Personal accounts of compulsive exercise and bulimia nervosa: an exploration of psychosocial influences through creative nonfiction storytelling

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ABSTRACT Compulsive exercise is a common component of eating disorders, characterised by an obsessive need to exercise, often following rigid rules, and using exercise as a maladaptive coping mechanism. However, compulsive exercise is often not well addressed or treated, mainly due to a lack of understanding of how compulsive exercise is developed, experienced, and resolved. Most research, to date, has explored compulsive exercise among individuals with anorexia nervosa and has not considered the social and cultural factors that influence compulsive exercise. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the complex interplay of personal and sociocultural factors that influenced the lived experiences of four individuals with bulimia nervosa and compulsive exercise. A series of four narrative interviews were conducted with each of the participants to allow for an in-depth exploration of lifelong experiences, attitudes, and behaviours around eating, exercise, and the body. The analysis involved two phases: a thematic narrative analysis and creative non-fiction. Two creative non-fiction stories were created that depict the tales of Amber and Carley. Both stories are first-person accounts of their personal experiences developing, living with, and (attempting) recovery from compulsive exercise. Woven through the two stories are the personal, situational, and sociocultural influences that shaped their experiences with exercise, eating, and their body. The two stories recount both different and shared experiences, influences, and trajectories with compulsive exercise and bulimia nervosa, presented through emotional and relatable narratives to appeal to a broad audience of readers.