by Thomas Hawskworth (Occupational Therapist)
If you’re reading this, you might be wondering whether the way you eat, or feel about food, is something to be worried about. Or maybe food has started to feel stressful, confusing, or overwhelming, and you’re not quite sure why. You might be noticing that other people are concerned about your eating, whereas you do not feel there’s a problem at all. Whatever has brought you here, it’s important to know this: struggling with eating is more common than you think, happens for lots of different reasons, and isn’t your fault!
Lots of young people experience eating issues at some point, especially during times of change, pressure, or emotional stress. This article is here to help you understand what eating issues are (and aren’t), how they might show up, and when it could be helpful to get some support.
What do we mean by “eating issues”?
When people hear the word the word ‘issues’, ‘difficulties or ‘disorder’ attached to ‘food’, they often think of a specific picture and that picture often stops people thinking that help with it might be important. But eating issues are much broader than the pictures you might have or have seen on TV.
Eating issues can include things like:
- Feeling anxious or tense around meals
- Avoiding certain foods or food groups
- Feeling out of control around eating
- Having lots of rules about food
- Eating feeling stressful rather than enjoyable
- Feeling disconnected from hunger or fullness
- Thinking about food a lot, even when you don’t want to
Some people have eating difficulties for a short time; for others, they stick around longer.
What eating issues are not
There are a lot of misunderstandings about eating difficulties, and these can make it harder to talk about them.
Eating issues are not:
- Just about weight or appearance
- A sign of weakness or lack of willpower
- “Attention-seeking”
- Something you can always “just stop”
They are often a sign that something else is going on, emotionally, physically, or both. Food can become a way of coping when things feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or hard to put into words. It can make things feel better, and make things feel worse, which can be really confusing for people to understand.
How and when eating issues might show up
Eating issues don’t appear out of nowhere. They often show up during times when life feels more intense or uncertain.
This might be:
- During puberty or body changes
- When school pressure or expectations increase
- After a big life change (moving, exams, friendships changing)
- When emotions feel big or difficult to manage
- When controlling something starts to feel very important
For some young people, food is also affected by how their body and brain process sensory information. Things like taste, texture, smell, temperature, or how food looks can feel overwhelming. Eating might feel uncomfortable in your body, not just in your thoughts.
This is especially common for young people who are neurodivergent, but it can happen to anyone. If food feels “too much” on a sensory level, avoiding it can be a way of protecting yourself, even if it causes other difficulties like problems with concentrating, manage emotions or being able to do the things other people can do.
When might it be a good idea to get some support?
You don’t need to wait until things feel extreme to ask for help. Support can be useful before eating issues take over lots of your life. It might be that right now you can’t eat certain foods, can’t eat in certain environments or miss out on some things because eating is difficult.
It might be a good idea to reach out if:
- Thoughts about food are taking up lots of space in your head
- Eating feels stressful most of the time
- You avoid social situations because of food
- There are frequent arguments at home about eating
- You feel stuck and don’t know how to change things on your own
- Part of you wants things to feel easier
Getting help isn’t about being forced to eat or being told what to do. It’s about understanding what’s going on and finding ways forward that feel manageable.
How can you get help?
There are different ways to get support, and you’re allowed to take this step at your own pace.
Some options include:
- Talking to a trusted adult (parent, carer, teacher, school nurse)
- Speaking to your doctor
- Getting support through school or college
- Working with a therapist who understands eating difficulties
Therapy isn’t about judgement. It’s a space to slow things down, to make sense of what’s happening, and work together on what might help.
A bit about me!
I’m an occupational therapist who works with young people and families around eating difficulties, emotional wellbeing, and how the body and brain respond to stress. I have a special interest in sensory experiences, neurodiversity, and helping young people understand what’s happening for them rather than feeling “fixed”. My approach is collaborative and individual, because no two people experience eating issues in the same way. You can find out more about my work at www.systemicare.co.uk.
