since the 8th day, my physical symptoms have decreased a bunch, but my anxious thoughts are still present. If I've learned anything, its that you have to face eating head on... even if you can only have 1 bite for the first few days, thats better than avoiding the situation for years.
@@CassyPaz thanks I needed this. No matter how much we share with our friends someone who has lived it can only truly understand it. May god bless us ❤️🙏.
I'm extremely happy I found this video; I've been going through the exact same situation for quite some time now and it has got to the point where it's really bad. I'm glad to see someone could find the proper words and explain the situation the exact same way as it feels like (because I probably would struggle with it). Of course, words can have a really strong effect on you (whether it would be in a positive or negative way). Thus, being present in the proper time or moment could turn your world upside down. And by that I mean having someone understanding or at least seeing them trying their best to understand your situation; or just show any minor signs of sympathy, really. That's all it takes. Unfortunately, I find it a great battle to fight through, especially when my parents aren't supportive and I'm frightened to even bring it up to any of my friends, due to the fear of being severely judged. I really wish I could overcome this fear one day, just like you did! I find your video extremely inspirational! Thank you for sharing your story with us, much love
I have been dealing with this my whole life! I'm crying rn cuz, im so happy !!! I've always thought I'm the only one , and knowing that I'm not the only one makes me feel better about myself...thank u for making this video !!!! 💕
Tina melanie Sarmule thank you for watching and for your lovely message!! I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling but hoping that it has helped you - you can definitely get through it!! 💗
I recently got completely over my food anxiety in order to go through my sleep anxiety.If anybody is interested in my story here it is.One tip y'all,I know how much it hurts and how much it sucks,but you will beat it,it's not a matter of 'if', but of 'when'.Embrace yourself don't hate him,there's always beauty in the struggle.Your body was designed in order to bite,chew and digest solid foods and has all kinds of mechanisms to carry through this process.Start with meals and contities you feel comfortably with(mashy fruits,yogurt etc.) take as much time as you wish, it's not a competition with time,it is one with your brain.Mental health issues are so complex, because it's you vs your mind,and you can never beat your mind at the first or second time.However,our brains are predictable and have thw same pattern of reaction every time.Once,that fairful routine settles in you will be able to predict your brain's next move,that's when you act.You will be probably be already accustomed with that difficult practice,but emotions and senses are so overwhelming it's just scary.That's when you will need to be brave and break this cycle,then a bunch of repeats and the brain will automatically start to react different,signaling the beggining of the vicious cycle.
I'm 14 and I've been struggling with this kind of anxiety for a year (that I've actually noticed it that is) and I think it comes from my fear of being stared at but strangers and being in large groups of people and crowds. For example, I was in Taco Bell with my Grammy and Great Grammy just before a movie and I was sitting on the opposite side of them, facing the rest of the people. There were two guys that kept looking at me (they looked like they were in their late 30's or 40's maybe?) And I just felt so overwhelmed with this panic and butterfly feeling and I could feel my face heating like I was going to start crying (which I'm pretty sure is how I cope) and thankfully my Grammy k ows about my anxiety so I told her in a low whisper about the how the two guys we're making me feel extremely uncomfortable and so she offered to let me eat in the car instead (I love her she's so precious). And as the time went on in the Taco Bell, I felt like everyone in there was sneakily looking at me and that every person that walked over to the seating area looked at me. It was so overwhelming and I started crying silently (a few tears dropped when I told my Grammy about the guys, but the tarts hadn't started flowing until now). It was so terrible and now whenever I go to a restaurant to eat I always want to be with at least 3 people I trust and if we're sitting at a booth I need to be on the inside of the seat with someone sitting next to me. It's a bit ridiculous I know, but its what makes me feel safe. Another example: Today I was hanging out with a friend and we drive over to their grandma's house. I've been in the house many times and I've eaten with them before, so I knew it wasnt going to be too awkward or anxiety inducing. Well, I was completely wrong. This time, we picked out our food from the table and had to get our own servings. I just felt so uncomfortable doing that because what if I got too much and everyone just pretended like it was okay even though it kind of wasn't and what if this and what if that? Well, I was trying to use my facial expressions to convey to my friend that I was on the verge of crying but they just made it worse (I'm not mad at them, I didn't say anything so I can understand they didn't know what I was looking at them for) and everything was going wrong because they were asking me all these questions about if I'm okay and telling me I can go ahead and get something, but I couldn't talk because if I did, I would start crying, and it was all so overwhelming. Luckily my friends dad took me out to the porch where he talked to me a bit and helped me calm down (he's such a good dad, we need more dads like him) and when I came back my friend had put a piece of bread and a little pile of macaroni and cheese on my plate so that's all I ate and then we hung out with their dog. This was kind of me just venting and getting things off my chest, so if anyone read through that all, thank you and if you also have had experiences like this I hope I helped you feel like you're not alone in feeling that :)
Im 14 too and ive been exactly how you explained since I was 10 I’ve always been uncomfortable in large crowds so it’s comforting to know someone else knows what I’m going through
26 year old male here, with supposedly ptsd (psychiatrists still working out my diagnosis) 2:40 That is my life. however it is every single bite I take, even when I’m alone. I can’t eat anything without completely freaking out. Ive never had any eating issues in my entire life, until recently when I hit rock bottom.
Emil simonsen thank you for your message and for watching! Sorry to hear you are struggling - it’s really awful but I know that it is something that you will be able to get through. It’s definitely a form of anxiety that’s rears itself through eating and the more it happens the more you are programmed to feel like that every time you eat again. Because you have this subconscious (and conscious!) fear. I hope that with some help you can train your mind to feel okay about eating again - because it all stems from your own thoughts and feelings which can make it even harder to get through and control but it also means that you can change it and you are in control, it will just take time. Wishing you all the best!
k Kay xx kind of did, kind of didn’t. I’ve been working on a lot of stuff lately, and that’s like taking a kick in the face, but with time, it gets better and better. Staying strong and keep in with a steady pace is quintessential.
Thank god it’s not just me that has like a fear of swollowing and I’m also 14 ( the age when u we’re going through it ) and I’m just like struggling on swollowing food and even drinks I just get the feeling of me not being able to swollow it
I’m 16 and I struggle with something similar to this. I’m not anorexic or anything but at a random point of the year I suddenly feel anxious when I start to eat. Sometimes it starts because I’m afraid of the future and it carries on because I’m afraid of people leaving one day and being alone. Trying to fight through it at the moment but it’s hard. Glad to know this ends by the end of teenager era and know that people around my age experience this, it’s quite comforting. Mine isn’t necessarily by dating someone new, i don’t remember but it’s not that. I hope it ends soon
I think it cant be ended from my experience. I have been suffering like you since i m in primary school. So i guess just need to accept myself like this and let the things go with its flow.
I’ve felt every single thing in this video. I’m an 18 year old guy, never had this unless I was travelling and was super excited to be going. But happens more recently during covid probably because of how stressful this time is especially when eating out. Hope anyone else feeling this feels better :)
Thank you for making this video!I have had food anxiety since I was 3/4 years old and now I'm 16. It hurts. People (including my parents) don't understand how hard it is for me to eat food that I'm not familiar with. I only started eating meat about 1/2 years ago,the only fruit I eat is apples and bananas,I don't eat vegetables,I recently started drinking juice but I can only drink one flavour of juice,I don't eat fish,etc. As a kid I would refuse to eat and my mom,worried for my health,would force me to eat and when she would get frustrated because I didn't eat she would scream at me and ground me for not eating. That only made my anxiety worse. I avoid at all costs eating in a restaurant or in a friend's house because (even if I'm eating with just my friend) I panic about not eating like other people and I start feeling like crying and start to hyperventilate,etc. People don't understand so they say that I'm "not normal", that I'm a "freak" and that I "should eat like normal people". I try to ignore this comments but it still hurts, specially when they come from my family. People think that I don't eat because I don't want to or because I'm "insane". I don't eat because eating makes me panic. There is some food that I can eat without any type of stress or anxiety but there are other types of food that I completely panic about. I'm afraid that I won't be able to swallow it or that I'll hate the taste or the texture or that I'll have to throw up (I hate vomiting). It's like you said in the video,I don't do it because I don't like my body and feel like I need to lose weight. I'm completely satisfied with my body. I can't even talk about this with anyone because when I do try to talk to someone about my food anxiety people start blaming me and attacking me for not being able to eat. It makes me feel so lonely.
Inês Magalhães omg... im suffering from the same exact thing.. I can't believe that im not the only one...my whole life i was bullied because I didn't eat at school or kindergarten, camps ect. I never went to restaurants even with my bff's or family cuz im scared that I wouldn't like the food or could not swallow it.. my sister always makes fun of me cuz I don't eat with my family .. i eat separate food... my mom has cried cuz she would not understand why am i not eating .. she thought i was going to be hospitalized for several times .. Now im 13 and my mom is more understanding about it.. i have opened up about it with my friend and some of them are like "whatever, just eat whatever u want ! Don't think about it !" Rude. But one of my bff said that she never thought that that was the reason... I opened up to wrong ppl... i said ive never eaten burger and they buyed me a burger and tried to shove it in my mouth... I wish u the best! Ur not alone! 💓
@@user-os5xg2co8u Hi! I'm doing a bit better, thank you for asking 😁 I'm 21 now and even though I don't eat a lot more than I did at 16 when I made this comment, my family is a lot more understanding and my bestfriend, who I met a year later, is my rock and she's so understanding and sweet, she doesn't pressure me whatsoever and that really helps, I feel more comfortable to try food without the judgement. I have been able to try one thing or another once in a while, it's not consistent but it does happen and that wasn't possible before. The biggest advice I can give everyone that goes through this is to get a psychologist you can trust and never force yourself. You can try just a small bite and only if you feel comfortable cause otherwise it's gonna become another traumatic experience and it's going to make everything worse. In April I went to my bestfriend's house for her birthday and her whole family was there so I forced myself to eat chinese food and I had to leave the room cause my body started to reject the food and I almost threw up. The food was really good but it was a new flavour and a new texture so my body got into panic mode. What happened after is that for months I could not bring myself to try new food. So be patient with yourself and know that this is a slow process. You're teaching your body to not be afraid of food, you're teaching it that it's good for you and that takes a while and a lot of effort to break the patterns your brain knows since you were a kid. Some days are harder, some days I feel like I'm harming my body by not eating the right food but then I remind myself that I'm trying and that it's gonna take time. A thing that helps is starting to have good thoughts about food, even if you don't believe what you're thinking, it doesn't matter. After a while you're gonna feel more open to trying out other foods. Also, you're not obligated to like all foods. For example, I'm gonna try to eat vegetarian food, not because I want to be a vegetarian, I'm still gonna eat meat but I decided this cause I don't like fish and even though I really like some meats, most of them I only tolerate and maybe I'll like vegetarian food and will finally have a healthy, balanced diet. For me the most important part is my health. Don't give up guys, it's worth it, we're all gonna get through it. Merry christmas ❤️❤️❤️
I thought that I was the only one in this world that has this problem. When I was a child in Year 4, I suddenly puked during dinner service whilst on a plane and people started staring. I then had anxiety going to school and started developing a fear of eating outside with friends or people whom I don't really know. But whilst at home, I am able to gobble down a large pizza. For me, at home or anyone else home is my comfort zone where I know I am safe. I really do try to have bits and pieces here and there so that my tummy would have food in it. But still it's a learning process for me to know that I'm going to be okay. It's just that my mind wonders to the wrong direction and that's when the anxiety kicks in. Anyways, thank you very much for talking about this matter. Really does made me feel better. I hope you and everyone who goes through this makes it out the other side eating a big pizza by themselves in public.
Tks for this video. I've seen many like you sharing your account and I think your description by far is the most similar to what I am facing since 2020. Unlike most accounts that I have heard, I am a guy in the late 30s though. At 38 as a guy this feeling of nervousness eating infront of a person in a 1 to 1 situation like in a restaurant first came up. For me it's the fear of looking into someone's eyes while I eat. The fear of something bad that may happen and the person will know my troubles. Coping- In the beginning I tried to avoid eating altogether or excuse myself to the bathroom but that will lead to more and bigger avoidances. I knew that was not the way to cope with it. Today I'm still feeling that anxiety around eating infront of people but I try to look away, into the lights, into the far while chewing and swallowing and it helps abit. Knowing the specific part of the eating that makes you uncomfortable, helps you deal with it instead of avoiding eating with other people altogether. My strategy overall - Don't take a step backward else your avoidance becomes bigger and the things you can do socially can become less.
Thanks for this vid. I had this happen to me in college for about a year. It was very nerve wracking (quite literally) and kept me away from a lot of situations I wish I had been comfortable enough to be in. The thing about phobias is that they can develop out of nowhere and as much rationality as you put on yourself, telling yourself, "I'm fine, this is stupid, you can do this," sometimes your body just takes the wheel. I did eventually get over this- through exposure. I started small with things like coffee AND a pastry, ordering soup which didn't require a ton of chewing at first, or having an outdoor picnic, where attention was often focused elsewhere and I could take my time. It didn't go away all at once; it took several years to completely disappear. I urge anyone who is struggling with this to try to take tiny leaps to put yourself in situations that progressively make you a bit more uncomfortable. Only do this with people you trust and you will slowly see things start to improve. Good luck!
Actually for me it went off after a year but it started and now when I'm in front of food all I could here is the sound of people (who used to make fun of my eating ) in my mind ..it's really terrible ,I want to overcome it !!!!
My food anxiety is mainly about me being afraid of food poisoning or me getting sick after eating and that makes me really anxious. And anxiety is connected to the gut so being anxious makes me sick which makes me even more anxious, it's a horrible cycle! Because of this I also started being afraid of going outside because I'm scared that i will get sick in public. It's been like this for many years and it keeps getting worse :(
Exactly the same as me. Fear of germs in food. I can only eat what I prepare but need to check the best before dates alot. I have emetaphobia like you (fear of nausea and throwing up). It's a control thing, I'm 49, and this only started ten years ago. Not even a childhood trauma. CBT doesn't work. I hope we get better soon. Good luck.
OMG same for me !! I have struggled with this for a long time and couldnt imagine going outside after eating for fear of feeling sick outside . I used to stress so much after each meal , am i going to get sick or not? And i waited to arrive at work to have breakfast because i was scared if i ate before that, i would feel sick on the train going to work
I once threw up after eating pizza for dinner at my grandma's house where all my aunts, cousins & everyone one was there. The whole time while eating I felt uncomfortable, I felt afraid to swallow, and I thought I'm gonna throw up. After eating I threw up & it was a really tough thing to go through as I was trying so hard not to throw up. And now every time I eat in public I get this anxiety & I'm so afraid to eat pizza but today I ate pizza at home with my mom & dad and to be honest I had a little bit of anxiety but I however managed to eat like normal and I did eat without too much anxiety, I'm so glad that I ate a lot. And every time I eat in public now I always try to control my mind & think to myself that there's nothing wrong & it's going to be okay. Everyone who's going through this take a deep breath, you can do this. It's food not a ghost so of course you can swallow your food and eat like normal without throwing up it's all in our minds so let's take control of our own minds. Be strong!!💕
@@nisthashakya60 Thanks💕 It's not that easy actually. I commented on this video 5 months ago but if I'm being honest I still struggle with food anxiety. If possible pls get professional health, I wish I could get too but right now I'm not in a possible condition. I'm so sorry if you're struggling with it too. But while eating when I struggle I always think that I'm being stupid and that it's controlling me so I try hard to stop thinking about it and just eat. I always try to get rid of the thought which causes me to be afraid while eating by thinking that it's nothing and stop thinking about it and try to eat more. This in a way helps but getting professional help or talking to someone abt it is better. I thought I'm getting better at controlling my food anxiety, but I still struggle tbh but it's not that hard like I used to struggle. You can do it💕
I too find hopeless sometimes then again find new hopes..Well, food is not everything we are living for .. many a times when our body is not ready to accept it for whatsoever reason we should respect our feelings and eat anything that won't create a problem and help us survive for the moment.. without thinking why we can't enjoy ..is there something severely wrong with us?? If we give our body and mind time and acknowledge our emotions it won't take much time to come back to normal.. Although frustrating, accept it whenever it comes and engage in something productive to shift the focus.. this will subside.. and we can win over it any number of times it might try to put us down.
