Help Me With Eating Or Body Image
Your body image is how you think and feel about your body. It includes the picture of your body that you have in your mind, which may or may not match your body’s actual shape and size. It is the relationship you have with your body and it can change over time.Â
Your body image can influence the way you interact with the world. Sometimes, a negative body image can make a person feel really terrible about themselves and significantly impact their mental health. They might also start changing their eating habits or lifestyle.Â
Disordered eating can be very serious. If you (or someone you know) is struggling with body image and/or their relationship with food, please contact the College psychs, or The Butterfly Foundation for free, confidential support.Â
Be aware that people of any size, shape, age, abilities, gender identity, sexuality, cultural or linguistic background can experience an eating disorder. You can’t tell whether someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them. You could be considered normal weight or overweight and still meet the criteria for an eating disorder.Â
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How can I foster a healthier body image?
Try shifting your mindset to see yourself (and others) as a whole person – more than just what’s on the outside. Think about the strengths and skills you have that make you awesome – like making friends laugh or acing a maths test. Find meaning in bigger things.Â
Social media can be one thing that gets us stuck focusing on the external body. Be critical about who you follow on socials and whether it actually makes you feel good about yourself when you view their content. Be critical about what you see/hear on social media, especially the information you see/hear about bodies and food. Is this source of info really reputable..?
How can I have a healthier relationship with food?
In short, by becoming aware of, and eventually letting go of, the judgment we put on different types of food (e.g., some food as “bad” food, that we feel guilty eating). By re-training our minds to listen to our bodies when they tell us they are hungry or full.  Be an intuitive eater – click here to learn more..
Avoid diets. WHY? Cus they’re only good at making us feel bad!
Appreciate that a more than half of what your body looks like is attributable to genetics. Two people could have identical eating habits and have very different body shapes (remember this when you see reals on socials..).