Eating, body image and when worry becomes a problem

Most people have days when they dislike something about how they look. But when worries about food, eating or your body start to take over your thoughts, it is worth paying attention and talking to someone. This lesson is about kindness to yourself and knowing when to get support.

Body image and the online world

• In a 2019 Mental Health Foundation survey of UK teenagers aged 13 to 19, 40% said images on social media had caused them to worry about their body image.
• YoungMinds reminds you that posts are curated and edited, and those images do not reflect how people look in real life.
• The Mental Health Foundation points out that there is a much wider range of body shapes and sizes than the narrow range you see online, and that variety is the norm.
• Comments matter too: in the same survey, 40% said things their friends had said had made them worry about their body image. Think before you comment on anyone's body, even as a joke.

Building a kinder relationship with your body

• Curate your feed: unfollow accounts that leave you feeling bad and follow people with different ideas and body types (Mental Health Foundation, YoungMinds).
• Take regular breaks: try a daily time limit or one social-media-free day a week.
• Speak to yourself as you would to a friend. You would not list a friend's flaws, so try not to list your own.
• Value your body for what it does (carrying you to school, playing sport, hugging your family), not just how it looks.
• Eating well is about variety and enjoyment, not rules (see the Nutrition and a Healthy Body module).

What eating disorders are

• The NHS describes an eating disorder as a mental health condition where you use the control of food to cope with feelings and difficult situations.
• Anyone can develop one, of any gender, background or body size. The NHS says teenagers and young adults are most often affected.
• The NHS lists factors that can raise risk, including being criticised about eating, body shape or weight, anxiety, low self-esteem, perfectionism, and pressure in some sports or activities.
• Eating disorders are serious, but the NHS is clear: you can recover, though it may take time.

Signs that worry is becoming a problem

• Spending a lot of time worrying about body shape or food, so it crowds out other thoughts.
• Very strict rules or routines around eating, or feeling anxious or guilty when routines change.
• Avoiding meals with family or friends, or social events that involve food.
• Exercise that feels driven or compulsive rather than enjoyable.
• Mood changes such as withdrawing, anxiety or low mood.
• You do not need to have every sign, or to look a certain way, to deserve help. If food or your body is causing you distress, that is enough reason to talk to someone.

Getting help, for you or a friend

• The NHS advises seeing a doctor as soon as you can if you think you may have an eating disorder, and suggests bringing a friend or family member if that helps.
• Beat, the UK eating disorder charity, encourages seeking treatment as quickly as possible to give the best chance of recovery.
• If you are worried about a friend, the NHS notes they may not see it as a problem and may become defensive. Share your concern calmly and without judgement, focus on how they seem rather than on food or appearance, and tell a trusted adult.
• In the UAE, start with a parent, school counsellor or family doctor. Emirates Health Services runs mental health outpatient clinics for patients of all ages, and support lines include 800-SAKINA and Itma'en 800506.