Eating Disorders and HSC - Discussion (1 Viewer)

[mzkashi]

I'm writing this post to bring up a topic that I feel isn't really discussed much in this forum, and before I start, I'd like to say I'm not promoting or inviting anybody with pro-ana/disordered views to contribute in a harmful manner; I also don't want anyone naming any pro-ana/ED forums or online spaces.
Eating disorders, or general disordered eating behaviors are already difficult and often debilitating on their own, but what about the HSC?

(semi-rant about my own experience, feel free to skip) For some background, I've been struggling, and attempting to recover from bulimia after coming to terms with the horrible impact it has on not only physical health, but my social and study lifestyle. I feel that the previous year was wasted on being sick, in a way, and I'm worried about this affecting my studies next year, as I'll be entering year 11 - I just feel so behind on everyone else from all of this.

Anyways, I'd like to hear from anyone else struggling from disordered eating, and those also in recovery, what is your experience like? What are your plans this coming year as well?

 

[Average Boreduser]

I'm writing this post to bring up a topic that I feel isn't really discussed much in this forum, and before I start, I'd like to say I'm not promoting or inviting anybody with pro-ana/disordered views to contribute in a harmful manner; I also don't want anyone naming any pro-ana/ED forums or online spaces.
Eating disorders, or general disordered eating behaviors are already difficult and often debilitating on their own, but what about the HSC?

(semi-rant about my own experience, feel free to skip) For some background, I've been struggling, and attempting to recover from bulimia after coming to terms with the horrible impact it has on not only physical health, but my social and study lifestyle. I feel that the previous year was wasted on being sick, in a way, and I'm worried about this affecting my studies next year, as I'll be entering year 11 - I just feel so behind on everyone else from all of this.

Anyways, I'd like to hear from anyone else struggling from disordered eating, and those also in recovery, what is your experience like? What are your plans this coming year as well?

Had experienced it late last yr. Mine was self inflicted. I eventually was able to ease out of it, by educating myself more on BMI + how to balance your day (itms). Note you're not alone. No matter how much people like to dress it up, caloric deficits won't magically transform your looks. You need to distract yourself, or practice mindfullness. It's not sustainable, and to be completely frank, i'm still suffering post illness, hyperanalyzing parts of myself, in some cases neglecting studies for days on end. Baby steps. You'll get there.

 

[mzkashi]

Had experienced it late last yr. Mine was self inflicted. I eventually was able to ease out of it, by educating myself more on BMI + how to balance your day (itms). Note you're not alone. No matter how much people like to dress it up, caloric deficits won't magically transform your looks. You need to distract yourself, or practice mindfullness. It's not sustainable, and to be completely frank, i'm still suffering post illness, hyperanalyzing parts of myself, in some cases neglecting studies for days on end. Baby steps. You'll get there.

Thanks so much for sharing! It's definitely a process that can't happen overnight, and I would say I'm also in that phase of educating myself better and breaking down disordered thoughts, replacing them with a healthier mindset. Really, it warps your view and perception of things so much, I don't think it's a disorder that deserves to be reduced by others as 'just can't eat normally' or along those lines, often stereotypes of EDs are ridiculous like that. Thankfully, I guess I'll be channeling a lot of this research and knowledge, experiences of my own and others into my own work next year! Really hoping best for you, nobody deserves to suffer, and I hope your recovery is smooth! Hang in there!

 

[Cute-Duckie]

Hey, to be honest I don't know very much about eating disorders but just wanted to say I'm so proud of you for taking this step and I'm here for you

 

[Drongoski]

Pardon my ignorance: I've always been curious, being from a much older generation, why/how young people develop bulimia? In my youth, we've never heard of this eating disorder.

 

[Average Boreduser]

Pardon my ignorance: I've always been curious, being from a much older generation, why/how young people develop bulimia? In my youth, we've never heard of this eating disorder.

Social media, glorifying + editing peoples physiques, facial features, etc. And also a huge misconcenception of how a calorie deficit works

 

[liamkk112]

I'm writing this post to bring up a topic that I feel isn't really discussed much in this forum, and before I start, I'd like to say I'm not promoting or inviting anybody with pro-ana/disordered views to contribute in a harmful manner; I also don't want anyone naming any pro-ana/ED forums or online spaces.
Eating disorders, or general disordered eating behaviors are already difficult and often debilitating on their own, but what about the HSC?

(semi-rant about my own experience, feel free to skip) For some background, I've been struggling, and attempting to recover from bulimia after coming to terms with the horrible impact it has on not only physical health, but my social and study lifestyle. I feel that the previous year was wasted on being sick, in a way, and I'm worried about this affecting my studies next year, as I'll be entering year 11 - I just feel so behind on everyone else from all of this.

