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Eating Awareness Team here to help
The Eating Awareness Team are all about supporting you with food or body image issues.
They work from the Caretakers Cottage — diagonally opposite the Christchurch Art Gallery. It's an old, small weatherboard house that is calm and peaceful. It's a place you feel safe in.
Ellie and Paula — youth co-ordinators
Ellie van de Gronde and Paula Partington are the staff who work with youth. Here's a few of the things they had to say that gave us pause for thought:
- Not everyone has an eating disorder but can still be at risk
- No. 1 Priority - if you know you're worrying about your body image too much, GET HELP NOW. The Eating Awareness team is friendly, informal, confidential and non-threatening. You can take two or three friends, go by yourself … or even in a crowd! Just phone up and make an appointment.
- How do you know if you're obsessing about your body image? Basically, you need to be concerned when it becomes more important than who you are and how your day's going.
- It's incredibly time-consuming having to focus on your body all the time. Take a moment to reflect on what everyone else is doing while you're at home obsessing - they're living life and having fun!
- People say they're 'feeling fat'. FAT is NOT a feeling! Ask yourself, what am I truly feeling. Also - what are you using food for if you're covering something up?
- Practise critical thinking so far as advertising goes. None of those models are real … they're all airbrushed, airbrushed, airbrushed … they're simply not real and for us to try and attain the way they look is totally UNREALISTIC. Think critically. Really look at these adverts and ask yourself what are they trying to achieve here.
PLEASE — if you feel any concern AT ALL and want to talk to someone — contact the Eating Awareness Team right now on: 03 366 7725
Still not sure?
Well, here's a checklist of the Danger Signals/ Warning Signs - known as Red Flags - for you to have a think about. Do you:
- Constantly feel bad or worried about your body?
- Perceive thinness as a way to happiness and fat equalling failure?
- Constantly criticise the way your body looks and obsess about it all day and wonder what other people are thinking about you all the time?
- Consistently eat and never feel full (empty pit syndrome)?
- Consistently eat even though you're not at all hungry?
- Have an eating style that controls the whole family?
- Regularly sneak or hoard food?
- Habitually cover your body with baggy clothing?
- Experience unexplained rapid weight gain or loss?
- Feel ashamed about your body?
- Persist in self-criticism and negative self-talk?
- Have a perfectionist attitude that creates inflexible behaviour?
- Frequently feel sadness along with crying and irritability?
Further info
Caretakers Cottage
325 Montreal Street
Christchurch
Tel: (03) 366-7725
The cottage is usually staffed Tuesday through Friday — so drop in for a look around or a chat.
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