Thank you for your message, you are very welcome! Glad it is relatable and hope it has helped - so sorry that you are going through something similar xoxo
Lottie Rainbow yes thank you! When I get it when I’m really stressed, I’ve always explained it as the opposite of stress eating, that’s made the people I’ve told understand it a bit more. Thank you for being so lovely x
I feel my anxiety comes from the fear that I make weird noises when I eat or getting food around my face? It’s only in front of specific people as well so I honestly don’t know why this happens :(
Ellie Foster - omg same, for me it’s only in front of certain people. Some people I’m fine eating in front of but others I literally can’t day in front of them cause I’m so nervous. And yeah I’m also afraid of getting food all over my face and really scared that I’ll make weird noises while chewing or end up chewing with my mouth open and spit out food or something idk
I thought I'm the only one with this problem. I use to cry, why I'm so nervous in eating in front of my relatives. On a sunday evening I went out for dinner with my uncle and aunt. They don't know I have the fear of eating food. The waiter placed a delicious supper in the table. I felt like nausea when I see the food. I took a piece of paratha and then I ran into restroom. I cried, I said my problem to my aunt. She supported me. That evening spoiled because of me. And now I'm 14 I still can't get rid of the fear
Oh thank god! It feels so relieving to hear from others who understand this! I know exactly where it‘s coming from in my case: In my culture and familiy it‘s considered impolite to not eat what‘s on your plate. In restaurant-situations it‘s even worse because there you‘ve payed a lot and it‘s good quality food etc. so you just have to eat all of it. It‘s this pressure that makes me so nervous that sometimes I can‘t eat at all, while in relaxed state I can eat big portions without any problem. It startet in early childhood, when my brother would always pick on me for not eating all of my portion and I would feel so embarrassed, even humiliated. So the anxiety before going to a restaurant just built up and got worse each time. I hoped that I would just outgrow it somehow, but here I am, in my mid 20ies, still feeling the exact same way. I‘ve turned down so many invitations, trips and camps because of that. If someone can recommend anything that helped or also knows more videos about this topic I‘d be very thankful if you could let me know!
Hi how are you? I think we have the same case. I was always forced to finish my plate when i was a child. And was even humiliated in front of people when i cant finish it. Now i cant even socialize properly because of this. I am not shy or anything. I have friends but i avoid going out with them. By any chance, may I know what country you're from because it sounds like we have the same culture.
Wow it is so nice to see that someone else has this or had this issue! I always feel so stupid and feel like nobody understands. Everyone always says all girls get nervous around boys but mine is so much more deeper. I get it in formal situations with anyone and with boys. I have the fear I won’t be able to swallow and will gip.
i have severe emetophobia and i do have food anxiety because i feel like i’m going to throw it up. there was a point where i was on holiday and i had so much homesickness that i went without food for 48 hours and then i stopped going on holidays overall. i decided to take another holiday with my dad (we’re going to paris tomorrow) and i had a food anxiety episode today and i’m so scared but i don’t know what to do about it because sometimes i feel like he won’t understand but i think i need to tell him.
i have the same problem emetophobia. my worst enemys is eating something and than be scared to eat something else that doesnt fit with the other food (weird though i know) after eating food i get panic attacks becuase of emetophobie that i get physicaly ill but its just the panic, i know. but its to the point i'm afraid of eating more than one portion in meals. also, i eat very little and get panicky when i'm eating that i think i gonna throw it up and its not fun to live with this condition. i have been way too underweight but i feel like there is no end to this. i think this is getting out of hand because everytime i eat now i feel mentaly sick and i'm afraid of vomitingn all the time. i even trying to decide to eat less and get a fast but since i'm already so much underweight its probably not a good idea to eat even lesser. yeah food anxiety is real for me.
THIS, thank you. I thought it was just me :/ It’s so frustrating, It’s embarrassing, its been happening for a long while now, sometimes become less of an issue but it won’t go away. and I love to eat and suddenly I just get so self conscious while chewing and think I’d might choke or, but this just happens with certain food where I’m just afraid to swallow,, like let’s say..I can’t eat melted cheese (i wait to get it colder) due to incidents in the past probably. and almost all meats, I have a terrible habit to keep chewing till it feels gross in my mouth and just throw it. _sigh_
I know your comment is 2 years old but currently I am suffering through the same thing. I can't even eat oranges without the fear of swallowing because I think I'm going to choke. I hope you got through this. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
I can eat infront of my friends, my mum, dad and brother. But when I'm at school, a restaurant or a bbq/party, I feel really nervous and I just can't eat. My family and friends get worried because I just don't eat infront of people, so they think I'm anorexic. I just done know how to over come it, my mum just says 'well sometimes you have to eat infront of people so get ovet it' ngl that made me cry. No one is reading this, no one that cares but oh well :(
I am having this huge problem and this is why I searched this up. When I was younger I would always panic while eating worrying I was going to choke and now I’m at that age where there is no liquid medicine anymore and i. Can’t. Take. Pills. I’m scared of something something I can’t chew 😫 and I suffer from major headaches so I just have to deal with and not take any medicine to help it
whenever i feel anxious, even if its just a little bit, i get this feeling in my stomach and my throat feels like its closing and i try to eat but it just feels like i cant swallow it, like i cant breathe, im not scared of making a weird sound while eating, or choking or looking weird when eating, and ive never really cared about the way that i look, even if its my favourite food, i just cant swallow it, ive talked about it before and realised its kind of just a big loop one time when i was younger i got sick and i couldnt swallow food i had to eat yogurt for a couple days, then whenever something bad would happen, id feel it again, but now im just scared of it happening again and i get so worked up about it that it actually does happen, i am fine if im sharing food like chips or pizza, because i know if i dont finish it, the other person can, but when its MY meal, just for me i get scared because i dont want to waste someones money buying a meal for me and i just feel bad for not finishing it, i do like the food, it just feels like i am already full and im just trying to stuff food into my mouth, i really hope it goes away because i feel like when youre young people just think youre shy but as you get older i know some people wont think “oh maybe she’s anxious”, theyll just think i dont like the food or im rude
Thank you so much for posting this. I'm only 6 minutes in but every single thing you've said i can totally relate to. I cant eat at restaurants or other peoples houses because i panic that im going to panic and cant eat. But like you said, in a casual setting, like eating infront of the tv on the couch im totally fine. im really happy that i've found someone else who has gone through the exact same thing. Although mine has come from panicking that im going to feel sick or panic (in turn, feel sick), not that im going to choke. Im currently 25 and it still happens to me. Hope i can come out the other end like you have! well done :) x
Thank you so much for your message! I'm so glad that you can relate to this and hopefully it has helped, although very sad that you are going through this too as I know how awful it can feel. You have to unfortunately fight your fear face on - with people you feel the most comfortable with for example, make them aware, do it, and realise that the outcome was okay and that it is all in your head - there is nothing to be scared of and you will be absolutely fine. You will get through this, and in a few years you will look back and be so happy that you overcame it! Lots of love xx
Casey hi :) I’m 26 and going through this as well, have you found anything that has helped you? I can’t find anything that helps I just want it to go away :( xxx
@@brittanygriffin6609 Hi Brittany, I was 26 when I wrote that comment, according to what I wrote. I've just turned 29 and I still suffer with this every day. It's a little better since I've been with my boyfriend who is incredibly supportive of my issue and I seem to be okay around him. But no, it hasn't gone away :( how long have you been suffering? xxx
@@kissandmakeup18 Oh no I am so sorry. Have you done any tests or seen an ENT specialist? It went away for about a week but it came back. I noticed its worse with stress and without distraction. I am much better when I have a busy schedule or when I am REALLY hungry so I eat fast and I do not think about it. I am convinced it's anxiety related. I have been suffering it for a month now.
Thank you for your video, you are really brave to share it and you will help a lot of people feeling less lonely. The fear is definitely hard to live with as eating out, food, are central to our social lives. My advices are: 1/ Accept that you have this fear. Don't try to fight it. When I feel the anxiety coming, I start to talk to my fear like it was person. "I know you are here, we will do this together". 2/ Try to understand the reasons of this fear. What are the roots? 2/ Therapy. It's important to not keep it only to yourself it's a heavy burden and there are solutions for that. 3/ Exposure is the key. Avoiding the situation will only feed the fear. I know it's easy to say, I've been there. You need to start by a small step. The key is to do it at your rhythm, don't rush. 4/ And last advice, the one that I recently start to apply, is to talk about to your friends and family. If you are going out for dinner and you feel anxious, you can tell them how you feel. Normally, "real" friends will be compassionate with you and will try to ease you. My fear of eating out with people hit me at 18 years old and for years it ruined my life because I didn't know how to handle it until when I decided to seek therapy at 27 years old. It was the start of better days. I'm 33 years old today. I have long period of time where it's fine, there's no more anxiety but I still have "relapses". It's often when I feel vulnerable or stressed. Those 4 advices are definitely what helped me.
Thank you for making a video talking about this. A month ago, this exact same feeling started happening to me, and it’s making me feel alone. I start therapy on Monday, and I’m really hoping I can get to the bottom of this so that I can enjoy eating with my family and friends again :(
omg finally i found someone like me i just don’t wanna eat with my family or friends because when i swallow the food loud everybody is looking at me because of that and i hate it sm
Wow!! Thank you so much for this video! I've honestly been searching about this stuff for a few years now, but haven't found anything so specific to my food anxiety as this video! It's not a fear of choking, I'm not worried about eating healthy food, and it's not calorie counting. If anything, I need to gain a few pounds! It's just general anxiety around food. Any mention of eating, especially going out to eat or when I'm at work, induces anxiety and I don't know why! It's really encouraging to know that you and a lot of people in the comments section have experienced the exact same thing
J-Rod Musik thank you so much for your message! I’m so sorry to hear that you are struggling but I hope it has helped to listen to something that you can relate to - I do not have it anymore so I hope that makes you feel like you CAN get over this!! Thank you again and wishing you all the best 🌈
Hi :) I’ve just seen your comment posted on Lotties Instagram and I wanted to send you a quick message. I’m going through this and have been for two and a half years now and I was wondering if you’ve found anything to help you overcome it? I’ve tried having CBT but that’s more to learn how to cope with it. I don’t want to cope with it I want it to go away ha! Any thing that’s helped you id love to know :) xxx
Omg this is me!! It’s awful. I’m currently on holiday with my parents and honestly the thought of going to a restaurant is filling me with anxiety & makes me want to vomit.
Bro it's like going thruh hell when thinking about it I am struggling over 5 years and finally found this video and comments that similar to my problem I want a rid of it
You talk about the fear of choking creating that anxiety. For me, a year ago I started having food intolerances and this became the trigger. When I’m at home or with people that know about that it’s fine but outside plus with new people I can’t eat! Since I’m so scared, if I eat a little I will start having intolerance symptoms only because of anxiety! I started doing more work on myself hoping to erase that fear! Thank you for sharing your story! I can 100% relate! xxx
God I don’t dare to watch this video because it can be quite triggering for me but I’m so glad I’m not the only one in this world going through this shit. It feels SO SO SCARY and I thought I was going crazy for awhile. Literally had doctors putting things down my throat a few years ago trying to find blockages but nothing came up. Back then, no one really talks about anxiety so I didn’t know wth was going on. Till this day I’m still fighting this nightmare but I’m so glad for people like you letting me know that we’re not just being crazy people. Thank you!
Holy fucking shit. You described my situation 100% to a tee. I have scrolled through so much shit about anorexia and bulimia trying to find an explanation for my problem. When nothing is wrong and I am in a comfortable space, I eat until the cows come home (I work out and want to gain size/muscle, but I also have an insane metabolism so I eat about 3000-4000 calories a day) but when I am even slightly anxious about something (a test at school, an interview, etc) I cannot eat without feeling slightly nauseous. I also can’t eat at restaurants now, as I feel fine until I sit down and when the food comes I can’t even think about eating. Sometimes I go to the bathroom and cool down, only to get nauseous the moment I sit back down. I even fast throughout the day in preparation for dinner at a restaurant, and that still isn’t enough. I get my food wrapped up and then demolish it the moment I get home. It also sucks because my gfs parents live out of town, so when they are in town the odd time, we are inclined to do something formal, so everything adds up and makes me extremely nervous. I also find that this situation goes in phases. I was struggling for half a year, then was fine for 5 months, and then it came back. I am reluctant to try medication because I like to stay as natural as possible, but meditating and exercise and natural remedies don’t seem to work. Please respond to this if you want to have a conversation on this topic.
Omg same! Sometimes I’m chewing the food then I’m like oh fuck what if I’m being stared at and then two thoughts cross my head, should I just swallow it anxiously, or spit it the fuck out? Of course my dumbass is also to embarrassed to spit it out so I swallow the food chunk while anxious and boom this big wave of doom comes and it just feels like the end of the world and act anxious after the situation then I’m like, “did anyone see me do that again?”
I'm also going to Disney land in April, I'm dreading it because of the eating in restaurants parts..I'm fine if we got a takeaway and take it to the room but it's just when I'm eating in an actual restaurant with all the People and stress of feeling like you have to eat it all.
That’s me my friend! If I eat alone in my home… I will eat like a pig!! Cuz I’m comfortable! My stomach is open for eating. When eating out in public, let me tell you, my stomach, I kid you not, would not open. It’s as if it’s a gate guardian. So with that, I don’t feel comfortable eating out in public either. Hehe saves money too
Currently going through this. I got a bad bout of tonsillitis. Took forever to get an antibiotic. By the time I got it sorted it was weeks. And now have severe problems trying to eat. I get panicked every time I sit down to eat a solid meal. I can get soup, yorught, crisps and any liquid down. I can get a sandwich down IF I dip in soup. Yet I can't if it's just the sandwich. With anything proper solid, my throat tightens up my chest gets sore and my hands starts to shake. Doesn't matter if am on my own or in company. It's just stressful. Think I need a consuller
When I was much younger, I would have such a struggle eating meats like steak because I couldn't seem to swallow it, it's like I physically couldn't make myself swallow it. I'd just be chewing it forever, and eventually spit it out. Fast forward to high school, I've been diagnosed with anxiety (social and generalized) and I constantly felt like I looked stupid and messy and everyone was staring at me when I ate... I've slowly gotten better at it. A huge thing that's helped me is just reminding myself that everyone else is too busy worrying about themselves to really notice you and any little thing you're stressed about. They're generally thinking the same thing. Not everyone has actual anxiety disorders, but pretty much everyone has gone through a time where they were very self-conscious about how people saw them. Anyway... thanks for this video. You did a great job explaining the common symptoms but the differences with eating disorders and more generalized stress around food!
