Tamsin (not real name) struggled with an eating disorder but was helped through her difficult teens by speaking with Childline.
Childline, the counselling service run by the NSPCC, reveals new data showing that 40% of all the counselling sessions they delivered last year on eating disorders and body image took place in the summer months (June to September).
In the run up to this year’s summer holiday, Childline knows that many children might be struggling to cope with these issues and wants to remind them that their trained counsellors and online services are here to support them.
Tamsin was a teenager living just outside of Norwich when her mental health began to deteriorate. She developed an eating disorder and was eventually admitted to an in-patient unit for eight months. Throughout all of this, she used Childline. The counsellors encouraged her to seek help and support which helped her to reach out to a friend and eventually seek treatment.
She said: “At 14, I think my mental health started deteriorating. I was struggling with low self-esteem and body image and relationships were difficult with people I cared about. I felt quite responsible for those around me and it weighed me down a bit. I also started really disliking school.
“I didn’t want to tell anyone but I was going downhill very quickly and I was aware of that. I think everyone around me was aware, but no one wanted to say anything. I felt I couldn’t tell anyone as I didn’t want to burden my family.
“That’s when I started to reach out to Childline on the online chat because it was a scary and dark time for me. During the day I was distracted but it was hard at night when I would become really lonely.
“I wanted to be cared for, in a way, or feel like someone cared. Obviously my family cared but they weren’t really able to be there in that way at that time. It was nice because it was anonymous and I could let how I was feeling out. There was good advice too.
“Childline encouraged me to tell a friend when I was scared to tell anyone. When I reached out to that friend, she encouraged me to get help. I got referred to CAMHS.”
Childline delivered more than 4,000 counselling sessions to children and young people with worries around body image and eating disorders
After struggling to attend college and a period of hospitalisation due to her mental health, Tamsin applied for a supportive scheme for young people with mental health issues.
Tamsin, now 24 and back living in Norwich, said: “I got the job. It was like a light switch – I knew I couldn’t go to work feeling like this, so I really worked on myself.
“After the scheme ended, I was offered a permanent role as a junior filmmaker, which was amazing. A few months later I moved to London. I didn’t have any friends in London and that was hard which means I really had to push myself to create my network of friends. Having my work responsibility really did push me outside of my comfort zone.
“Now, I’m a different person. I feel I’ve gone full circle with my depression. I still have bad days but it’s nothing like it used to be. I am very grateful my job helped me in such a way. If I hadn’t spoken to Childline, I would not have told my friend, and would not have received any support or help. Things would have got a lot worse.”
Childline knows that there are number of factors that make the summer holiday a particularly tricky time for children and young people struggling with their body image or their relationship with food.
For some, the prospect of wearing clothing which shows their body more can make them feel under pressure to look a certain way, that they need to lose weight or change their appearance.
For others, this pressure is also reinforced as many will be spending more time online during the summer months to keep in touch with their friends and to stay entertained. As a result, we know many children may be exposed to more content online that might make them feel negatively about the way they way look.
Additionally, children who struggle with eating disorders might find a change in their day-to-day routine and eating habits over the summer period difficult to cope with.
Kieran Lyons, Service Head of Childline at the organisation’s Shoreditch base said: “Summer can be a really a tough time for anyone who is already dealing with these issues, and it also can be a time which can make others who ordinarily felt happy with their body image begin to feel negatively. Regardless of your situation or your worries, Childline is here to ensure that no child is left to cope alone with any worry they have.”
If there is a young person in your life struggling with their body image or an eating disorder here are some tips on how best to support them:
- Remind them that how they look is part of who they are and that their personality, achievements and the way they behave is important too.
- Images they may see on TV, in magazines, in social media or online are often altered and airbrushed so what they are seeing isn’t always real.
- Remind them that everyone is different and not to compare themselves to anyone else. Accepting themselves is all about them noticing things they are happy and unhappy about and realise that is what makes them unique.
- To help build their confidence encourage them to spend time focusing on a hobby they enjoy.
- Also, it may help if they write down every morning a few things they like about themselves.
All children can speak to a trained counsellor over the phone on 0800 1111, via email or on a 121 chat on the Childline website.
Children can also visit the website to find more advice on any concerns or questions they may have on body image and eating disorders and they can also use the service’s monitored message boards to get support from their peers.
