What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders affect mental health and relationship with food. People with an eating disorder use food to cope with emotions and difficulties. There are a range of eating disorders that affect people differently. These include (this list isn’t exhaustive):
Anorexia – controlling food intake and exercising a lot to keep weight as low as possible.
Bulimia – a cycle of binging then taking drastic action not to put on weight (such as vomiting).
Binge Eating Disorder – eating large quantities of food to the point of feeling uncomfortably full and experiencing shame or guilt about the binge.
Spotting the signs
Different eating disorders come with different symptoms. But things to look out for include:
- Increased stress levels
- Physical changes (weight gain/loss)
- Distancing themselves from others
- Abnormal or secretive eating habits
- Mood swings
- Compulsive exercising
- Increased irritability
- Excessive concern about weight, exercise and food
*This is not an exhaustive list of warning signs
Supporting colleagues with an eating disorder
The earlier a person seeks treatment, the greater their chances of recovery. Try to create a supportive environment at work that encourages others to open up when they’re struggling. You can find our top tips for this below.
If you think someone might have an eating disorder
If you’re concerned about a colleague at work, there are a few things you can do. Try to keep the conversation about food to a minimum and talk about other things where you can. Removing comments and narratives about weight gain or loss will also help. Often, we don’t realise how deeply engrained these topics are into our conversations until we pay more attention to them.
Try to check in regularly with them to see how they are. Ask genuine questions and really listen to the responses. It’s all too easy to get lost in busy work schedules. But taking a quick five minutes to stop and connect with the people around you can make all the difference.
If someone at work opens up to you
Opening up takes a lot of courage. If someone opens up to you at work, there are several things you can do to support them. Listen carefully and try your best to make the person feel heard and understood. Don’t judge the person. Eating disorders are a serious mental health condition, and they can make day-to-day life a challenge.
Be accepting and open with the language you use. You don’t need to have all the answers. Just being there and creating a safe space to talk can be enough to ease difficult emotions.
For further information or signposting visit: Eating Disorders Awareness Week – Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk)