I also face the same sort of problems since 2019 ... I was always an introverted kid but in 2019 when u was 15 years old i met a girl at my tuition classes and she was into me and i didn't know that until she asked me out one day and at that moment I suddenly had a anxiety/panic attack also felt like I'm gonna throw up and that's the exact thing i did i went to the bathroom and vomitted that was the moment this all started in my life it really sucks .. For the next few months i felt a lot of anxiety and next year i also had my board exam(10th class) so it was undoubtedly the year i stressed myself the most in my life for preparations and also this.. for the next few months i was not able to finish my lunch and sometimes dinner and i barely eat any breakfast those months ... Also every morning i used to throw up not food but some acidic substance... DUE to that my family took me to a doctor.. almost 2 doctors they prescribed me some vitamins and etc. But i knew that those won't work and as I thought that didn't helped me with anything 😭 And about that relationship yes i somehow agreed for that cuz i was shy and she was also not that extroverted but more than me .. i would not call it a relationship actually it was more of a online chatting sort of stuff but we used to meet at tuition and to be honest i felt a lot of anxiety in my tution cause that was the place where it all started .... My exams were in 2020 after finishing my exams there was a long long break due to covid-19 until January 2021 and in the middle of it we broke up it was natural probably because we didn't get much chance to meet with others due to covid-19 .. But she left but this anxiety did not .. it stucked to me like a shadow but also on a positive point my food anxiety and all this stuff disappeared for a long time until i had a birthday invitation at a restaurant of a friend of my elder brother (may 2021) .. at that party idk why but it all triggered again after almost 9 months .. i was not able to eat the whole meal i packed the food but it was so embarrassing in front of all those peoples .. and also in the first phase of this anxiety I missed a lot of parties and the ones I went to was disaster in one birthday party i was not able to finish the same whole meal and also at the birthday party of my tution teacher i wasted a lot of food in front of his family due to this anxiety it was so embarrassing for me i literally went to the bathroom and i cried ... My tuition teacher was little to be known that i had some problems with my eating so he handled the situation but it was all so embarrassing for me 😭... And back in 2021 i did not suffer that extreme level of anxiety but i also missed some parties ... And in 2022 this was my school graduation year / 12 th class fortunately I did not face those situations this year i passed/graduated with 92% and now I'm 18 and i got college from next week I'm about to pursue economics honours but I'm also having anxiety of meeting new people and what would happen if I had to eat with them ... But i can say I've improved a lot with all of this cause I've told my family also the tuition teacher about how i feel in these moments they understood me but I'm still not sure that how can I manage all of this in a new place with new people and new probelms .. Also I have not tried to be in a relationship since that last breakup because i think what she would think about me and also how can I act normal and eat in front of her .. so i just gave up on having a partner I'll try again in college if i can stay strong and hopeful... AND ALSO THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO READ THIS TILL THE LAST LINE I HOPE MY STORY HELPS OR ATLEAST GIVE YOU SOME STRENGTH TO FIGHTBACK AGAINST THIS ANXIETY ISSUES ❤️❤️
For years I’ve been nervous of eating food in front of others. When I had to eat at the dinner table with my family, I ate extremely slow and tiny bites. When I was hungry at school, I just drank my milk, even though I wanted to eat the rest of my food. I’m pretty sure it started when I was 6, when my dad bought me popsicles, when we arrived home, I walked pass my grandpa and he mumbled “Greedy”. I felt like he was talking about me so I ended up not eating much of the popsicles. When I was 9 I was eating a bigger proportion of food than usual, at my moms house. My dad came to drop something off and he was shocked that I was eating that big of a proportion.I felt like I was overeating for my age, because why would he be suprised. A couple of months ago I was diagnosed with GAD, that feeling of being judged has grown stronger and stronger. Today I try my best to avoid scenarios like that, and just eat in my room.
One year on and I still have the same problem I feel like it’s affecting my relationships with both my family and my partner and his family :( at a loss with what to do. I still come back to this video to know that it isn’t just me which kind of helps x
this helped me so much i’m going through the exact same thing and it scares me the fear of eating in front of my crush or my boyfriend but no one else and i’m fine eating in front of anyone else it’s so frustrating but i need to face it head on because it’s not scary thank you so much x
I used to skip lunch and cafeteria crowd but I realized that it makes my anxiety eorest because I was just avoiding the problem so I tried to challenge myself.
I feel stuck in this bad mind set. I’m nervous to swallow, afraid to choke. I’ve gotten over anxiety that was uncontrollable and very bad for a years, I tried everything until I just got control of it by just excepting it, my anxiety was fear of breathing correctly which lead to hyperventilating. but this eating thing has me in a hump again, it seems to be getting worse :(. Thanks for the video this helps to know I’m not alone in this one.
I used to feel this way when I was really young and it quickly went away. But now all the sudden it has come back right when I started going out after quarantine and it’s really annoying that I can’t eat when I’m out with my friends. It sucks because I used to be just fine with those exact people before we were quarantined but I guess I’ve just been so used to being at home that now I’m nervous when I go out to eat. I don’t even have a specific reason as to why I feel like this, it just comes out of nowhere and the only way I can avoid this feeling is to not eat and distract myself with playing games on my phone. I hope that I get over it soon but I just don’t know how.
Thank you normalizing that our fear is irrational with out making us feel silly! I felt so scared to eat in front of others that I would get the buzzing or nauseous.
my emotophobia let me to fear of eating because i have a constant fear of throwing it up again and since stress and eating is same hand in hand i feel always sick after eating but its just panic attack and i have fear of eating now. i think of doing a fast but its gonna be hard. i'm 29 years old man and i have slight underweight so probably not a good idea for fasting, but because of this fear i believe the only way to handle it is to just stop eating all together. but what to do when i'm hungry? i dont know. i dont know what to do anymore right now. its horrible. i have this eating fear almost a year now and now its to the point that i get panic attacks after every meal. its not a fun place to be. also i have acid reflux and that doesnt help either it makes me more panicked.
Just come across your video, bless you for making this thankyou, everything you said is a perfect example of what I go through but I’ve only really recently accepted that I have a problem around eating foods while facing people, mainly when I’m being watched face to face, I can happily eat sitting beside someone or snacks are easier. But I really struggle to swallow infront of people and it sucks!!!. ❤
I have this problem. Have for the longest too like elementary. I'm 26 now. Throughout the years I usually avoid it, but I do on occasions go out to eat with family or go to a barbecue like you said. But sometimes I can't go because the anxiety is high. For work , I never go eat lunch with coworkers. I've always avoided the Christmas luncheons. This year, we are having one i think. Nervous about that. And this week. My coworker that always invites me to lunch said he wants to go with a couple other coworkers for a "Christmas lunch " which is cool you know but I can't go out to eat. I can't. And he's like and I'm not taking no for an answer this time. Ima have to say no of course , just don't want to feel like a douche or something or some type of ahole. Which I'm not. I just can't go out for lunch with people ...
Hi, I tried to hv lunch with coworkers for 2 months already. Like every single day, I felt like I will hv panic attack during lunch. And my coworkers will be asking me why I cant finish my lunch. Just wanna know if you hv coped through this issue?
@@manying5813 I still don’t go out for lunch with co workers. That’s exactly why I wouldn’t want to go either , they will most likely ask why I’m not finishing my food , or they say “ you never eat” . They’ve kinda stopped asking now lol, which I’m glad. But yeah no I’m still struggling with it. It’s gotten to a point where even at home I can’t finish eating something , or when I do I get anxiety… I hope it’s just a phase and hopefully soon I’m able to climb out of this hole to my better self again.
@@lincoln6981 Thanks for sharing! 🥺 I can totally relate to yr situation, I also can't eat much even when I am alone due to acid reflux issues. It's like a bad cycle between food anxiety and stomach problem. My working performance also got affected because I didn't eat much during the lunch. Hopefully we can go through this difficult phase (which I also don't know when it will be) 🙏
U knw! I’m in the same situation. I work in an office setting, I let my coworkers know ahead of time that I’m not comfortable eating around ppl, and anxiety, whichever of the two. Is fine. And they don’t mind that at all. But I need to eat lunch alone damn it!! Lol
Things for me got so difficult in the past that I started to question society, like, why can’t we just meet outside to do something together instead of meeting at a restaurant? Not just for dates, I feel like even with friends and family we always have to be in front of a table (or end up there after having done something else) to eat food/drink something just to spend time together
I have a strong fear of choking so I eat food really slowly and chew it to mush before swallowing. It takes me like 20 minutes to eat and I feel very insecure about it. I don’t like eating in public for fear of someone judging me for eating slow
Tamaira Panton hey I’m currently having that problem I been to doctor about they told me I had acid reflux but I think it’s my anxiety but I haven’t really been eating a full meal in the past day
Tamaira Panton do you also get Chest tightness and jaws tightness when you start eating bc I do have that a lot ! And sometimes I forget to sallow and then I get more scared
I do sometimes get scared when I’m about to swallow food and I kind of have to do something distracting while I eat like tapping my foot on the floor or taking a deep breath then I swallow
It's really a "floating anxiety" which is why it's difficult to pinpoint and are the worst because of that. I literally cannot go out to eat half the time but especially with my mother because I can see she notices and seems like it affects her because she starts acting different which makes it more difficult on me. It's the worst because my daughter, myself and my mother would usually go out to eat so I just can't do it anymore since I literally had to leave the restaurant before because it felt like a panic and the only thing I could do was get out but they noticed before even though I was trying to subside it which made it even worse. I usually feel it nearly everyday but just in small spurts in stores, driving, and other places but usually goes away after a few minutes. I literally get to where I can't think and do not feel like myself but something usually sets it off. I found staying away from things that are bothersome and focusing on good things like the family that I love as well maybe my business helps tremendously. But for years now things have seemed out of whack with relationships and just life in general and that I need to get/keep things calm and just together or close. It seems like to me there is just all kinds of anger and really a coldness in the world just in general as well anxiety in the public that has never been there and is affecting everyone in one way or another. Some handle it better than others but the effects of it is everywhere. At the same time it's making many people better on the opposite end instead of worse. Anxiety like I explained in the beginning I felt is literally the worst I ever experienced because there is no real general cause that you can say, yeah, I can fix that to make things better but knowing you're not crazy definitely helps and I know 100% that having as many people in your corner as possible will relieve the anxiety but that was/is a big part of my problem that there is too much division and people who should help who do not seem to want to or take it seriously. Support and understanding is the best remedy I can tell because they are the only things that have helped me. The "political" division is a huge factor in why so many are feeling these things with family even turning against one another and a lot of passive aggressive behavior. Her catch frase "just do it" use to be the go to and another one "no fear" to now today putting ourselves before our own children or the children for our own safety. It just seems like selfishness is the biggest part of the day instead of selflessness and it has definitely affect society to the point where we're running from things we can't control when it use to be society valued the safety and welfare of the kids first and foremost. That says a lot about where we are today and how we need to change things BACK to how they use to be. All this virus stuff has everyone at odds too as well on edge when it shouldn't be that way.
Thank you so much for this. I have this for a while now and when i am somewhere like school cafeteria i am not able to eat, my hands are always shaking and i am anxious. I hope it'll get better :)
I have terrible food anxiety due to having emetophobia. I got over it for years after I passed out from low blood sugar when I was 19. After that I started to like food because I knew it would make me feel better and I understood that it was only helping me. But after I had kids and they started getting sick often it sparked my emetophobia from childhood and I’m back where I started. Recently I’ve lost 60 pounds in 5 months
I am suffering too and it’s been exactly one year. I am trying my best to overcome it but it’s still here. Whenever I go out for a drink with friends or eating at restaurants with my family I get anxious and say I can’t swallow especially around people. I also find taking sip of tea is very hard because I hold it in and wait then swallow it I never took a sip for one go I always like pause then swallow. This always happens to me. Every time I’m nervous my heartbeats fast and I can’t control my body therefore swallowing becomes harder. This affects my quality of life. I have suffered a lot and thought at the beginning that I have something else. The first two weeks this started I lost 7kg I struggle just to take a sip of water I thought I’m going to die. I went to so many hospitals for check up I did endoscopy, barium swallow, ultra sound scan, blood test. I even did the endoscopy twice and they said there is no major problem only you have irritated esophagus due to acid reflux but that’s normal. Anyway, I I’m still struggling to be honest sometimes I also have panic attacks which later results to more anxiety. There are days when I swallow fine without getting scared or anxious but the feeling that I’m unable to swallow comes frequently. My situation becomes worse now I really don’t know how to deal with it. I tried taking deep breaths, but it never worked I always feel very nervous whenever I eat and think of my swallowing. If you have figured how to overcome this please help. Thank you for sharing with us your experience I thought I was alone.
I'm sorry you are going through this. I have fear of eating around people too and in my worst period, a fear of swallowing even when i eat alone (but I have rarely this fear). Even though I still struggle but less than before, what helped me was seeing a therapist and explaining out loud my fear. Before seeing a therapist, I was ashamed of my fear and didn't talk about it. Aknowledging it was necessary. Then you have to expose yourself gradually to situations you are afraid of. Avoidance will only feed your fear. Then, when I'm in the situation where I'm anxious, I talk to myself and to the anxiety like a real person. I tell to my anxiety "ok I know you are here, you exist and you are annoying. We will go through this together". Also, focusing only on the present moment helped a lot. I know it's not easy to apply this especially when you are on the verge of a panick attack but try to implement step by step this healthy mental mechanism. I hope it will help you but first please go see a therapist.
@@tkoviet Thank you so much for your concern. I liked when you said you actually speak with your anxiety. I think it’s very important to know that you’re in control and all of that. I think I’ll try to do the same. Also, eating in front of people needs practice ((a lot of practice+ courage)) till I get used to it. By doing that I believe the fear will disappear somehow by itself. I’m still anxious sometimes, but at least it’s better than before. I did see a therapist, but then I stopped cause I had to go to another country. I will go see a therapist for sure once I’m ready. Just one thing I’d like to mention maybe it will help you too is that I write down my emotions and feelings even if they are negative. It helps to get it off my chest. One more thing is that I keep myself occupied by doing different things so that my mind can be distracted on other things and not focusing on the same problem which is the fear of swallowing. I remember my therapist told me that whenever I feel panicked or anxious by just sitting in a public areas like a cafe drinking tea or eating something she said get yourself used to the place and area around you DON’T leave right away after you’re done. Try to sit there for a few more minutes before leaving. There are other techniques it’s just depends on which one works better for you. Wish you all the best and good luck 💜😊
I’m a dude. And I’m going through this. I do have a eating disorder. If I eat by myself, oh I go crazy destroying that food But at the same time, I also eat very calmly around close friends and families. I have the exact same thing what you went through. Except I do go through that phase where I’m like…. How the duck do I swallow this lol.
I have this strange fear that people will hear me swallowing when I eat/drink and be grossed out, so I avoid eating in public and with other people. But currently I am doing exposure therapy to overcome it, so like the other day I got food at a cafe and instead of getting takeaway and eating it in my car, I got the food to have there and ate it in the cafe. It was so difficult, I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack and that other people were going to notice me swallowing and think I was weird/disgusting. However I pushed through and I'm proud of myself for doing that. Anxiety is so weird how it can make you afraid of totally irrational things ugh!
i’m at uni right now and i just moved in, and i am having to deal with it, its really hard because i’m only 18 and all alone and i have to eat and cook my meals by myself and i get really scared wether i’ve had enough food or not... hopefully i can get comfortable at university so my food anxiety goes away or at least calms down...
I have the same thing! I panic thinking “I haven’t eaten enough and if I don’t eat by a certain time I’m definitely going to faint” I think about food 24/7
Im 13 (almost 14) I had a chocking incident 2 months ago and Im still scared to eat solid foods cause i feel like there are fragments of it stuck in my throat and it doesn’t go away with water, I’ve gone to the hospital 4 times and they have found nothing (i have recently come to the conclusion thats I have a fear of swallowing) but im slowly starting to eat soft fruits and am now going to therapy so hopefully I can eat again soon [Wish me Luck]
Hi I’m an 18 year old boy and I’m going through this at the moment and it’s horrible:( everything your saying I can relate to and I’m having some troubles about over coming it, I’m having some counselling but I can’t go round to my girlfriends house and have dinner say around the table with her family, I hope you see this comment and reply! It would really help!
