So far Transition Year has been filled to the brim with exciting activities, talks and trips on a daily basis! Today was no exception. Together with the 3rd years we were given an influential and meaningful talk about eating disorders and body image. This is a very serious prominent issue in the world and it is more than important that the youth is fully educated on it so we can help those who suffer from it and avoid repeating these issues in the future. After break today we all swarmed into the Junior School Hall, secured our seats and prepared ourselves for the talk we were about to have. Fiona Flynn introduced herself as the Youth Development Officer of Bodywhys. Bodywhys is the eating disorder association of Ireland and is specialised in helping people with disorders and preventing others from developing them.
The first thing we did was go through the three most common eating disorders and discuss what they are, how people develop them and how to avoid developing them. Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder were the ones included in our talk today. To be honest I wasn’t very well informed on these disorders and wasn’t fully aware of the impact they have on people. As Fiona defined each of the eating disorders I was shocked at how people, teenagers most commonly, could do this to themselves. I was even more astonished when she showed us the statistics. I wasn’t aware eating disorders was such a widespread issue across Ireland. From a survey done im 2006 over 200,000 individuals had been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and according to Fiona that figure has gone up since. Then we were shown a short video of a girl having anorexia, and how simple it is to develop it. In the video all it took was the influence of her friends going on diets, she felt happy with her body but didn’t want to be left out so decided to partake in this diet. Then her boyfriend breaks up with her and she is extremely upset. I noticed what triggered the girl’s need to be thinner was when he ex boyfriend had a new, thinner and prettier girlfriend than her. Within weeks the girl was starving herself and doing too much exercise.
The first thing we did was go through the three most common eating disorders and discuss what they are, how people develop them and how to avoid developing them. Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder were the ones included in our talk today. To be honest I wasn’t very well informed on these disorders and wasn’t fully aware of the impact they have on people. As Fiona defined each of the eating disorders I was shocked at how people, teenagers most commonly, could do this to themselves. I was even more astonished when she showed us the statistics. I wasn’t aware eating disorders was such a widespread issue across Ireland. From a survey done im 2006 over 200,000 individuals had been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and according to Fiona that figure has gone up since. Then we were shown a short video of a girl having anorexia, and how simple it is to develop it. In the video all it took was the influence of her friends going on diets, she felt happy with her body but didn’t want to be left out so decided to partake in this diet. Then her boyfriend breaks up with her and she is extremely upset. I noticed what triggered the girl’s need to be thinner was when he ex boyfriend had a new, thinner and prettier girlfriend than her. Within weeks the girl was starving herself and doing too much exercise.
Although a few people die annually due to eating disorders I was relieved to hear many can recover from them and restart a healthy lifestyle. Also we were told not to be fooled by the media and the ‘perfect people’ with ‘perfect lives and bodies’ on the front cover of magazines and on social media. After being showed celebrity photos before and after being airbrushed I was convinced that these people are not too different from us and we shouldn't worry too much about looking or being like them!
The end of the talk was beyond useful. We were told how to avoid ever developing an eating disorder. We should have a balanced healthy diet, enough food for energy but not too much or too little than is necessary. Fiona suggested we should not go on diets as there is no need, especially as we are still young, to cut down on certain foods, we must simply eat treats in moderation. Doing things we enjoy doing and being surrounded by good friends are things that help us improve our self- esteem and pursue a healthy and happy lifestyle!
In conclusion I thought the talk was informative and useful. Despite the topic being a sad and heavy one I feel we all left the hall more confident and keen to stay healthy and support those who feel sad, lonely or have low self confidence and to avoid them ever developing any form of eating disorder!
The end of the talk was beyond useful. We were told how to avoid ever developing an eating disorder. We should have a balanced healthy diet, enough food for energy but not too much or too little than is necessary. Fiona suggested we should not go on diets as there is no need, especially as we are still young, to cut down on certain foods, we must simply eat treats in moderation. Doing things we enjoy doing and being surrounded by good friends are things that help us improve our self- esteem and pursue a healthy and happy lifestyle!
In conclusion I thought the talk was informative and useful. Despite the topic being a sad and heavy one I feel we all left the hall more confident and keen to stay healthy and support those who feel sad, lonely or have low self confidence and to avoid them ever developing any form of eating disorder!