Introduction
One of the major difficulties about living and working in a place
that feels as if you are being constantly judged - as academically
you are - in every assignment, seminar presentation, project and exam
- is that it's easy to feel judged and criticised ALL of the time
about everything to do with you.
This feeling
(because it is a feeling) of being criticised or judged about everything
to do with you can lead some students to lose their confidence to
the extent that feelings of being unable to cope, well up and take
over.
- If this
is you - do seek out support as there are extremely positive ways
of helping you - loss of confidence can be built up again and
gradually facing your difficulties by telling someone about them
is a very good start...
- Counsellors
on Campus Tel. 484650 or the Medical Centre Tel. 483193 offer
expert help. If you would rather talk about the issues affecting
your confidence and/or your eating patterns, before seeking help
from these services, please contact Anna
Hinton, Tel. 483193, Health Visitor for the student population
of Brookes...
Chaotic
Eating
For
some and particularly women, their looks become the focus
of their anxiety. This anxiety can lead to disordered eating
patterns.
We do live
in a society where the media constantly bombard us with images of
successful people who are always portrayed as thin and by implication
attractive and its difficult at times, to remember that these are
media images and not ones that we must accept as valid.
Perhaps it
is the need to look the same as others, conform and thereby avoid
comment that can also effect someone's confidence. Or maybe your
body shape is the one thing you feel you can do something about
to stay in control. Research shows just how prejudiced we are with
90% of the female population launching themselves onto the dieting
trail in an attempt to redefine their natural body shape. Sadly
dieters are 8 times more likely to develop bulimia than non-dieters.
Add to this
the sustained academic and social pressures of being a student and
combine it with the stereo typical view that women's achievements
are frequently measured by their looks and it is not surprising
that Oxford could be seen as the perfect breeding ground for eating
problems.
Bulimia
There
have been many public figures admitting to being bulimic the subject
has been 'out' which has helped a few more sufferers seek some much
needed help. Particularly as people with bulimia are so often secretive
and so guilt ridden that they rarely share their discomfort or expression
of distress with even their closest friends. Unlike Anorexia, the
problem is not always easy to spot because someone who is bulimic
frequently has a 'normal' body weight.
Surveys in
women's magazines in the 1980-1990's tried to find out whether Bulimia
was a significant but undisclosed problem in many people's lives:
of 800 respondents 499 were highly likely to have bulimia, all were
women, their average age was 24yrs, (it was a Cosmopolitan magazine
study) 83% had a normal body weight and only 2.5% were receiving
any treatment!!!
Low
Self Esteem
Low
self esteem is linked to disordered eating as sufferers find it
hard to like themselves as they are - and not for what they are
going to be or what someone else wants them to be....
As confidence
is shaken, self esteem plummets and you may become more self - conscious,
focusing on how fat or thin you feel you are, and by doing
so, put off looking at the real underlying issues . In the midst
of feeling down hearted and confused it is hard to accept you for
you and to look for the positive bits. It is very tempting to feel
that, as one student said : "when I'm ............(thinner).
I'll be liked, wanted and life will be all that it's cracked upto
be".
How
it can start
Causes
of Bulimia are as diverse as the number of sufferers but it may
occur for one or more of the following reasons:
- low
self esteem and feeling inadequate generally.
- social
pressures to be thin.
- a major
stressful event.
- difficulty
in dealing with feelings of anger, neediness, homesickness, misery,
despair, wanting sex...... "Sufferers of eating disorders
use food and eating as a means of expressing their difficulties......
the issue appears to be about food but at a deeper level eating
disorders express a fundamental unhappiness which may originate
from a number of different sources. They indicate and express
a disturbed perception of self ".
- to be
in control .... sufferers may impose strict rules concerning
what can and cannot be eaten which are often so impossibly strict
that they inevitably break their rules and binge, going out of
control and consequently hating themselves.
The
Binge - Purge Cycle
![[The Binge Cycle]](Images/binge.gif)
Bulimia
is said to be the fastest growing eating disorder varying from
those that occasionally vomit after eating or purge on laxatives,
to those whose lives are dominated by the disorder.
It's
never too late to change
The
pain, guilt, self hatred and despair surrounding bulimia makes it
difficult for sufferers to see beyond the present... "I can't
see any way out ..." feeling. Although a cure is a process
which takes time it can and does help to talk to the professionals
equipped to set you on the road to recovery.
If you identify
with any of the above or know someone who is, be reassured that
you can be helped. Counsellors
on Campus Tel. 484650 or the Medical
Centre Tel. 483193 offer expert help.
If you
would rather talk about the issues affecting your confidence
and/or your eating patterns, before seeking help from these
services, please contact Anna
Hinton, Tel. 483193, Health Visitor for the student
population of Brookes...or talk to the BEAT
- beating eating disorders, 0845 6341414 from 8.30am
- 8.30pm.