Same, with friends i'm fine and with family i'm fine. With a girl? Jesus christ I can barely chew, so you're def not the only one out there. Funny thing is I never knew I had this until i recently started dating.
I struggle with eating because I always feel like I'm about to choke. I went 5 days with only 4 sandwiches. I also have panic attacks and low blood sugar so I start having a low blood sugar episode and I needed to get sugar but I'm terrified to eat. Then i start having a panic attack because i was so tired and i wanted to eat but i was scared. Is anyone else like this? I reached out to my mom but she says it's in my head and I just need to eat. My sister also has a broken leg, so I feel like I'm a burden and my mom even said she has enough going on and now she has to deal with my "problem".
Hey, thank you for sharing this! I found that I could really relate to your video. I started getting anxiety around eating when I was about 16, and then it got much worse when I got my first boyfriend and had to go round to his house for dinner with his family. It stayed with me until towards the end of uni, and I can remember a 4-day holiday in France with my family, where I ate a really small amount of food and thought I might starve - but my anxiety still wouldnt let me eat! When I get anxiety during a meal (which tends to be formal situations, dates, or if there’s just one other person. I think this is all due to a fear of feeling pressure to eat all the food on my plate and to hold a long conversation) then I tend to get hot, feel bloated and nauseous. And most of the time I have to leave the table to throw up - it’s so embarrassing and makes me feel extremely rude - and I think it’s the fear of this happening that actually causes my anxiety (and sadly it does). My anxiety went away for about 3 years, after I got counselling in my final year of uni, but it has recently started to come back again. This article was really helpful in reminding me of some of the tips my counsellor gave me. I think the most important one that I learned from her was that eating a meal is not about the food - it’s about the conversation and the socialising - so if you focus on that then the food and whether you eat it or not becomes much less important. I also became a vegetarian, so that I would feel less pressure to eat all the food on plate - because I don’t mind eating potatoes on my plate, but I wouldn’t want to leave an animal. Thank you for all your advice - I really thought I was the only person with the fear, so it’s really eye-opening to hear your experiences. I’m so glad to hear that you’re feeling better now - and I hope that continues!
I've had this since I was about 12.. It stopped at around that time and came back last August, but then it went away. I have it again, and it's so annoying! It's not that I can't eat because I can eat normally at home with my family. I wish it would just go away...
Hello ! I’ve always loved food a lot and I never had an issue with it until this Christmas a family member of mine took me to a Japanese restaurant and thought it would be a good idea if I try something new. The food they served was raw and not to my taste buds. Since then I have developed some sort of phobia when swallowing foods. I eat it but I feel like I can’t swallow it and I hope I will get over it really soon and get back to my old self again !
Same for me, I wish i could go back in time and just not go to the dinner i was invited to. I loved food and eating with people but this little minor situation has changed me for the worst. I was invited to dinner a few months back with a family friend... I was vegetarian for a long time and just recently got back into eating meat. So they made me a home made meal I never had before, with lots of beef and i literally just could not eat it. I felt forced to eat and ended up taking a couple bites. I felt so bad they prepared a whole meal for me and i couldn't enjoy it. Ever since then my mind has developed a fear around eating with people. I just want my old fearless self back. Something so normal as eating and my mind is over complicating it. :(
@@Lynn-ip9sh hey I’ve totally recovered from it ! I think I was just in shock from the raw fish because I wasn’t used to it ! Built my confidence back up by starting with things like soups and smoothies and now I’m back in action and I’m never eating anything like that again !
I'm having the same thing...I'm just going to be 17 .. It started 5-6 years before ( coz of a classmate who made fun of me while eating ) and i got soooo nervous and anxious that my hear beat increases soo fastly and my hands shakes like earthquake while eating ...and it remained for a whole year ( once I even fainted) And I thought it's just me The mind is the so powerful weapon against one which sometimes screws everything up!!!! After a while I guess it just moved off ( trembling of hands)from me slowly but still I was nervous..then I got into hostel and I didn't wanted anything to screw it up as we all had our dinner together but there I was shockingly fine!! But the school screwd everything up..slowly I had haters enemies and they always had eye on me and then again I got that food phobia back..it was really a headache for me..now I'm able to control it mostly...but still the fear..food phobia gets into action ... I want to get rid of it completely !!!!
Me too, its been about 8 months for me and it sucks. I want to be able to eat comfortably in front of anyone but just cant. When i'm out to eat with my family I just sit there and drink water. I am going to try and get on some social anxiety medicine. I heard one guy say he had this problem really bad, too nervous to eat in front of anyone and he got on social anxiety medication and it completely eliminated his nervousness and fear of eating in public and around friends and family.
No, I had this my entire life. So I don’t know if this would be strong enough to stop my anxiety. I had and still have major anxiety, but my concern about my anxiety is being self conscious eating around people. I haven’t gotten rid of it and I kinda don’t know how. But I hope in the future I can grow out of it. And just in case I can’t, can y’all give me advice on getting rid of it?
I have a fear of going to get food in a public (school) because I don't know if they're going to stare at me or laugh or talk about me, so the past 3 weeks and a half I never got food in public when there's a lot of people especially, school
Uhm I'm 14 and I am scared of food because I'm scared the food I eat has something I'm allergic to in it. I have a big fear of my tongue swelling and not being able to breathe. And I'm deathly allergic to peanuts. So lately I always see food as something I'm allergic too and I panic and throw the food away. It's tiring and it makes me want to scream and cry every time I know I won't be able to eat the food in front of me because I'm terrified. I'm gOing to therapy on March 2nd but I would rather be put in the hospital and tube fed. I'm tired of this. I'm underweight and have become super weak but I'm still scared of food. Never thought I would say that cuz I use to eat food like there was no tomorrow
I have BPD and ADHD and I struggle so badly with this. Food is my way to cope but it has reached a dangerous point. I am in therapy so I'll be okay but it's so embarrassing to tell people that "I trust you but I don't trust anyone that eating in front of them is okay"
I get really nervous when I eat in public places and I start trembling and the thought of people noticing me shake makes me shake even MORE. I tremble in public places every time I have to go out to the store by myself Just public places in general I start breathing uncontrollably, trembling , can’t seem to get the words out when someone tries to make conversation with me May God help us with Social Anxiety 🙏
I struggle with the same thing when I'm dating someone new and it sucks when they want to take me out to eat because I don't want them to think I'm not interested in them when its actually just that I'm nervous to eat in front of them.
Kayla Gomez same
Kayla Gomez same
I have a food disorder ( aka a food phobia ).. I like watching these because I see that it’s not just me with this..it’s more people too!
Same
Cheers for this, I been tryin to find out about "what age group does anxiety affect the most?" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Senonnor Puzzling Superiority - (search on google ) ? It is a good exclusive product for discovering how to conquer your social anxiety minus the headache. Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my neighbour got great results with it.
Absolutely, I don't care about calories, I don't care about weight gain are lost, I just have food anxiety and I don't know why. I do have a lot of stressful situations that happen in my life but I just want to be able to eat like normal people
Luxurious Interior Designs I really recommend talking to a therapist about this - I think it would be really helped to get to the bottom of the cause of anxious feelings which then in turn, links back to food and eating. You are not alone and it will get better! All the best x
@@LottieRainbow Thank you I did reach out to a therapist after watching your video. Thank you for letting me know that we're not alone it took a lot of courage to do a video like this.
@@LuxuriousInteriorDesignshy how are u doing now?
Get the exact same thing. Im 18 year old male, always stuggled eating growing up, only when i was really nervous about something, normally just exams. When I was 17 i suffered bad during a levels, waking up and not being able to eat breakfast without feeling incredibly nauseous and wanting to vomit. I would normally take 2-3 scoops of my cereal and then just bin it. I wanted to keep at least a tiny bit of what ive eaten, and not eat more with the risk of vomiting. I decided I would have breakfast drinks like those wheatabix ones thinking theyd be easier to digest, but i remember sipping at one in the morning pre exam for like half hour. I eventually forced myself to finish it, went to brush my teeth and just threw it all up. Thankfully it didnt effect my a levels.
It was after a levels when my food anxiety spread to other situations. I found a girl I really liked and whenever wed go out to eat id feel incredibly nauseous just at the smell of food. Literally couldnt think about anything else apart from thinking about the food thats about to come. On multiple occasions ive taken one bite then had to excuse myself to the bathroom, thinking id throw up. Normally id just take a moment to let myself calm down cause in a way it kind of feels like you cant breathe. Thankfully the girl that i had these meals with is an absolute angel and didnt care at all. There was even a time i cancelled my order while they were making it cause i knew i wasnt gonna be able to eat it.
Following these experiences the feeling continued to spread to more situations like when going out with my family for birthdays and stuff. It became a viscous cycle where i really want to eat (to be polite and to enjoy myself), so i will be angry if i cant eat, then therefore the result is i cant eat. These situations are more on and off, and i dont get the anxious feeling when out for meals with the family unless something else is stressing me out.
Also what happens is once the event that i was nervous about is over (eg job interview), my mindset is completely changed and i can feel my body wanting to eat food and i know that im not going to feel ill. Physically when experiencing food anxiety, my mouth feels dry when i put food in there, and that bite requires so much more chewing than normal, then when you come to swallow, i have to psych myself to take the plunge and swallow the food. Id then take some deep breaths to get my bearings back and try to go again.
Fortunately im not underweight as i take advantage of times i have appetite and i eat like a fucking pig and live a healthy lifestyle.
I have always been truthful with those around me and they know about how i can feel at times. My sister had the same thing and she said it eventually passed and i shouldnt worry. I understand i should try be positive but like anyone else watching this video you probs understand that not being able to eat when you want to is incredibly upsetting, although its not something ive like cried about but its always at the back of my mind, ironically eating me up. This kind of anxiety is still something i live with and i am yet to control it. I really hope i get over it by the time i go to uni in september after my gap year. I cant believe ive never looked to youtube for help and to see if there are more people that have experienced this. Id be very surprised if somebody reads this far, but from reading the comments its seems like everybodys experiences are slightly different but this was mine and hope somebody can relate.
Bro... I'm 21.. I'm also experiencing the exact same thing... Like when i was reading, i felt as if it's my story... I've been suffering from this from 1year. It's really upsetting 😔🙄
ur situation matches with me....but just i am underweight
. I was kind a giving up on me that i couldn't overcome this fear but the Only motivation that made me not to give up was bodybuilding.....i was very motivated in bodybuilding which was going super but when this anxiety came it all turned up...as u know building body also requires intake of more good calories so...because of eating i couldn't Help my muscles. so....i just wanted to say thank u...i felt really good after realising that there are people out there like me.
Same here .....plus I Vomit after drinking water and comfortable when am home...
Exactly the same here. I build up in my head that I won’t be able to eat when I go out for a meal and that it’ll be embarrassing if I can only have one bite. The first bite is always the worst but then sometimes I can eat the rest and feel hungry but the feeling of anxiety exists from the moment I find out that I’m going for a meal and gets worse when I actually order the meal. I’m also 18 and has only really started after finishing exams which is strange.
Aditya Verma I am suffering too and it’s been exactly one year. I am trying my best to overcome it but it’s still here. Whenever I go out for a drink with friends or eating at restaurants with my family I get anxious and say I can’t swallow especially around people. I also find taking sip of tea is very hard because I hold it in and wait then swallow it I never took a sip for one go I always like pause then swallow. This always happens to me. Every time I’m nervous my heartbeats fast and I can’t control my body therefore swallowing becomes harder. This affects my quality of life. I have suffered a lot and thought at the beginning that I have something else. The first two weeks this started I lost 7kg I struggle just to take a sip of water I thought I’m going to die. I went to so many hospitals for check up I did endoscopy, barium swallow, ultra sound scan, blood test. I even did the endoscopy twice and they said there is no major problem only you have irritated esophagus due to acid reflux but that’s normal. Anyway, I I’m still struggling to be honest sometimes I also have panic attacks which later results to more anxiety. There are days when I swallow fine without getting scared or anxious but the feeling that I’m unable to swallow comes frequently. My situation becomes worse now I really don’t know how to deal with it. I tried taking deep breaths, but it never worked I always feel very nervous whenever I eat and think of my swallowing. If you have figured how to overcome this please help. Thank you for sharing with us your experience I thought I was alone.
Holly crap I really thought I was the only one with these types of feelings. You make me feel now that I can over come all this.
I agree Ben,I've had this too I feel it's hard being a bloke who is suppose to love his food. I do love it but I just get intimidated in public.
Lol nah bro. I’ve had this for 3 years lmao. I get anxiety around ppl in general. Eating is a Nono
I suffer horribly from this! It’s gotten so much worse in the past 3 years I don’t even know if it’s social anxiety all I know is once i eat in a restaurant.. I develop this sudden urge to throw up or gag then people judge me for not eating much or wasting food!
Im going through the same thing
me too..
Did you ever overcome it?
Omg same
Omg sammmee hereee i experience the same thing i just dont know how to get over this at all 😭😭
Its crazy to see how many of us there actually are dealing with a form of this. For me i get it with only real meals.. i can eat snacks anywhere and drink but with real food its just the anxiety comes in.. I realized i had it last year on my girlfriend’s birthday. We went to a restaurant and me knowing i don’t eat much.. i only ordered fries.. while everyone ate fries I probably ate like 10 fries in a hour or 2 of sitting there. Its like the hunger goes away and is replaced with a full feeling and anxiety. The same happened at my graduation recently where me and my girl’s families went to a restaurant where i tried and ate only one chicken tender and a few fries and i was done.. if anybody knows ways to combat this it would really help us all. I barely have an idea of why this happens but i don’t want it to ruin any special moments for us all.
Tiga 🙏🏾🥺 I completely understand
Hello! I hope you’re doing well. For one, I try to opt for the outside dining at restaurants! I would feel trapped in one room. Another thing is my first time I went back into a restaurant and did well, was when I visualized everything before I went. I visualized: the waitress is going to be nice. The music is going to be calming, the food is going to be delicious. I will do well.
Remember to forgive yourself for getting nervous. It’s okay. I also started writing down all of my little Victories. Etc: I ate with a friend today!
When you face that bully piece by piece, you’re gonna gain confidence in it and as you get more confident the fear of getting an attack etc reduces. You can do it!!!
@@teagan1636 i dont really like restaurants anyways. We also went to a buffet oneday just me and her and i was fine. Idk what the anxiety is for. Lol. Thanks tho. Hope we both complete this weird journey
@@itztiga hi Tiga, how are you getting on now?
Finally, someone who understands how I feel!
The concept of eating dinner in front of someone genuinely terrifies me now, i don't know why, i NEVER used to be like this. I used to eat so quickly within minutes and not care. Now I'm picking at my food, not even wanting to go out with friends since they'll want to eat. It seems so stressful now.
Wow! Thank you for this video. I had no idea that other people dealt with eating anxiety. My anxiety is that the food will either make me sick or that it will upset my stomach and I’ll have to go to the bathroom in a public restroom. I’ll usually stick with soup if I’m out eating. For sleep, I use guided meditations. I like Kelly Howells guided meditations. I always fall asleep. Also lavender essential oil on the bottom of your feet. Yoga before bed really helps me too.
I'm 26 and have had this my whole life, I've learnt the older you get the worse it gets as there's even more social interactions that include food as your grow up. I've still got all these issues but my advice to anyone younger would be to hit it head on, & talk to your friends & family about it. Don't bottle it up.
