Withholding Love - Intimacy anorexics actively withhold love the way their spouses like to be loved.

The anorexic often has a difficult time perceiving the intangible nature of withholding love. To withhold love is to not give love to your spouse the way you know how to, or how they have asked to be loved. Each one of us wants to be loved, and yet, we all experience being loved in many different ways. Spouses may want emotional sharing, long walks, a thoughtful note or gift that says “I was thinking of you.” Some just want help around the house or with the children. Each spouse needs to be shown love, and the anorexic already knows how the spouse wants to be loved.

Example: “Not getting the love tank filled, lack of joy and celebration is withholding of love and is a slow fade. It is a game that I wish I never played. Tit for tat… So my love tank was filled with friends, my children, family, activities, things I excelled at like work and running marathons.“