@suesa, sorry for the delay in replying but I just found your post (my replies tab was swamped with comments for the article about the vaccine).

It's interesting to see how our lives mirror each other in some unexpected aspects. It seems like for a certain kind of person with a particular set of traits (perfectionism, high standards for one's work, introspection, intellectually driven) these behaviors are likely to emerge at a breaking point. I am very happy to know that you also managed to overcome the most difficult part of your struggle, it must have been very hard if you even had a thyroid condition. Congrats on taking care of yourself and steering towards a healthier life, it's easy to abandon oneself in despair sometimes.

While I am certainly much better than I was a couple of years ago, I still have some obsessive behaviors that I carry with me. I am more at peace with the scales because after I started training seriously I noticed there's a very lax correlation between my weight and the way I look. However I still do stuff like frequent "body checks"–things like looking at myself in the mirror and lift my shirt just to check if my stomach looks the same or if it's now perhaps 1.5 cm less flat than it was three hours ago... that kind of thing.

Best luck with your Bachelor thesis, I understand how stressful these things can be... but I am sure with your talent and intelligence you can manage that and more. And great idea to take up Kung Fu! Besides the physical aspect, martial arts have a very special effect in the mind, making people more serene, grounded and resilient.