I am currently dealing with this same thing. I've had terrible anxiety for years but only recently, have I not been able to go out to eat. At work, I've had to find places to hide away so I can eat alone. Thank you for sharing your story. I know I can get over this. It is through stories like yours that give me hope. :)
So sorry to hear that you are struggling but you are right, you CAN get over this! Best of luck xx
Have you find solution to beat this anxiety? Please :(
I can relate with the “avoid eating” coping mechanism. I couldn’t and even still struggle to even eat at the dinner table at my grandmas house. I always have to eat at the living room coffee table or downstairs. I still don’t know why I can’t eat in front of people that I don’t see often or meals that other people prepared other than my parents and friends (?) ;(
Omg yes I also get anxious when I eat near someone I don’t see often
@@Tia-zk1jz same here! And I’ve been dealing with it for the last 3 years or so lol. Man even till this day. But! I can eat around families or close close friends. Lol idk why I feel this way with certain ppl or group. Some of us r just nervous
When friends ask to get together over lunch or dinner, most of the time I suggest we grab coffee, instead.
It is not a solution to my food anxiety, but it is a way of getting around it, so I can just focus on enjoying time with friends.
I teared up a little bit because I do the same thing :(
Wow same here
I cant even drink in school ):
me tooo
This is mind blowing because there are A LOT of similarities with my story 🤯 Not being able to swallow it, eating in front of others, going abroad for the first time with a friends family. Wow! Thanks for sharing ☺
I’ve been suffering this problem for around 7-8 months now. Around November last year, I went round to have dinner with my dad, which led to me seeing something that led to me having a full on panic attack. Whilst I was having this panic, dinner was ready and I sat down, took a bite of pizza and immediately ran up to the bathroom because I felt so nauseous. I was in there for half an hour panicking that I was going to be sick. ( I had slight emetophobia anyways ). Since then, that one reaction I had has grown inside me and I now struggle with anxiety everyday. I struggle to eat, I struggle to eat at restaurants, I struggle to go anywhere that it’s my house at this point, as well as a constant fear of becoming anxious. It has completely ruined my life and now I’m starting to struggle with simply living. Knowing there’s others who feel the same and have similar experiences helps me feel so comforted, because for a while I thought i was all on my own.
I thought I was the only one who felt this way. I thought I had emetophobia, (maybe I do) since I feel nauseous and get panic attacks whenever I have to eat food in front of people or before having to go to a place where there’s a lot of people.
It goes down 2 different ways:
1. Eating with others/in public: the second someone asks me to go to a restaurant or go to their place and eat, my throat tightens up, I start sweating, and my heart starts racing. It’s the only thing I can think about until the day comes. The constant anticipation of the event eats at me. When the day comes, I get a full on panic attack and my mind starts coming up with excuses to try and get me out of the situation OR my mind starts putting negative scenarios into my head like: “you’re going to throw up”, “you’re not going to finish your food and people are going to be mad at you and judge you”, “what if you get an allergic reaction to the food”... I feel incredibly nauseous, become pale, and start trembling. If I force myself to go, the anxiety lasts up until I take my first bite of food, (I try to order things I’ve eaten before) or my anxiety lessens and doesn’t go away for the remainder of the time I’m eating.
2. Eating before going out: I used to struggle with this, not so much anymore. I had a fear of throwing up in public, therefore my coping method used to be not eating hours before and during an event. Later, I started to eat before and during events as long as they were “safe foods”, (foods I was comfortable with). I continue to eat food that I know is good for me and will sit well in my stomach. This has been my healthiest coping mechanism up to date.
If anyone has advice on how to cope with anxiety while eating in restaurants or in front of people please let me know! Right now, my best strategy is to eat around people who understand my situation and won’t judge me.
Just to let u know, you r not alone. :)
Hey I can totally relate to it. So how u doing now ?
@@KomalSingh-yl3iq Wow the timing of this is so perfect. I'm currently on a 3 week road trip with my boyfriend and had to face my eating anxiety head on. For the first 7 days of the road trip, I was barely able to eat anything because my anxiety was so strong. Luckily, my boyfriend is someone who I can be open and honest with without feeling judgement. I told him about my struggle with eating and he was nothing but calm and supportive. By the 8th day of the road trip, my physical symptoms lessened and I was able to eat! Since the 8th day, my physical symptoms have decreased a bunch, but my anxious thoughts are still present. If I've learned anything, its that you have to face eating head on... even if you can only have 1 bite for the first few days, thats better than avoiding the situation for years.
@@CassyPaz thanks I needed this. No matter how much we share with our friends someone who has lived it can only truly understand it. May god bless us ❤️🙏.
I m feeling scared to eat in front my family also sometimes
I'm extremely happy I found this video; I've been going through the exact same situation for quite some time now and it has got to the point where it's really bad. I'm glad to see someone could find the proper words and explain the situation the exact same way as it feels like (because I probably would struggle with it). Of course, words can have a really strong effect on you (whether it would be in a positive or negative way). Thus, being present in the proper time or moment could turn your world upside down. And by that I mean having someone understanding or at least seeing them trying their best to understand your situation; or just show any minor signs of sympathy, really. That's all it takes. Unfortunately, I find it a great battle to fight through, especially when my parents aren't supportive and I'm frightened to even bring it up to any of my friends, due to the fear of being severely judged. I really wish I could overcome this fear one day, just like you did! I find your video extremely inspirational! Thank you for sharing your story with us, much love
Hey did you overcome this fear
I have been dealing with this my whole life! I'm crying rn cuz, im so happy !!! I've always thought I'm the only one , and knowing that I'm not the only one makes me feel better about myself...thank u for making this video !!!! 💕
Tina melanie Sarmule thank you for watching and for your lovely message!! I’m so sorry to hear you’re struggling but hoping that it has helped you - you can definitely get through it!! 💗
I recently got completely over my food anxiety in order to go through my sleep anxiety.If anybody is interested in my story here it is.One tip y'all,I know how much it hurts and how much it sucks,but you will beat it,it's not a matter of 'if', but of 'when'.Embrace yourself don't hate him,there's always beauty in the struggle.Your body was designed in order to bite,chew and digest solid foods and has all kinds of mechanisms to carry through this process.Start with meals and contities you feel comfortably with(mashy fruits,yogurt etc.) take as much time as you wish, it's not a competition with time,it is one with your brain.Mental health issues are so complex, because it's you vs your mind,and you can never beat your mind at the first or second time.However,our brains are predictable and have thw same pattern of reaction every time.Once,that fairful routine settles in you will be able to predict your brain's next move,that's when you act.You will be probably be already accustomed with that difficult practice,but emotions and senses are so overwhelming it's just scary.That's when you will need to be brave and break this cycle,then a bunch of repeats and the brain will automatically start to react different,signaling the beggining of the vicious cycle.
Thank you for this!
I'm 14 and I've been struggling with this kind of anxiety for a year (that I've actually noticed it that is) and I think it comes from my fear of being stared at but strangers and being in large groups of people and crowds. For example, I was in Taco Bell with my Grammy and Great Grammy just before a movie and I was sitting on the opposite side of them, facing the rest of the people. There were two guys that kept looking at me (they looked like they were in their late 30's or 40's maybe?) And I just felt so overwhelmed with this panic and butterfly feeling and I could feel my face heating like I was going to start crying (which I'm pretty sure is how I cope) and thankfully my Grammy k ows about my anxiety so I told her in a low whisper about the how the two guys we're making me feel extremely uncomfortable and so she offered to let me eat in the car instead (I love her she's so precious). And as the time went on in the Taco Bell, I felt like everyone in there was sneakily looking at me and that every person that walked over to the seating area looked at me. It was so overwhelming and I started crying silently (a few tears dropped when I told my Grammy about the guys, but the tarts hadn't started flowing until now). It was so terrible and now whenever I go to a restaurant to eat I always want to be with at least 3 people I trust and if we're sitting at a booth I need to be on the inside of the seat with someone sitting next to me. It's a bit ridiculous I know, but its what makes me feel safe.
Another example: Today I was hanging out with a friend and we drive over to their grandma's house. I've been in the house many times and I've eaten with them before, so I knew it wasnt going to be too awkward or anxiety inducing. Well, I was completely wrong. This time, we picked out our food from the table and had to get our own servings. I just felt so uncomfortable doing that because what if I got too much and everyone just pretended like it was okay even though it kind of wasn't and what if this and what if that? Well, I was trying to use my facial expressions to convey to my friend that I was on the verge of crying but they just made it worse (I'm not mad at them, I didn't say anything so I can understand they didn't know what I was looking at them for) and everything was going wrong because they were asking me all these questions about if I'm okay and telling me I can go ahead and get something, but I couldn't talk because if I did, I would start crying, and it was all so overwhelming. Luckily my friends dad took me out to the porch where he talked to me a bit and helped me calm down (he's such a good dad, we need more dads like him) and when I came back my friend had put a piece of bread and a little pile of macaroni and cheese on my plate so that's all I ate and then we hung out with their dog.
This was kind of me just venting and getting things off my chest, so if anyone read through that all, thank you and if you also have had experiences like this I hope I helped you feel like you're not alone in feeling that :)
Im 14 too and ive been exactly how you explained since I was 10 I’ve always been uncomfortable in large crowds so it’s comforting to know someone else knows what I’m going through
26 year old male here, with supposedly ptsd (psychiatrists still working out my diagnosis)
2:40
That is my life. however it is every single bite I take, even when I’m alone. I can’t eat anything without completely freaking out. Ive never had any eating issues in my entire life, until recently when I hit rock bottom.
Emil simonsen thank you for your message and for watching! Sorry to hear you are struggling - it’s really awful but I know that it is something that you will be able to get through. It’s definitely a form of anxiety that’s rears itself through eating and the more it happens the more you are programmed to feel like that every time you eat again. Because you have this subconscious (and conscious!) fear. I hope that with some help you can train your mind to feel okay about eating again - because it all stems from your own thoughts and feelings which can make it even harder to get through and control but it also means that you can change it and you are in control, it will just take time. Wishing you all the best!
omg same i need help with that to 😭
k Kay xx kind of did, kind of didn’t. I’ve been working on a lot of stuff lately, and that’s like taking a kick in the face, but with time, it gets better and better. Staying strong and keep in with a steady pace is quintessential.
k Kay xx got a legit ptsd diagnosis, my eating disorder was pretty much just a symptom of that.
k Kay xx the eating disorder was a symptom of my ptsd, more accurately
Thank god it’s not just me that has like a fear of swollowing and I’m also 14 ( the age when u we’re going through it ) and I’m just like struggling on swollowing food and even drinks I just get the feeling of me not being able to swollow it
I’m 16 and I struggle with something similar to this. I’m not anorexic or anything but at a random point of the year I suddenly feel anxious when I start to eat. Sometimes it starts because I’m afraid of the future and it carries on because I’m afraid of people leaving one day and being alone. Trying to fight through it at the moment but it’s hard. Glad to know this ends by the end of teenager era and know that people around my age experience this, it’s quite comforting. Mine isn’t necessarily by dating someone new, i don’t remember but it’s not that. I hope it ends soon
I think it cant be ended from my experience. I have been suffering like you since i m in primary school. So i guess just need to accept myself like this and let the things go with its flow.
It is like it comes and goes repeatedly.
same I’m 16 now too and I’m literally experiencing the exact same things a a u.. it’s not about dating 😞and im having prom soon .. how do I eat :(
I’ve felt every single thing in this video. I’m an 18 year old guy, never had this unless I was travelling and was super excited to be going. But happens more recently during covid probably because of how stressful this time is especially when eating out. Hope anyone else feeling this feels better :)
Thank you for making this video!I have had food anxiety since I was 3/4 years old and now I'm 16. It hurts. People (including my parents) don't understand how hard it is for me to eat food that I'm not familiar with. I only started eating meat about 1/2 years ago,the only fruit I eat is apples and bananas,I don't eat vegetables,I recently started drinking juice but I can only drink one flavour of juice,I don't eat fish,etc. As a kid I would refuse to eat and my mom,worried for my health,would force me to eat and when she would get frustrated because I didn't eat she would scream at me and ground me for not eating. That only made my anxiety worse. I avoid at all costs eating in a restaurant or in a friend's house because (even if I'm eating with just my friend) I panic about not eating like other people and I start feeling like crying and start to hyperventilate,etc. People don't understand so they say that I'm "not normal", that I'm a "freak" and that I "should eat like normal people". I try to ignore this comments but it still hurts, specially when they come from my family. People think that I don't eat because I don't want to or because I'm "insane". I don't eat because eating makes me panic. There is some food that I can eat without any type of stress or anxiety but there are other types of food that I completely panic about. I'm afraid that I won't be able to swallow it or that I'll hate the taste or the texture or that I'll have to throw up (I hate vomiting). It's like you said in the video,I don't do it because I don't like my body and feel like I need to lose weight. I'm completely satisfied with my body. I can't even talk about this with anyone because when I do try to talk to someone about my food anxiety people start blaming me and attacking me for not being able to eat. It makes me feel so lonely.
Inês Magalhães omg... im suffering from the same exact thing.. I can't believe that im not the only one...my whole life i was bullied because I didn't eat at school or kindergarten, camps ect. I never went to restaurants even with my bff's or family cuz im scared that I wouldn't like the food or could not swallow it.. my sister always makes fun of me cuz I don't eat with my family .. i eat separate food... my mom has cried cuz she would not understand why am i not eating .. she thought i was going to be hospitalized for several times ..
Now im 13 and my mom is more understanding about it.. i have opened up about it with my friend and some of them are like "whatever, just eat whatever u want ! Don't think about it !" Rude.
But one of my bff said that she never thought that that was the reason...
I opened up to wrong ppl... i said ive never eaten burger and they buyed me a burger and tried to shove it in my mouth...
I wish u the best! Ur not alone! 💓
Thats exactly what it happens to me and it sucks, and it won’t go away :/
U need help from ppl who understand...talk to ur friends and family dont make any sense....get a psychiatrist to help u....
Same what's your current situations 🥺
@@user-os5xg2co8u Hi! I'm doing a bit better, thank you for asking 😁 I'm 21 now and even though I don't eat a lot more than I did at 16 when I made this comment, my family is a lot more understanding and my bestfriend, who I met a year later, is my rock and she's so understanding and sweet, she doesn't pressure me whatsoever and that really helps, I feel more comfortable to try food without the judgement. I have been able to try one thing or another once in a while, it's not consistent but it does happen and that wasn't possible before. The biggest advice I can give everyone that goes through this is to get a psychologist you can trust and never force yourself. You can try just a small bite and only if you feel comfortable cause otherwise it's gonna become another traumatic experience and it's going to make everything worse. In April I went to my bestfriend's house for her birthday and her whole family was there so I forced myself to eat chinese food and I had to leave the room cause my body started to reject the food and I almost threw up. The food was really good but it was a new flavour and a new texture so my body got into panic mode. What happened after is that for months I could not bring myself to try new food. So be patient with yourself and know that this is a slow process. You're teaching your body to not be afraid of food, you're teaching it that it's good for you and that takes a while and a lot of effort to break the patterns your brain knows since you were a kid. Some days are harder, some days I feel like I'm harming my body by not eating the right food but then I remind myself that I'm trying and that it's gonna take time. A thing that helps is starting to have good thoughts about food, even if you don't believe what you're thinking, it doesn't matter. After a while you're gonna feel more open to trying out other foods. Also, you're not obligated to like all foods. For example, I'm gonna try to eat vegetarian food, not because I want to be a vegetarian, I'm still gonna eat meat but I decided this cause I don't like fish and even though I really like some meats, most of them I only tolerate and maybe I'll like vegetarian food and will finally have a healthy, balanced diet. For me the most important part is my health. Don't give up guys, it's worth it, we're all gonna get through it. Merry christmas ❤️❤️❤️
I thought that I was the only one in this world that has this problem. When I was a child in Year 4, I suddenly puked during dinner service whilst on a plane and people started staring. I then had anxiety going to school and started developing a fear of eating outside with friends or people whom I don't really know. But whilst at home, I am able to gobble down a large pizza. For me, at home or anyone else home is my comfort zone where I know I am safe. I really do try to have bits and pieces here and there so that my tummy would have food in it. But still it's a learning process for me to know that I'm going to be okay. It's just that my mind wonders to the wrong direction and that's when the anxiety kicks in. Anyways, thank you very much for talking about this matter. Really does made me feel better. I hope you and everyone who goes through this makes it out the other side eating a big pizza by themselves in public.
