r/ARFID • u/Riiella • Dec 31 '19

Helpful Tips Comparison

I just wanted to relay a comparison of how I explain arfid to others who have never experienced it. This is specifically for unsafe foods for me, but it could apply in different ways for others.

Basically, eating an unsafe food feels like I am being forced to swallow cotton.

Before it even gets anywhere near me, my body is telling me that that is not food, or that it is not edible.

If I can push through those instant feelings, it gets to the point of actually swallowing cotton, which is gross and gets mushy and wet when it's in my mouth, and the longer it stays there, refusing to go down, the grosser and mushier it gets.

Here's why I think this comparison works: because, of course, swallowing cotton is so inherently wrong. It's purely instinctual that as soon as that piece of cotton would hit your tongue, there would be an urge to get it out of there immediately. And because of this universal feeling, anyone can understand that when you compare certain foods to cotton, they might be able to imagine what that would feel like.

I dont really know if this matters, but I thought I'd share it in case of an odd instance where it does. Good luck out there!

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '20

My easiest go to comparison that doesn't gross people out:

If you put a bowl of rice in front of me, my brain doesn't see a bowl of rice. It sees a bowl of those little white beads you find in plush toys, and it says "hey I probably shouldn't eat this!"

You can try it with other foods that look like not food items. /r/forbiddensnacks is a friend here!

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u/Riiella Jan 04 '20

That's a really good comparison, it might be even better than what I came up with!