"Tabitha" craves perfection because she feels hollow inside . Her exterior self is a distraction from who she believes she truly is. She doesn't trust herself , so she strives for perfection outside of herself (physical appearance, job, money, relationships, performance, social status, etc.).                                        

• She possibly experienced trauma during childhood.
• She compares herself with others.
• She bases her life on the “American Dream” because she wants to be accepted by others and fears rejection.
• She might have addictive behaviors (food, substance use [drugs, pills, alcohol]) to cope with feelings of not being good enough.
• She restricts her food intake throughout the day or eats “very clean” (orthorexia). Then, she'll emotionally overeat or binge, especially later in the day. This creates a restrict-binge cycle.
• She's constantly looking for happiness outside of herself and doesn’t feel worthy of happiness.
• She doesn’t know how to regulate the symptoms of anxiety and/or depression; therefore, she relies on outside resources (ex. food, alcohol, sex, drugs) to cope with her feelings.
• She regulates her emotions through restricting food intake to numb her feelings, bingeing to stuff down feelings, and obessesive-compulsive behaviors to perfect her self-created image and avoid suffering. This creates a distraction; therefore, she feels in "control", where in reality, the eating disorder and addictive behaviors control her.