Tks for this video. I've seen many like you sharing your account and I think your description by far is the most similar to what I am facing since 2020. Unlike most accounts that I have heard, I am a guy in the late 30s though.
At 38 as a guy this feeling of nervousness eating infront of a person in a 1 to 1 situation like in a restaurant first came up. For me it's the fear of looking into someone's eyes while I eat. The fear of something bad that may happen and the person will know my troubles.
Coping- In the beginning I tried to avoid eating altogether or excuse myself to the bathroom but that will lead to more and bigger avoidances. I knew that was not the way to cope with it.
Today I'm still feeling that anxiety around eating infront of people but I try to look away, into the lights, into the far while chewing and swallowing and it helps abit. Knowing the specific part of the eating that makes you uncomfortable, helps you deal with it instead of avoiding eating with other people altogether.
My strategy overall - Don't take a step backward else your avoidance becomes bigger and the things you can do socially can become less.
Thanks for this vid. I had this happen to me in college for about a year. It was very nerve wracking (quite literally) and kept me away from a lot of situations I wish I had been comfortable enough to be in. The thing about phobias is that they can develop out of nowhere and as much rationality as you put on yourself, telling yourself, "I'm fine, this is stupid, you can do this," sometimes your body just takes the wheel. I did eventually get over this- through exposure. I started small with things like coffee AND a pastry, ordering soup which didn't require a ton of chewing at first, or having an outdoor picnic, where attention was often focused elsewhere and I could take my time. It didn't go away all at once; it took several years to completely disappear. I urge anyone who is struggling with this to try to take tiny leaps to put yourself in situations that progressively make you a bit more uncomfortable. Only do this with people you trust and you will slowly see things start to improve. Good luck!
Ashley Villarreal great advice, thank you! X
Actually for me it went off after a year but it started and now when I'm in front of food all I could here is the sound of people (who used to make fun of my eating ) in my mind ..it's really terrible ,I want to overcome it !!!!
My food anxiety is mainly about me being afraid of food poisoning or me getting sick after eating and that makes me really anxious. And anxiety is connected to the gut so being anxious makes me sick which makes me even more anxious, it's a horrible cycle! Because of this I also started being afraid of going outside because I'm scared that i will get sick in public. It's been like this for many years and it keeps getting worse :(
Exactly the same as me. Fear of germs in food. I can only eat what I prepare but need to check the best before dates alot. I have emetaphobia like you (fear of nausea and throwing up). It's a control thing, I'm 49, and this only started ten years ago. Not even a childhood trauma. CBT doesn't work. I hope we get better soon. Good luck.
OMG same for me !! I have struggled with this for a long time and couldnt imagine going outside after eating for fear of feeling sick outside . I used to stress so much after each meal , am i going to get sick or not? And i waited to arrive at work to have breakfast because i was scared if i ate before that, i would feel sick on the train going to work
I once threw up after eating pizza for dinner at my grandma's house where all my aunts, cousins & everyone one was there. The whole time while eating I felt uncomfortable, I felt afraid to swallow, and I thought I'm gonna throw up. After eating I threw up & it was a really tough thing to go through as I was trying so hard not to throw up. And now every time I eat in public I get this anxiety & I'm so afraid to eat pizza but today I ate pizza at home with my mom & dad and to be honest I had a little bit of anxiety but I however managed to eat like normal and I did eat without too much anxiety, I'm so glad that I ate a lot. And every time I eat in public now I always try to control my mind & think to myself that there's nothing wrong & it's going to be okay. Everyone who's going through this take a deep breath, you can do this. It's food not a ghost so of course you can swallow your food and eat like normal without throwing up it's all in our minds so let's take control of our own minds. Be strong!!💕
Hello good to hear that u are fine. How do we control our minds? 🥺
@@nisthashakya60 Thanks💕 It's not that easy actually. I commented on this video 5 months ago but if I'm being honest I still struggle with food anxiety. If possible pls get professional health, I wish I could get too but right now I'm not in a possible condition. I'm so sorry if you're struggling with it too. But while eating when I struggle I always think that I'm being stupid and that it's controlling me so I try hard to stop thinking about it and just eat. I always try to get rid of the thought which causes me to be afraid while eating by thinking that it's nothing and stop thinking about it and try to eat more. This in a way helps but getting professional help or talking to someone abt it is better. I thought I'm getting better at controlling my food anxiety, but I still struggle tbh but it's not that hard like I used to struggle. You can do it💕
I too find hopeless sometimes then again find new hopes..Well, food is not everything we are living for .. many a times when our body is not ready to accept it for whatsoever reason we should respect our feelings and eat anything that won't create a problem and help us survive for the moment.. without thinking why we can't enjoy ..is there something severely wrong with us?? If we give our body and mind time and acknowledge our emotions it won't take much time to come back to normal.. Although frustrating, accept it whenever it comes and engage in something productive to shift the focus.. this will subside.. and we can win over it any number of times it might try to put us down.
I have this exact same thing oh my thank you for talking about this!
Thank you for your message, you are very welcome! Glad it is relatable and hope it has helped - so sorry that you are going through something similar xoxo
Lottie Rainbow yes thank you! When I get it when I’m really stressed, I’ve always explained it as the opposite of stress eating, that’s made the people I’ve told understand it a bit more. Thank you for being so lovely x
I feel my anxiety comes from the fear that I make weird noises when I eat or getting food around my face? It’s only in front of specific people as well so I honestly don’t know why this happens :(
Ellie Foster - omg same, for me it’s only in front of certain people. Some people I’m fine eating in front of but others I literally can’t day in front of them cause I’m so nervous. And yeah I’m also afraid of getting food all over my face and really scared that I’ll make weird noises while chewing or end up chewing with my mouth open and spit out food or something idk
I’m so glad someone relates to this I thought I was the only one who struggled with food, it’s pretty recent and it’s really difficult
I thought I'm the only one with this problem. I use to cry, why I'm so nervous in eating in front of my relatives.
On a sunday evening I went out for dinner with my uncle and aunt. They don't know I have the fear of eating food. The waiter placed a delicious supper in the table. I felt like nausea when I see the food. I took a piece of paratha and then I ran into restroom. I cried, I said my problem to my aunt. She supported me. That evening spoiled because of me. And now I'm 14 I still can't get rid of the fear
Oh thank god! It feels so relieving to hear from others who understand this! I know exactly where it‘s coming from in my case: In my culture and familiy it‘s considered impolite to not eat what‘s on your plate. In restaurant-situations it‘s even worse because there you‘ve payed a lot and it‘s good quality food etc. so you just have to eat all of it. It‘s this pressure that makes me so nervous that sometimes I can‘t eat at all, while in relaxed state I can eat big portions without any problem. It startet in early childhood, when my brother would always pick on me for not eating all of my portion and I would feel so embarrassed, even humiliated. So the anxiety before going to a restaurant just built up and got worse each time. I hoped that I would just outgrow it somehow, but here I am, in my mid 20ies, still feeling the exact same way. I‘ve turned down so many invitations, trips and camps because of that. If someone can recommend anything that helped or also knows more videos about this topic I‘d be very thankful if you could let me know!
Hi how are you?
I think we have the same case. I was always forced to finish my plate when i was a child. And was even humiliated in front of people when i cant finish it. Now i cant even socialize properly because of this. I am not shy or anything. I have friends but i avoid going out with them. By any chance, may I know what country you're from because it sounds like we have the same culture.
I‘m Swiss but I guess it‘s part of many cultures. What about you, where are you from?
@@milesaway1424 Facing the same thing. Everytime I feel so guilty because I want to be okay like others. But I can't.
Wow it is so nice to see that someone else has this or had this issue! I always feel so stupid and feel like nobody understands. Everyone always says all girls get nervous around boys but mine is so much more deeper. I get it in formal situations with anyone and with boys. I have the fear I won’t be able to swallow and will gip.
i have severe emetophobia and i do have food anxiety because i feel like i’m going to throw it up. there was a point where i was on holiday and i had so much homesickness that i went without food for 48 hours and then i stopped going on holidays overall. i decided to take another holiday with my dad (we’re going to paris tomorrow) and i had a food anxiety episode today and i’m so scared but i don’t know what to do about it because sometimes i feel like he won’t understand but i think i need to tell him.
cinnabunnii I have this to it’s horrible
i have the same problem emetophobia. my worst enemys is eating something and than be scared to eat something else that doesnt fit with the other food (weird though i know) after eating food i get panic attacks becuase of emetophobie that i get physicaly ill but its just the panic, i know. but its to the point i'm afraid of eating more than one portion in meals. also, i eat very little and get panicky when i'm eating that i think i gonna throw it up and its not fun to live with this condition. i have been way too underweight but i feel like there is no end to this. i think this is getting out of hand because everytime i eat now i feel mentaly sick and i'm afraid of vomitingn all the time. i even trying to decide to eat less and get a fast but since i'm already so much underweight its probably not a good idea to eat even lesser. yeah food anxiety is real for me.
@@netabolt6546 im honestly in the same boat as u... do u feel better ?
THIS, thank you. I thought it was just me :/ It’s so frustrating, It’s embarrassing, its been happening for a long while now, sometimes become less of an issue but it won’t go away. and I love to eat and suddenly I just get so self conscious while chewing and think I’d might choke or, but this just happens with certain food where I’m just afraid to swallow,, like let’s say..I can’t eat melted cheese (i wait to get it colder) due to incidents in the past probably. and almost all meats, I have a terrible habit to keep chewing till it feels gross in my mouth and just throw it. _sigh_
are u feeling better ?
I know your comment is 2 years old but currently I am suffering through the same thing. I can't even eat oranges without the fear of swallowing because I think I'm going to choke. I hope you got through this. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
@@icemonkefordwick572 hey same and i hope you’re doing better now but i’m dealing with this right now and it sucks
@@kyasmrtist hello how are you doing? im going through this right now & im so scared for my health. i hope ur doing good
@@icemonkefordwick572 How are u doing now? I'm underweight now for this same reason.
I can eat infront of my friends, my mum, dad and brother. But when I'm at school, a restaurant or a bbq/party, I feel really nervous and I just can't eat. My family and friends get worried because I just don't eat infront of people, so they think I'm anorexic. I just done know how to over come it, my mum just says 'well sometimes you have to eat infront of people so get ovet it' ngl that made me cry. No one is reading this, no one that cares but oh well :(
Yeah eating in school sucks 😣
I am having this huge problem and this is why I searched this up. When I was younger I would always panic while eating worrying I was going to choke and now I’m at that age where there is no liquid medicine anymore and i. Can’t. Take. Pills. I’m scared of something something I can’t chew 😫 and I suffer from major headaches so I just have to deal with and not take any medicine to help it
whenever i feel anxious, even if its just a little bit, i get this feeling in my stomach and my throat feels like its closing and i try to eat but it just feels like i cant swallow it, like i cant breathe, im not scared of making a weird sound while eating, or choking or looking weird when eating, and ive never really cared about the way that i look, even if its my favourite food, i just cant swallow it, ive talked about it before and realised its kind of just a big loop
one time when i was younger i got sick and i couldnt swallow food i had to eat yogurt for a couple days, then whenever something bad would happen, id feel it again, but now im just scared of it happening again and i get so worked up about it that it actually does happen, i am fine if im sharing food like chips or pizza, because i know if i dont finish it, the other person can, but when its MY meal, just for me i get scared because i dont want to waste someones money buying a meal for me and i just feel bad for not finishing it, i do like the food, it just feels like i am already full and im just trying to stuff food into my mouth, i really hope it goes away because i feel like when youre young people just think youre shy but as you get older i know some people wont think “oh maybe she’s anxious”, theyll just think i dont like the food or im rude
Going through the same thing 😭 tired of this, want to be normal again.
Thank you so much for posting this. I'm only 6 minutes in but every single thing you've said i can totally relate to. I cant eat at restaurants or other peoples houses because i panic that im going to panic and cant eat. But like you said, in a casual setting, like eating infront of the tv on the couch im totally fine.
im really happy that i've found someone else who has gone through the exact same thing. Although mine has come from panicking that im going to feel sick or panic (in turn, feel sick), not that im going to choke.
Im currently 25 and it still happens to me. Hope i can come out the other end like you have! well done :) x
Thank you so much for your message! I'm so glad that you can relate to this and hopefully it has helped, although very sad that you are going through this too as I know how awful it can feel. You have to unfortunately fight your fear face on - with people you feel the most comfortable with for example, make them aware, do it, and realise that the outcome was okay and that it is all in your head - there is nothing to be scared of and you will be absolutely fine. You will get through this, and in a few years you will look back and be so happy that you overcame it! Lots of love xx
Casey hi :) I’m 26 and going through this as well, have you found anything that has helped you? I can’t find anything that helps I just want it to go away :( xxx
@@kissandmakeup18 Hi did it go away for you?
@@brittanygriffin6609 Hi Brittany, I was 26 when I wrote that comment, according to what I wrote. I've just turned 29 and I still suffer with this every day. It's a little better since I've been with my boyfriend who is incredibly supportive of my issue and I seem to be okay around him. But no, it hasn't gone away :( how long have you been suffering? xxx
@@kissandmakeup18 Oh no I am so sorry. Have you done any tests or seen an ENT specialist? It went away for about a week but it came back. I noticed its worse with stress and without distraction. I am much better when I have a busy schedule or when I am REALLY hungry so I eat fast and I do not think about it. I am convinced it's anxiety related. I have been suffering it for a month now.
finally omg ive been looking for so long for someone who actually has the same anxiety as me and ive finally found it thank you😭
Thank you for your video, you are really brave to share it and you will help a lot of people feeling less lonely. The fear is definitely hard to live with as eating out, food, are central to our social lives. My advices are:
1/ Accept that you have this fear. Don't try to fight it. When I feel the anxiety coming, I start to talk to my fear like it was person. "I know you are here, we will do this together".
2/ Try to understand the reasons of this fear. What are the roots?
2/ Therapy. It's important to not keep it only to yourself it's a heavy burden and there are solutions for that.
3/ Exposure is the key. Avoiding the situation will only feed the fear. I know it's easy to say, I've been there. You need to start by a small step. The key is to do it at your rhythm, don't rush.
4/ And last advice, the one that I recently start to apply, is to talk about to your friends and family. If you are going out for dinner and you feel anxious, you can tell them how you feel. Normally, "real" friends will be compassionate with you and will try to ease you.
My fear of eating out with people hit me at 18 years old and for years it ruined my life because I didn't know how to handle it until when I decided to seek therapy at 27 years old. It was the start of better days. I'm 33 years old today. I have long period of time where it's fine, there's no more anxiety but I still have "relapses". It's often when I feel vulnerable or stressed. Those 4 advices are definitely what helped me.
Thank you for making a video talking about this. A month ago, this exact same feeling started happening to me, and it’s making me feel alone. I start therapy on Monday, and I’m really hoping I can get to the bottom of this so that I can enjoy eating with my family and friends again :(
That describes me so well thank you very much. That just gave me a whole new view on that theme. ❤
Im 51 and have GAD, food anxiety, fear of swallowing choking, now I get really jumpy when im eating, like a nervous tick where my throat closes up.
