10 Signs to alert you to eating disorders in the workplace

Were you aware that between 1.25 million-3.4 million people in the UK have an?eating disorder, and most of them are adults? So often we think of teenagers when we hear about eating disorders. We need to remember eating disorders can affect all ages.

How comfortable would you be to open up difficult conversations if you noticed someone on you team may be suffering with an eating disorder?

Eating disorders at work

We rarely talk about eating disorders at work.?Spotting the signs of eating disorders is so important in the workplace and we need to remember that the signs are not just about NOT eating. There are so many aspects to eating disorders.

?Here are 10 warning signs that could signal an eating disorder:

1)????Anxiety and distress around food

2)????Not wanting to eat in front of others

3)????An obsession with calories

4)????Exercising obsessively

5)????Constantly talking about food and diets

6)????Being critical of their body

7)????Commenting on what they ate in a negative way

8)????Being a perfectionist

9)????Not breaking a routine around food and exercise

10)?Not joining in on socials to do with food

?Through my work with mental health training in the workplace, I have learnt so much about eating disorders from the people I work with. I did a YouTube and podcast series on eating disorders, interviewing a diverse range of people who have personal experience of the subject.

?Binge eating

Have you ever heard of binge eating disorder? I hadn’t until I interviewed Vicky Midwood for Mental Health Chats. (See the?“Myths around compulsive eating” interview here.)

?Vicky goes into detail about what triggers binge eating and the signs of someone who eats compulsively. Binge eating is all about trauma, self-doubt, lack of confidence and not being happy.

?The trauma response

So many lightbulbs went on for me during the interview. I thought of so many people who ate excessively and I had always assumed they just couldn’t control themselves; they had no willpower. I never related this to an eating disorder. So often binge eating disorder stems from a trauma that has occurred in life. Vicky explains this in detail.

?One of my favourite boxsets I’ve watched during lockdown is ‘This is Us.’ The character of Kate explains how the trauma of the death of her father when she was younger affected her eating. The journey she goes through, not understanding she has an eating disorder is so interesting. It also explains how it has affected not only her personal life, but her confidence in the workplace too.???

?Adult anorexia and bulimia

Other eating disorders we need to be aware of are anorexia and bulimia. Yes, they do occur in adults as well as teenagers. These stories have been told on Mental Health Chats YouTube and Podcast by?Hope Virgo?and?Alex Cross?who were affected by anorexia and bulimia in their 20s. Hope Virgo also outlines in her book,?Stand Tall Little Girl,?how her anorexia reoccurred when she was working in the corporate world in London. Nobody noticed she was suffering and she had to be admitted to hospital.

?Where does management fit?

Management is not just about results, results, results. We need to nurture our teams for more positive mental health, and this includes watching out for eating disorders and supporting those who are suffering from it. As managers, we need to notice, be aware, spotting the signs, then open up conversations.

?Workshops

I run workshops for managers on having those difficult conversations around mental health concerns. Remember, these conversations are essential for the wellbeing for our teams. Contact me now for more information.?

?QUESTION: How comfortable would you be to open up difficult conversations if you noticed someone on you team may be suffering with an eating disorder?

#conversations #eatingdisorders #monthlytheme #support