Eating Disorders & BDD Treatment for Athletes- Raleigh, NC

Is Body Image Holding You Back from Performing at Your Best?​

Sports culture often rewards exactly the behaviors that put an athlete's health at risk—pushing through exhaustion, chasing a certain look or weight, and treating rigid control over food or training as "dedication." Preoccupation with weight, constant body comparison, rigid food rules, exercising through injury or exhaustion, mirror-checking, and a sense of self-worth that rises and falls with appearance or performance—these are just a few of the many signs of an eating disorder or body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in athletes.

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Do you see the connection between the pressure to look a certain way and how you feel day to day? For athletes, that pressure is often disguised as discipline—which is exactly why it can go unnoticed for so long.

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Do any of these signs sound familiar? Are they keeping you from performing at your best? Are they triggering unhealthy coping mechanisms like:

• Rigid rules or anxiety around food?

• Continuing to train through injury or exhaustion?

• Frequent mirror-checking or body comparison to teammates?

• Withdrawing from friends and family?

• Secrecy around eating or exercise habits?

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"I Can't Stop Comparing My Body to Everyone Else's."

You're not alone. Many athletes feel like they're never quite lean enough, strong enough, or disciplined enough—no matter what the scoreboard or the mirror says. That's why we go beyond talk therapy.

Treatment at MentPhys Wellness PLLC may include:

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• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for body-checking and compulsive behaviors

• Collaboration with our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for athlete-specific fueling support

• Mental skills training

• Journaling and reflection techniques

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Healing your relationship with your body and with food takes time, practice, and commitment—but you can get there. Together, we'll strengthen your mind-body connection, manage the thoughts driving these behaviors, and build a toolkit of positive coping strategies that works for you—without compromising your performance or your health.

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Your Worth Isn't Measured in PRs or Performance

Sports culture often teaches us that needing help means weakness, or that a "good" athlete should be able to control their body through sheer discipline. That belief is exactly what keeps eating disorders and body image struggles hidden in athletic communities for so long.

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Together, we'll work on separating your self-worth from your appearance and your performance—so you can learn to live a little more freely in your own body, where strength and self-acceptance can actually coexist.

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Find Eating Disorder & Body Image Therapy in Raleigh, NC

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