Same, just like you, how we cope with that ?
@@younessfennane1301 Anxiety management and relaxation, sounds simple but thats all it is.
i have the exact same fear. for me it’s with chewing loudly and swallowing loudly. then having people be annoyed at me for that.
Omg my fear is the exact same
omg finally i found someone like me i just don’t wanna eat with my family or friends because when i swallow the food loud everybody is looking at me because of that and i hate it sm
Same! I think it's a form of social anxiety
Wow!! Thank you so much for this video! I've honestly been searching about this stuff for a few years now, but haven't found anything so specific to my food anxiety as this video! It's not a fear of choking, I'm not worried about eating healthy food, and it's not calorie counting. If anything, I need to gain a few pounds! It's just general anxiety around food. Any mention of eating, especially going out to eat or when I'm at work, induces anxiety and I don't know why! It's really encouraging to know that you and a lot of people in the comments section have experienced the exact same thing
J-Rod Musik thank you so much for your message! I’m so sorry to hear that you are struggling but I hope it has helped to listen to something that you can relate to - I do not have it anymore so I hope that makes you feel like you CAN get over this!! Thank you again and wishing you all the best 🌈
Hi :) I’ve just seen your comment posted on Lotties Instagram and I wanted to send you a quick message.
I’m going through this and have been for two and a half years now and I was wondering if you’ve found anything to help you overcome it? I’ve tried having CBT but that’s more to learn how to cope with it. I don’t want to cope with it I want it to go away ha!
Any thing that’s helped you id love to know :) xxx
xrachiex did CBT help?
Me: loves eating
Also me: gets panic attacks from the thought of eating
Me: wtf I like food tho
Omg this is me!! It’s awful. I’m currently on holiday with my parents and honestly the thought of going to a restaurant is filling me with anxiety & makes me want to vomit.
Bro it's like going thruh hell when thinking about it I am struggling over 5 years and finally found this video and comments that similar to my problem I want a rid of it
You talk about the fear of choking creating that anxiety. For me, a year ago I started having food intolerances and this became the trigger. When I’m at home or with people that know about that it’s fine but outside plus with new people I can’t eat! Since I’m so scared, if I eat a little I will start having intolerance symptoms only because of anxiety! I started doing more work on myself hoping to erase that fear! Thank you for sharing your story! I can 100% relate! xxx
Micha0185 thank you for your message and I understand completely! I hope it gets better for you, I know that it will ❤️
God I don’t dare to watch this video because it can be quite triggering for me but I’m so glad I’m not the only one in this world going through this shit. It feels SO SO SCARY and I thought I was going crazy for awhile. Literally had doctors putting things down my throat a few years ago trying to find blockages but nothing came up. Back then, no one really talks about anxiety so I didn’t know wth was going on. Till this day I’m still fighting this nightmare but I’m so glad for people like you letting me know that we’re not just being crazy people. Thank you!
It is a very scary thing but you CAN get through it and you are certainly not crazy!! Sending lots of love and wish you all the best xxxx
Holy fucking shit. You described my situation 100% to a tee. I have scrolled through so much shit about anorexia and bulimia trying to find an explanation for my problem. When nothing is wrong and I am in a comfortable space, I eat until the cows come home (I work out and want to gain size/muscle, but I also have an insane metabolism so I eat about 3000-4000 calories a day) but when I am even slightly anxious about something (a test at school, an interview, etc) I cannot eat without feeling slightly nauseous. I also can’t eat at restaurants now, as I feel fine until I sit down and when the food comes I can’t even think about eating. Sometimes I go to the bathroom and cool down, only to get nauseous the moment I sit back down. I even fast throughout the day in preparation for dinner at a restaurant, and that still isn’t enough. I get my food wrapped up and then demolish it the moment I get home. It also sucks because my gfs parents live out of town, so when they are in town the odd time, we are inclined to do something formal, so everything adds up and makes me extremely nervous. I also find that this situation goes in phases. I was struggling for half a year, then was fine for 5 months, and then it came back. I am reluctant to try medication because I like to stay as natural as possible, but meditating and exercise and natural remedies don’t seem to work. Please respond to this if you want to have a conversation on this topic.
Omg same! Sometimes I’m chewing the food then I’m like oh fuck what if I’m being stared at and then two thoughts cross my head, should I just swallow it anxiously, or spit it the fuck out? Of course my dumbass is also to embarrassed to spit it out so I swallow the food chunk while anxious and boom this big wave of doom comes and it just feels like the end of the world and act anxious after the situation then I’m like, “did anyone see me do that again?”
I'm also going to Disney land in April, I'm dreading it because of the eating in restaurants parts..I'm fine if we got a takeaway and take it to the room but it's just when I'm eating in an actual restaurant with all the People and stress of feeling like you have to eat it all.
That’s me my friend! If I eat alone in my home… I will eat like a pig!! Cuz I’m comfortable! My stomach is open for eating. When eating out in public, let me tell you, my stomach, I kid you not, would not open. It’s as if it’s a gate guardian. So with that, I don’t feel comfortable eating out in public either. Hehe saves money too
Currently going through this. I got a bad bout of tonsillitis. Took forever to get an antibiotic. By the time I got it sorted it was weeks. And now have severe problems trying to eat. I get panicked every time I sit down to eat a solid meal. I can get soup, yorught, crisps and any liquid down. I can get a sandwich down IF I dip in soup. Yet I can't if it's just the sandwich. With anything proper solid, my throat tightens up my chest gets sore and my hands starts to shake. Doesn't matter if am on my own or in company. It's just stressful. Think I need a consuller
I've only recently become super uncomfortable eating around other people, including my family. Thank you for talking about this!
When I was much younger, I would have such a struggle eating meats like steak because I couldn't seem to swallow it, it's like I physically couldn't make myself swallow it. I'd just be chewing it forever, and eventually spit it out. Fast forward to high school, I've been diagnosed with anxiety (social and generalized) and I constantly felt like I looked stupid and messy and everyone was staring at me when I ate... I've slowly gotten better at it. A huge thing that's helped me is just reminding myself that everyone else is too busy worrying about themselves to really notice you and any little thing you're stressed about. They're generally thinking the same thing. Not everyone has actual anxiety disorders, but pretty much everyone has gone through a time where they were very self-conscious about how people saw them. Anyway... thanks for this video. You did a great job explaining the common symptoms but the differences with eating disorders and more generalized stress around food!
You’re my twin.. I’m glad I’m not the only one dealing with this!
aw glad you've found this helpful! x
I also face the same sort of problems since 2019 ... I was always an introverted kid but in 2019 when u was 15 years old i met a girl at my tuition classes and she was into me and i didn't know that until she asked me out one day and at that moment I suddenly had a anxiety/panic attack also felt like I'm gonna throw up and that's the exact thing i did i went to the bathroom and vomitted that was the moment this all started in my life it really sucks .. For the next few months i felt a lot of anxiety and next year i also had my board exam(10th class) so it was undoubtedly the year i stressed myself the most in my life for preparations and also this.. for the next few months i was not able to finish my lunch and sometimes dinner and i barely eat any breakfast those months ... Also every morning i used to throw up not food but some acidic substance... DUE to that my family took me to a doctor.. almost 2 doctors they prescribed me some vitamins and etc. But i knew that those won't work and as I thought that didn't helped me with anything 😭 And about that relationship yes i somehow agreed for that cuz i was shy and she was also not that extroverted but more than me .. i would not call it a relationship actually it was more of a online chatting sort of stuff but we used to meet at tuition and to be honest i felt a lot of anxiety in my tution cause that was the place where it all started .... My exams were in 2020 after finishing my exams there was a long long break due to covid-19 until January 2021 and in the middle of it we broke up it was natural probably because we didn't get much chance to meet with others due to covid-19 .. But she left but this anxiety did not .. it stucked to me like a shadow but also on a positive point my food anxiety and all this stuff disappeared for a long time until i had a birthday invitation at a restaurant of a friend of my elder brother (may 2021) .. at that party idk why but it all triggered again after almost 9 months .. i was not able to eat the whole meal i packed the food but it was so embarrassing in front of all those peoples .. and also in the first phase of this anxiety I missed a lot of parties and the ones I went to was disaster in one birthday party i was not able to finish the same whole meal and also at the birthday party of my tution teacher i wasted a lot of food in front of his family due to this anxiety it was so embarrassing for me i literally went to the bathroom and i cried ... My tuition teacher was little to be known that i had some problems with my eating so he handled the situation but it was all so embarrassing for me 😭... And back in 2021 i did not suffer that extreme level of anxiety but i also missed some parties ... And in 2022 this was my school graduation year / 12 th class fortunately I did not face those situations this year i passed/graduated with 92% and now I'm 18 and i got college from next week I'm about to pursue economics honours but I'm also having anxiety of meeting new people and what would happen if I had to eat with them ... But i can say I've improved a lot with all of this cause I've told my family also the tuition teacher about how i feel in these moments they understood me but I'm still not sure that how can I manage all of this in a new place with new people and new probelms .. Also I have not tried to be in a relationship since that last breakup because i think what she would think about me and also how can I act normal and eat in front of her .. so i just gave up on having a partner I'll try again in college if i can stay strong and hopeful... AND ALSO THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO READ THIS TILL THE LAST LINE I HOPE MY STORY HELPS OR ATLEAST GIVE YOU SOME STRENGTH TO FIGHTBACK AGAINST THIS ANXIETY ISSUES ❤️❤️
For years I’ve been nervous of eating food in front of others. When I had to eat at the dinner table with my family, I ate extremely slow and tiny bites. When I was hungry at school, I just drank my milk, even though I wanted to eat the rest of my food. I’m pretty sure it started when I was 6, when my dad bought me popsicles, when we arrived home, I walked pass my grandpa and he mumbled “Greedy”. I felt like he was talking about me so I ended up not eating much of the popsicles. When I was 9 I was eating a bigger proportion of food than usual, at my moms house. My dad came to drop something off and he was shocked that I was eating that big of a proportion.I felt like I was overeating for my age, because why would he be suprised. A couple of months ago I was diagnosed with GAD, that feeling of being judged has grown stronger and stronger. Today I try my best to avoid scenarios like that, and just eat in my room.
Can not believe this ! Felt like I was the only one !!! So happy you made this video, thank you ❤️
FabulousBubbleLife ♥️♥️♥️
One year on and I still have the same problem I feel like it’s affecting my relationships with both my family and my partner and his family :( at a loss with what to do. I still come back to this video to know that it isn’t just me which kind of helps x
@@DanielleChiro I have the same problem I’m going round to my boyfriends parents house to eat tomorrow and I am really scared
@@Katie-kc7fm Hey, how did it go? x
@@DanielleChiro it was okay but I was really nervous it was honestly fine though x
this helped me so much i’m going through the exact same thing and it scares me the fear of eating in front of my crush or my boyfriend but no one else and i’m fine eating in front of anyone else it’s so frustrating but i need to face it head on because it’s not scary thank you so much x
I used to skip lunch and cafeteria crowd but I realized that it makes my anxiety eorest because I was just avoiding the problem so I tried to challenge myself.
How did it go ? Are u good now?
I feel stuck in this bad mind set. I’m nervous to swallow, afraid to choke. I’ve gotten over anxiety that was uncontrollable and very bad for a years, I tried everything until I just got control of it by just excepting it, my anxiety was fear of breathing correctly which lead to hyperventilating. but this eating thing has me in a hump again, it seems to be getting worse :(. Thanks for the video this helps to know I’m not alone in this one.
same.. I’m afraid of food getting stuck on my throat.. are you better now?
@@teasaipihow are you now 🫶🏼💔
thanks a lot, I really needed this coming from someone that’s getting pushed through.
I used to feel this way when I was really young and it quickly went away. But now all the sudden it has come back right when I started going out after quarantine and it’s really annoying that I can’t eat when I’m out with my friends. It sucks because I used to be just fine with those exact people before we were quarantined but I guess I’ve just been so used to being at home that now I’m nervous when I go out to eat. I don’t even have a specific reason as to why I feel like this, it just comes out of nowhere and the only way I can avoid this feeling is to not eat and distract myself with playing games on my phone. I hope that I get over it soon but I just don’t know how.
I have got the same !!
I can relate brother.
Thank you normalizing that our fear is irrational with out making us feel silly! I felt so scared to eat in front of others that I would get the buzzing or nauseous.
my emotophobia let me to fear of eating because i have a constant fear of throwing it up again and since stress and eating is same hand in hand i feel always sick after eating but its just panic attack and i have fear of eating now. i think of doing a fast but its gonna be hard. i'm 29 years old man and i have slight underweight so probably not a good idea for fasting, but because of this fear i believe the only way to handle it is to just stop eating all together. but what to do when i'm hungry? i dont know. i dont know what to do anymore right now. its horrible. i have this eating fear almost a year now and now its to the point that i get panic attacks after every meal. its not a fun place to be. also i have acid reflux and that doesnt help either it makes me more panicked.
I have exactly the same emetaphobia. It's unbelieveably scary isn't it? CBT hasn't worked. Please speak to your doctor. x
I really want it to go away😭
arianae yeet honestly same😭
arianaissa queen me too 🙏🏾🥺
deebskhan did it go away?
Samee
Just come across your video, bless you for making this thankyou, everything you said is a perfect example of what I go through but I’ve only really recently accepted that I have a problem around eating foods while facing people, mainly when I’m being watched face to face, I can happily eat sitting beside someone or snacks are easier. But I really struggle to swallow infront of people and it sucks!!!. ❤
it sucks ass I can't even enjoy my meal it pisses me off like I always feel like crying.
I have this problem. Have for the longest too like elementary. I'm 26 now. Throughout the years I usually avoid it, but I do on occasions go out to eat with family or go to a barbecue like you said. But sometimes I can't go because the anxiety is high. For work , I never go eat lunch with coworkers. I've always avoided the Christmas luncheons. This year, we are having one i think. Nervous about that. And this week. My coworker that always invites me to lunch said he wants to go with a couple other coworkers for a "Christmas lunch " which is cool you know but I can't go out to eat. I can't. And he's like and I'm not taking no for an answer this time. Ima have to say no of course , just don't want to feel like a douche or something or some type of ahole. Which I'm not. I just can't go out for lunch with people ...
Hi, I tried to hv lunch with coworkers for 2 months already. Like every single day, I felt like I will hv panic attack during lunch. And my coworkers will be asking me why I cant finish my lunch. Just wanna know if you hv coped through this issue?
@@manying5813 I still don’t go out for lunch with co workers. That’s exactly why I wouldn’t want to go either , they will most likely ask why I’m not finishing my food , or they say “ you never eat” . They’ve kinda stopped asking now lol, which I’m glad. But yeah no I’m still struggling with it. It’s gotten to a point where even at home I can’t finish eating something , or when I do I get anxiety… I hope it’s just a phase and hopefully soon I’m able to climb out of this hole to my better self again.
