Deteriorating Body

I have a difficult relationship with my body, and so does my son. I’m hypersensitive to sensations in my body and I also have very bad health anxiety, I have had a few physical health problems over the years, and as a very young child I spent a lot of time in hospital (I think that is at the root of my health anxiety issues). 
In recent months I’ve been studying Zen Buddhism and they talk a lot about the body, and it’s starting to change my attitude a bit . Essentially it’s encouraging us to learn to love our body and have the attitude of taking care of it kindly ‘like a mother takes care of her baby’ - rather than viewing our body with fear and hatred. 
I think this is a long process - but I instinctively feel it can help to change our attitude to our body - to try to ‘make friends’ with our body rather than viewing it as a source of so much trouble and fear and distress. 
For example: we often focus on everything that is WRONG with our body, and forget to notice all the amazing things it is doing every second of the day. As I write this I am using my eyes - and my eyes are actually working really well - they allow me to see all the beauty of the world - the sky, the trees, the birds, watching my favourite films, reading etc. My eyes are a miracle of nature and I am so lucky to have well functioning eyes. I wear reading glasses - but I can still see, and aren’t we lucky to live in a place and time where we can access glasses to help us see better. Also my legs work well - I can walk about and go outside and explore places. My heart works well - it keeps me alive and is working to do that even while I sleep - it’s doing amazing work all the time. 
Do you see what I mean? By shifting our perspective more towards the bits of our body that ARE working well we can develop a slightly more friendly and positive relationship with our bodies. If we have this perspective we feel a bit less fear about our bodies, and that helps. I’m sorry that you have anorexia - that must be so very hard for you. It’s worth bearing in mind that your body is doing its absolute best to function even with the complex issues you are currently having with nutrition. Your body is doing its best for you - even though you are struggling it is trying its best to be as healthy as it can be in difficult circumstances. Your body really is your ‘friend’ - more than you think. 
Re. catastrophizing everything - this has been a big problem for me all my life. I’m really working on this though - and recently have been having some success. Trying to live in the present moment - and mindfulness techniques - this has really helped me. Most catastrophizing is about looking ahead - about what MIGHT happen, and the more we live in the moment here and now the more reduce that tendency to look ahead and assume the most terrible scenarios. I’m also using Vagus Nerve breathing techniques that help reduce the panic and anxiety quite effectively. There’s lots of YouTube videos about Vagus Nerve breathing techniques. They really can help. 
I know it’s hard but there really is hope and there really are things that can work - it’s just a matter of doing some research for what works for you. Mindfulness is very helpful for so many people - it’s definitely helping me. If you don’t know where to start you could check out the work of Eckhart Tolle, and also Thich Nhat Hanh. There’s loads of free stuff on YouTube by them. Good luck!

I have a difficult relationship with my body, and so does my son. I’m hypersensitive to sensations in my body and I also have very bad health anxiety, I have had a few physical health problems over the years, and as a very young child I spent a lot of time in hospital (I think that is at the root of my health anxiety issues). 
In recent months I’ve been studying Zen Buddhism and they talk a lot about the body, and it’s starting to change my attitude a bit . Essentially it’s encouraging us to learn to love our body and have the attitude of taking care of it kindly ‘like a mother takes care of her baby’ - rather than viewing our body with fear and hatred. 
I think this is a long process - but I instinctively feel it can help to change our attitude to our body - to try to ‘make friends’ with our body rather than viewing it as a source of so much trouble and fear and distress. 
For example: we often focus on everything that is WRONG with our body, and forget to notice all the amazing things it is doing every second of the day. As I write this I am using my eyes - and my eyes are actually working really well - they allow me to see all the beauty of the world - the sky, the trees, the birds, watching my favourite films, reading etc. My eyes are a miracle of nature and I am so lucky to have well functioning eyes. I wear reading glasses - but I can still see, and aren’t we lucky to live in a place and time where we can access glasses to help us see better. Also my legs work well - I can walk about and go outside and explore places. My heart works well - it keeps me alive and is working to do that even while I sleep - it’s doing amazing work all the time. 
Do you see what I mean? By shifting our perspective more towards the bits of our body that ARE working well we can develop a slightly more friendly and positive relationship with our bodies. If we have this perspective we feel a bit less fear about our bodies, and that helps. I’m sorry that you have anorexia - that must be so very hard for you. It’s worth bearing in mind that your body is doing its absolute best to function even with the complex issues you are currently having with nutrition. Your body is doing its best for you - even though you are struggling it is trying its best to be as healthy as it can be in difficult circumstances. Your body really is your ‘friend’ - more than you think. 
Re. catastrophizing everything - this has been a big problem for me all my life. I’m really working on this though - and recently have been having some success. Trying to live in the present moment - and mindfulness techniques - this has really helped me. Most catastrophizing is about looking ahead - about what MIGHT happen, and the more we live in the moment here and now the more reduce that tendency to look ahead and assume the most terrible scenarios. I’m also using Vagus Nerve breathing techniques that help reduce the panic and anxiety quite effectively. There’s lots of YouTube videos about Vagus Nerve breathing techniques. They really can help. 
I know it’s hard but there really is hope and there really are things that can work - it’s just a matter of doing some research for what works for you. Mindfulness is very helpful for so many people - it’s definitely helping me. If you don’t know where to start you could check out the work of Eckhart Tolle, and also Thich Nhat Hanh. There’s loads of free stuff on YouTube by them. Good luck!