Self Help:
here are a few guidelines which may help you on the road to recovery.
| 1 |
You
are more than your bulimic behaviour. You have qualities that
make you as valuable and loveable as the next student. Try
to think of these - write them down and read them to yourself
out loud every day. Pin them up so that you can see them. |
| 2 |
You,
like everyone else, have legitimate needs for food, love, sleep,
approval, friendship, sexual expression. Let yourself take
in something good that you need - care, food, whatever, each
day. Try to let it stay inside you and do you good. If someone
pays you a compliment enjoy it and say thank you - don't devalue
it or yourself by brushing it off with "yes but" answer. |
| 3 |
Find
the space in your life that is not dominated by bulimia,
some activity where you do not think of your size or what you
must or must not eat... recognise these times and build on them
so that your bulimia occupies less and less of your day. |
| 4 |
The
you you are now is older and has a greater capacity to tackle
problems than the you who first developed bulimia. What
was impossible then may be possible now. Learn problem solving
techniques (see Anna Hinton, Health Visitor for further help). |
| 5 |
Keep
a record of when and what you eat so that the times and situations
you are vulnerable to bingeing may be detected. If a pattern
emerges then plan alternative activities as diversions. e.g.
phoning a friend, having a bath, going out for a walk. |
| 6 |
Do
not think in terms of forcing yourself to stop your bulimic
behaviour. Instead think in terms of letting go as you find
other healthier ways of dealing with the difficulties in life. |
| 7 |
Plan
to eat 3 regular meals a day and a snack or two, irrespective
of binges or vomiting. Regular meals will prevent the swings
in blood sugar, insulin and other hormones which in themselves
trigger a binge. Avoid going for more than 3 hours between meals/snacks. |
| 8 |
If
it is a bad day and you know you will end up bingeing plan
one and you will probably end up eating less and feel better
as a result. |
| 9 |
Try
to eat meals with other people - to see what normal eating patterns
are like. |
| 10 |
TALK
to someone about it all - it does help you feel better. |
| 11 |
If
you do binge and then vomit, just rinse your mouth afterwards
with plain water. Do not clean your teeth for at least 30
minutes because the acid, which was in your stomach and is now
in your mouth, will destroy the enamel covering your teeth if
you brush it all over them. |
For those who
recognise the early warning signs the STOP DIETING message is a
good place to start. However, does this suggestion cause you to
panic... do you think that if you stop dieting you'll eat as if
there's no tomorrow and become fat... well this theory / explanation
may help you decide to have a go : your body has a naturally healthy
'set point' weight which fluctuates by 4-5 pounds a month. When
you go on a diet you interfere with this mechanism, your body desperately
tries to maintain its set point by reducing your metabolic rate.
Your body then conserves energy - the rate at which you metabolise
food, drops, resulting in a slow weight loss which in turn can lead
to an increase of appetite and results in a binge. Losing a few
pounds will not be the cure all for your anxieties - it can lead
to many more.
Above all REASSESS
your way of coping with the stresses and strains of university life.
The following
flow chart is an extract from the Book "Overcoming Binge Eating"
By Dr. Christopher Fairburn, an expert in this subject. It is an
excellent self help guide. It explores each step in detail. In a
recent evaluation of the self help methods suggested in this book,
40% of sufferers succeeded in successfully overcoming their binge
eating and had remained free, even after 9 months. More studies
into the effectiveness of the methods is currently being undertaken.
Bulimia
is a condition that is taken seriously.
Getting
started
| Step1:
Getting started |
|
Self
Monitoring
Weekly
Weighing |
| Step
2: Regular Eating |
|
Establishing
a pattern of regular eating
Stopping
vomiting and misusing laxatives and diuretics
|
|
Step
3: Alternatives to Binge Eating |
| Substituting
alternative activities |
|
Step
4: Problem Solving and Taking Stock |
|
Practicing
Problem Solving
Reviewing
Progress |
| Step
5: Dieting and Related forms of Avoidance |
|
Tackling
the three forms of dieting
Tackling
other forms of avoidance eating |
| Step
6: What Next? |
|
Dealing
with other problems |
For
help on Campus
Chaotic
Eating bulletin board
This is an anonymous bulletin board, exclusive to all Brookes Students,
it provides an informal point of contact for any help, advice or
information you might need about your own eating. Accessed through
the links via the top of this page.
The Doctors
at The Medical Centre offer non-judgmental advice, guidance and
help: For appointments, Tel. 01865 483193.
Student Services'
Counsellors
offer a non-judgmental place to talk about how you feel. Tel. 01865
484650
Anna Hinton,
Health Visitor, Main foyer, Mon. Tues. 11am-2pm. for someone to
talk through any issue that's worrying you - problem solving techniques
a speciality.
Off Campus
BEAT
-beating eating disorders - Information and help on all
aspects of eating disorders, including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia
Nervosa, binge eating disorder and related eating disorders.Tel:
0845 6341414
Something-fishy.org
- Website dedicated to raising awareness and providing support
to people with Eating Disorders, and their loved-ones... since
1995
SWEDA
- Somerset & Wessex Eating Disorders Association - "Serving
those affected by eating disorders" - The message boards
on this site have a section for students in Oxford.
Recommended
Reading
Overcoming
Binge Eating by Dr. Christopher Fairburn. The Guildford Press. 1995:
U.K. distributers: Tel. 01273 748 427 email: dirdist@psypress.co.uk
Getting Better
Bit(E) by Bit(E) A survival kit for sufferers Bulimia Nevosa and
Binge Eating Disorders by Uirike Schmidt and Janet Treasure
A Woman in
Your Own Right: Assertiveness and You by Anne Dickson. Quartet Press.
Fat Chance:
The Myth of Dieting Explained by Jane Ogden. Routledge 1992
Fat is a Feminist
Issue: The self help guide for compulsive eaters by Susie Orbach.
Arrow Books 1988
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