@@lincoln6981 Thanks for sharing! 🥺 I can totally relate to yr situation, I also can't eat much even when I am alone due to acid reflux issues. It's like a bad cycle between food anxiety and stomach problem. My working performance also got affected because I didn't eat much during the lunch. Hopefully we can go through this difficult phase (which I also don't know when it will be) 🙏
@@manying5813 hang in there friend 🙏 . we will get past this little phase I know it. don't lose motivation
U knw! I’m in the same situation. I work in an office setting, I let my coworkers know ahead of time that I’m not comfortable eating around ppl, and anxiety, whichever of the two. Is fine. And they don’t mind that at all. But I need to eat lunch alone damn it!! Lol
Things for me got so difficult in the past that I started to question society, like, why can’t we just meet outside to do something together instead of meeting at a restaurant? Not just for dates, I feel like even with friends and family we always have to be in front of a table (or end up there after having done something else) to eat food/drink something just to spend time together
I have a strong fear of choking so I eat food really slowly and chew it to mush before swallowing. It takes me like 20 minutes to eat and I feel very insecure about it. I don’t like eating in public for fear of someone judging me for eating slow
Tamaira Panton hey I’m currently having that problem I been to doctor about they told me I had acid reflux but I think it’s my anxiety but I haven’t really been eating a full meal in the past day
Glad I’m not alone but I wish ppl didn’t have to go through this at all
Tamaira Panton yess it sucks so bad I been losing a lot of weight because of it . It’s a horrible fear
Tamaira Panton do you also get Chest tightness and jaws tightness when you start eating bc I do have that a lot ! And sometimes I forget to sallow and then I get more scared
I do sometimes get scared when I’m about to swallow food and I kind of have to do something distracting while I eat like tapping my foot on the floor or taking a deep breath then I swallow
It's really a "floating anxiety" which is why it's difficult to pinpoint and are the worst because of that. I literally cannot go out to eat half the time but especially with my mother because I can see she notices and seems like it affects her because she starts acting different which makes it more difficult on me. It's the worst because my daughter, myself and my mother would usually go out to eat so I just can't do it anymore since I literally had to leave the restaurant before because it felt like a panic and the only thing I could do was get out but they noticed before even though I was trying to subside it which made it even worse. I usually feel it nearly everyday but just in small spurts in stores, driving, and other places but usually goes away after a few minutes. I literally get to where I can't think and do not feel like myself but something usually sets it off. I found staying away from things that are bothersome and focusing on good things like the family that I love as well maybe my business helps tremendously. But for years now things have seemed out of whack with relationships and just life in general and that I need to get/keep things calm and just together or close. It seems like to me there is just all kinds of anger and really a coldness in the world just in general as well anxiety in the public that has never been there and is affecting everyone in one way or another. Some handle it better than others but the effects of it is everywhere. At the same time it's making many people better on the opposite end instead of worse. Anxiety like I explained in the beginning I felt is literally the worst I ever experienced because there is no real general cause that you can say, yeah, I can fix that to make things better but knowing you're not crazy definitely helps and I know 100% that having as many people in your corner as possible will relieve the anxiety but that was/is a big part of my problem that there is too much division and people who should help who do not seem to want to or take it seriously. Support and understanding is the best remedy I can tell because they are the only things that have helped me. The "political" division is a huge factor in why so many are feeling these things with family even turning against one another and a lot of passive aggressive behavior. Her catch frase "just do it" use to be the go to and another one "no fear" to now today putting ourselves before our own children or the children for our own safety. It just seems like selfishness is the biggest part of the day instead of selflessness and it has definitely affect society to the point where we're running from things we can't control when it use to be society valued the safety and welfare of the kids first and foremost. That says a lot about where we are today and how we need to change things BACK to how they use to be. All this virus stuff has everyone at odds too as well on edge when it shouldn't be that way.
Thank you so much for this. I have this for a while now and when i am somewhere like school cafeteria i am not able to eat, my hands are always shaking and i am anxious. I hope it'll get better :)
Exactly the same , I know how it feels 😣
I have terrible food anxiety due to having emetophobia. I got over it for years after I passed out from low blood sugar when I was 19. After that I started to like food because I knew it would make me feel better and I understood that it was only helping me. But after I had kids and they started getting sick often it sparked my emetophobia from childhood and I’m back where I started. Recently I’ve lost 60 pounds in 5 months
I am suffering too and it’s been exactly one year. I am trying my best to overcome it but it’s still here. Whenever I go out for a drink with friends or eating at restaurants with my family I get anxious and say I can’t swallow especially around people. I also find taking sip of tea is very hard because I hold it in and wait then swallow it I never took a sip for one go I always like pause then swallow. This always happens to me. Every time I’m nervous my heartbeats fast and I can’t control my body therefore swallowing becomes harder. This affects my quality of life. I have suffered a lot and thought at the beginning that I have something else. The first two weeks this started I lost 7kg I struggle just to take a sip of water I thought I’m going to die. I went to so many hospitals for check up I did endoscopy, barium swallow, ultra sound scan, blood test. I even did the endoscopy twice and they said there is no major problem only you have irritated esophagus due to acid reflux but that’s normal. Anyway, I I’m still struggling to be honest sometimes I also have panic attacks which later results to more anxiety. There are days when I swallow fine without getting scared or anxious but the feeling that I’m unable to swallow comes frequently. My situation becomes worse now I really don’t know how to deal with it. I tried taking deep breaths, but it never worked I always feel very nervous whenever I eat and think of my swallowing. If you have figured how to overcome this please help. Thank you for sharing with us your experience I thought I was alone.
I'm sorry you are going through this. I have fear of eating around people too and in my worst period, a fear of swallowing even when i eat alone (but I have rarely this fear). Even though I still struggle but less than before, what helped me was seeing a therapist and explaining out loud my fear. Before seeing a therapist, I was ashamed of my fear and didn't talk about it. Aknowledging it was necessary. Then you have to expose yourself gradually to situations you are afraid of. Avoidance will only feed your fear. Then, when I'm in the situation where I'm anxious, I talk to myself and to the anxiety like a real person. I tell to my anxiety "ok I know you are here, you exist and you are annoying. We will go through this together". Also, focusing only on the present moment helped a lot. I know it's not easy to apply this especially when you are on the verge of a panick attack but try to implement step by step this healthy mental mechanism. I hope it will help you but first please go see a therapist.
@@tkoviet Thank you so much for your concern. I liked when you said you actually speak with your anxiety. I think it’s very important to know that you’re in control and all of that. I think I’ll try to do the same. Also, eating in front of people needs practice ((a lot of practice+ courage)) till I get used to it. By doing that I believe the fear will disappear somehow by itself. I’m still anxious sometimes, but at least it’s better than before. I did see a therapist, but then I stopped cause I had to go to another country. I will go see a therapist for sure once I’m ready. Just one thing I’d like to mention maybe it will help you too is that I write down my emotions and feelings even if they are negative. It helps to get it off my chest. One more thing is that I keep myself occupied by doing different things so that my mind can be distracted on other things and not focusing on the same problem which is the fear of swallowing. I remember my therapist told me that whenever I feel panicked or anxious by just sitting in a public areas like a cafe drinking tea or eating something she said get yourself used to the place and area around you DON’T leave right away after you’re done. Try to sit there for a few more minutes before leaving. There are other techniques it’s just depends on which one works better for you. Wish you all the best and good luck 💜😊
@@heysaynana2080 Look into candida, anxiety can stem from poor gut health
I’m a dude. And I’m going through this. I do have a eating disorder. If I eat by myself, oh I go crazy destroying that food But at the same time, I also eat very calmly around close friends and families. I have the exact same thing what you went through. Except I do go through that phase where I’m like…. How the duck do I swallow this lol.
I have this strange fear that people will hear me swallowing when I eat/drink and be grossed out, so I avoid eating in public and with other people. But currently I am doing exposure therapy to overcome it, so like the other day I got food at a cafe and instead of getting takeaway and eating it in my car, I got the food to have there and ate it in the cafe. It was so difficult, I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack and that other people were going to notice me swallowing and think I was weird/disgusting. However I pushed through and I'm proud of myself for doing that. Anxiety is so weird how it can make you afraid of totally irrational things ugh!
i’m at uni right now and i just moved in, and i am having to deal with it, its really hard because i’m only 18 and all alone and i have to eat and cook my meals by myself and i get really scared wether i’ve had enough food or not... hopefully i can get comfortable at university so my food anxiety goes away or at least calms down...
I have the same thing! I panic thinking “I haven’t eaten enough and if I don’t eat by a certain time I’m definitely going to faint” I think about food 24/7
@@Watson6102 omg i’m kinda happy in a way that i’m not the only one... i hope we get through it and take good care of ourselves :)
you're not alone ! i hope u are doing better !
Im 13 (almost 14) I had a chocking incident 2 months ago and Im still scared to eat solid foods cause i feel like there are fragments of it stuck in my throat and it doesn’t go away with water, I’ve gone to the hospital 4 times and they have found nothing (i have recently come to the conclusion thats I have a fear of swallowing) but im slowly starting to eat soft fruits and am now going to therapy so hopefully I can eat again soon
[Wish me Luck]
how are you now?
Thank you for telling that it's just stress coping mechanism. I feel relieved now.
Hi I’m an 18 year old boy and I’m going through this at the moment and it’s horrible:( everything your saying I can relate to and I’m having some troubles about over coming it, I’m having some counselling but I can’t go round to my girlfriends house and have dinner say around the table with her family, I hope you see this comment and reply! It would really help!
Same, with friends i'm fine and with family i'm fine. With a girl? Jesus christ I can barely chew, so you're def not the only one out there. Funny thing is I never knew I had this until i recently started dating.
MrToppramen it’s horrible bro I’m still suffering and I can’t even go round to my girlfriends house to eat dinner:/
Gotta convince them to have ice cream for dinner haha
MrToppramen id struggle with that too 😞
LuisNyman same but it's a bit easier
Finally...after all these years...I have found my Family ........
I struggle with eating because I always feel like I'm about to choke. I went 5 days with only 4 sandwiches. I also have panic attacks and low blood sugar so I start having a low blood sugar episode and I needed to get sugar but I'm terrified to eat. Then i start having a panic attack because i was so tired and i wanted to eat but i was scared. Is anyone else like this? I reached out to my mom but she says it's in my head and I just need to eat. My sister also has a broken leg, so I feel like I'm a burden and my mom even said she has enough going on and now she has to deal with my "problem".
Hey! Were you able to overcome this?
Hey, thank you for sharing this! I found that I could really relate to your video. I started getting anxiety around eating when I was about 16, and then it got much worse when I got my first boyfriend and had to go round to his house for dinner with his family. It stayed with me until towards the end of uni, and I can remember a 4-day holiday in France with my family, where I ate a really small amount of food and thought I might starve - but my anxiety still wouldnt let me eat! When I get anxiety during a meal (which tends to be formal situations, dates, or if there’s just one other person. I think this is all due to a fear of feeling pressure to eat all the food on my plate and to hold a long conversation) then I tend to get hot, feel bloated and nauseous. And most of the time I have to leave the table to throw up - it’s so embarrassing and makes me feel extremely rude - and I think it’s the fear of this happening that actually causes my anxiety (and sadly it does). My anxiety went away for about 3 years, after I got counselling in my final year of uni, but it has recently started to come back again. This article was really helpful in reminding me of some of the tips my counsellor gave me. I think the most important one that I learned from her was that eating a meal is not about the food - it’s about the conversation and the socialising - so if you focus on that then the food and whether you eat it or not becomes much less important. I also became a vegetarian, so that I would feel less pressure to eat all the food on plate - because I don’t mind eating potatoes on my plate, but I wouldn’t want to leave an animal. Thank you for all your advice - I really thought I was the only person with the fear, so it’s really eye-opening to hear your experiences. I’m so glad to hear that you’re feeling better now - and I hope that continues!
This and last year my brother started saying stuff about me eating and I've had enough of it so now I'm scared to eat and I don't want to anymore
I've had this since I was about 12.. It stopped at around that time and came back last August, but then it went away. I have it again, and it's so annoying! It's not that I can't eat because I can eat normally at home with my family. I wish it would just go away...
You took the words out of my mouth…thank you! I think it has a lot to do about sitting still as well do you find that ?
I'm currently going through this.
Thank you for sharing your experience ❤
Hello ! I’ve always loved food a lot and I never had an issue with it until this Christmas a family member of mine took me to a Japanese restaurant and thought it would be a good idea if I try something new. The food they served was raw and not to my taste buds. Since then I have developed some sort of phobia when swallowing foods. I eat it but I feel like I can’t swallow it and I hope I will get over it really soon and get back to my old self again !
Same for me, I wish i could go back in time and just not go to the dinner i was invited to. I loved food and eating with people but this little minor situation has changed me for the worst. I was invited to dinner a few months back with a family friend... I was vegetarian for a long time and just recently got back into eating meat. So they made me a home made meal I never had before, with lots of beef and i literally just could not eat it. I felt forced to eat and ended up taking a couple bites. I felt so bad they prepared a whole meal for me and i couldn't enjoy it. Ever since then my mind has developed a fear around eating with people. I just want my old fearless self back. Something so normal as eating and my mind is over complicating it. :(
@@Lynn-ip9sh hey I’ve totally recovered from it ! I think I was just in shock from the raw fish because I wasn’t used to it ! Built my confidence back up by starting with things like soups and smoothies and now I’m back in action and I’m never eating anything like that again !
I'm having the same thing...I'm just going to be 17 ..
It started 5-6 years before ( coz of a classmate who made fun of me while eating ) and i got soooo nervous and anxious that my hear beat increases soo fastly and my hands shakes like earthquake while eating ...and it remained for a whole year ( once I even fainted)
And I thought it's just me
The mind is the so powerful weapon against one which sometimes screws everything up!!!! After a while I guess it just moved off ( trembling of hands)from me slowly but still I was nervous..then I got into hostel and I didn't wanted anything to screw it up as we all had our dinner together but there I was shockingly fine!! But the school screwd everything up..slowly I had haters enemies and they always had eye on me and then again I got that food phobia back..it was really a headache for me..now I'm able to control it mostly...but still the fear..food phobia gets into action ...
I want to get rid of it completely !!!!
For me its been a year since I eat with someone loved and I still can t eat soup or in front of others , I cant live Like this anymore
Me too, its been about 8 months for me and it sucks. I want to be able to eat comfortably in front of anyone but just cant. When i'm out to eat with my family I just sit there and drink water. I am going to try and get on some social anxiety medicine. I heard one guy say he had this problem really bad, too nervous to eat in front of anyone and he got on social anxiety medication and it completely eliminated his nervousness and fear of eating in public and around friends and family.
No, I had this my entire life. So I don’t know if this would be strong enough to stop my anxiety. I had and still have major anxiety, but my concern about my anxiety is being self conscious eating around people. I haven’t gotten rid of it and I kinda don’t know how. But I hope in the future I can grow out of it. And just in case I can’t, can y’all give me advice on getting rid of it?
I have a fear of going to get food in a public (school) because I don't know if they're going to stare at me or laugh or talk about me, so the past 3 weeks and a half I never got food in public when there's a lot of people especially, school
Uhm I'm 14 and I am scared of food because I'm scared the food I eat has something I'm allergic to in it. I have a big fear of my tongue swelling and not being able to breathe. And I'm deathly allergic to peanuts. So lately I always see food as something I'm allergic too and I panic and throw the food away. It's tiring and it makes me want to scream and cry every time I know I won't be able to eat the food in front of me because I'm terrified. I'm gOing to therapy on March 2nd but I would rather be put in the hospital and tube fed. I'm tired of this. I'm underweight and have become super weak but I'm still scared of food. Never thought I would say that cuz I use to eat food like there was no tomorrow
I'm the same. best wishes that you get better. CBT hasn't worked for me, but it may work for you? Speak to you parents or doctor.
I have BPD and ADHD and I struggle so badly with this. Food is my way to cope but it has reached a dangerous point. I am in therapy so I'll be okay but it's so embarrassing to tell people that "I trust you but I don't trust anyone that eating in front of them is okay"
I get really nervous when I eat in public places and I start trembling and the thought of people noticing me shake makes me shake even MORE. I tremble in public places every time I have to go out to the store by myself
Just public places in general
I start breathing uncontrollably, trembling , can’t seem to get the words out when someone tries to make conversation with me
May God help us with Social Anxiety 🙏
Take lexipro itll help reduce the social anxiety. Also going to therapy would help