Anorexia and A level exams *trigger*

I can totally sympathize, although i'm not anorexic i'm in recovery for bulimia right now and my A level exams are also this year so i really don't want to mess up and miss the cheap university fee's!

I've made sure i've kept my school posted on my counseling sessions and doctors appointments so that if things do take a turn for the worse during my exams school can support and also inform universities. As i tend to get very anxious and shaky it also helps in my case as i have a chemistry practical assessment up coming so if i'm unable to do it due to that there is a valid reason why.

I totally understand the perfectionism thing as well, i'm resitting an A just because it wasn't 90% and i want an A* in chemistry - i get really bothered by tests results if they aren't 100% as thats what i was getting before my ED set in. Sounds silly i know but it drives me crazy!

Hope you can overcome this again and pass all your exams with flying colours message if you want to talk!

i know exactly what you're going through
i've got my GCSEs coming up and i'm goin through the a very similar thing!

first thing you should do is go out and get yourself carrots! no carrot sticks or any other form, just plain old, simple carrots! or celery. same thing!
have you heard of negative calories?
if not, then they're what you call your body burning more than it gains and there are more foods that do the same thing but i forgot the rest.

so basically, get the carrots/celery and try eating those! with the fact that ur body is burning more than it gains, you should be able to down these because they're not fattening!
after you get used to eating these, move on to another food you think you'll be able to eat and try eating that. ideally, this new food should be in a different food group, but if you're unable to cope with that, then stick to the veggies until you can

if possible, have multi-vitamins! god knows we (people who suffer from anorexia in particular) need them!

if you need anyone to talk to, feel free to send me a message, i know what your going through and i'd be happy to help, read a rant or anything!
it's especially bad when your around our age because we're at that stage where ''no one understands us'' but its worse when you suffer from an eating disorder because that's when you really know that no one understands us [people who have EDs]!

I completely understand the perfectionism don't worry! It's always sort of been unhelpful for me. GCSE year I was predicted all As and A*s, got really depressed, hardly turned up to lessons, pushed myself to get the grades because otherwise, it meant I wasn't good enough and ended up underachieving. AS year I ended up doing the wrong subjects, going to a really pressurised college and developed anorexia... This year, I seem to be doing better academically and I sort of attribute it to my anorexia (even though in reality, it's probably the change of subject and the change of school) so I'm sort of scared to let my anorexia go completely in case I end up failing without it... which is even sillier because I might fail because of it! It's a total mind ****!

Good luck with your recovery! Let's both get the grades- but don't push yourself too hard. I might take you up on the PM offer.

Thanks so so much for the advice everyone! I feel much more positive right now. I have to fight and keep going even though it's the last thing I want to do. I have to be as healthy as I can so I can destroy the exams, get into university and hopefully feel better with a change in environment.

The whole point of recovery is trying to get an ED sufferer to turn their unhealthy relationship with food into a healthy one. It's an awfully hard and often slow process but it's essential for people to live again properly. 'Negative calories' is hardly the sort of terminology one wants ED recovers to have to hear. This is exactly what they're trying to get away from.