Anyways, I'd like to hear from anyone else struggling from disordered eating, and those also in recovery, what is your experience like? What are your plans this coming year as well?

its not an eating disorder but i gained a decent amount of weight during the hsc period. especially in the crunch times near trials and hsc it is known that these times are terrible for your mental, physical, emotional health, there is a crazy statistic that 1/11 adolescents who commited suicide in nsw had hsc related stress (that was likely a contributor), personally i was fine though for the majority of time, of course there are those super stressful moments though especially the morning before an exam. i mean when you are spending the majority of your time studying, of course you will not be having a good time unless if you actually enjoy what you are doing, it doesnt matter if your goal is 99+ atar or not, and obviously this can lead to things like eating disorders, suicide etc. the reason why i think uni is less stressful for people is because 1. there is less cohort competition (ranks dont really matter) and you can actually work together 2. you are (the majority of the time) studying subjects you enjoy, and are related to your "dream" career and 3. there is less weighting placed on the final exams (by this, i mean that in the literal sense ie 50% of mark being hsc is non-existent, and also that if you do pass without flying colours, you will still be able to graduate and get a job, so less stress). i think that if the hsc was more similar to these three points, then the potentially damaging side effects of the crunch periods would be more managable for students. one possible way to do this would involve removing the requirements to study english and mathematics, as students would be able to only pick subjects they enjoy, though this would obviously run the risk of students failing to graduate with these basic numerical and literary skills.

 

[liamkk112]

Pardon my ignorance: I've always been curious, being from a much older generation, why/how young people develop bulimia? In my youth, we've never heard of this eating disorder.

one big factor is the insane body image expectation placed on our generation. with so much media cherrypicking a certain type of body, beit on social media or even what is depicted in films and advertisements which are more widespread than ever, there is a silent but also looming expectation for our generation to fit into these categories, eg men being so skinny to the point they have extremly prominent 6 packs, even if it is unhealthy. what makes it worse is that platforms like tiktok literally have a filter on videos that cannot be removed (afaik) that makes peoples faces look "better", which obviously leads people to be self conscious about their own in real life, especially due to how widespread social media useage is.

 

[unforgettable]

I'm writing this post to bring up a topic that I feel isn't really discussed much in this forum, and before I start, I'd like to say I'm not promoting or inviting anybody with pro-ana/disordered views to contribute in a harmful manner; I also don't want anyone naming any pro-ana/ED forums or online spaces.
Eating disorders, or general disordered eating behaviors are already difficult and often debilitating on their own, but what about the HSC?

(semi-rant about my own experience, feel free to skip) For some background, I've been struggling, and attempting to recover from bulimia after coming to terms with the horrible impact it has on not only physical health, but my social and study lifestyle. I feel that the previous year was wasted on being sick, in a way, and I'm worried about this affecting my studies next year, as I'll be entering year 11 - I just feel so behind on everyone else from all of this.

Anyways, I'd like to hear from anyone else struggling from disordered eating, and those also in recovery, what is your experience like? What are your plans this coming year as well?

Heyyy I guess I've gone through pretty similar experiences and I'm also trying to recover. I've struggled with anorexia since mid yr10 and ever since then I've struggled physically and mentally it had a huge toll on my learning especially in yr11, I was always dizzy and felt sick in class. I tried eating slowly, though it became even worse and every time I ate I purged. During prelims was when it got the worst, I ignored eating completely and spent all my time studying. At that time I lost my period and I still haven't gotten it back, I have sooo many regrets and I wish I got treatment sooner. Despite this I still managed to do well academically but thats not the main focus, you should prioritise yourself and if it gets really bad where you start giving up on yourself talk to someone. Someone who can actually help you not your friends, I'd suggest a professional but start off in your comfort zone.

 

[totally_screwed]

definitely agree that social media is a huge contributing factor to EDs+body dysmorphia in young people rn that older generations can't especially resonate with

 

[AsuTeksu]

I’ve only experienced one term of Y12, and I wouldn’t diagnose myself with any particular eating disorders, but I would say I’m perhaps, borderline.

Out of stress, I typically don’t eat very much. I’m no longer in a period of stress, but I continue not to eat a lot these days either. I’m quite conscious of my calorie intake and outtake. I’m actually very slim for my height, build, and whatnot so a lot of people encourage me to eat more.

I feel like I could be borderline on body dysmorphia or anorexia, however, I’m not [excessively] underweight either.

For any context, I’m not on any sort of social media, but occasionally, beauty standards do come into play.

Lately I’ve just been trying to maintain a mindset of “being healthy” rather than seeking to mee standards and all that, but it is difficult.

 

[mzkashi]

Pardon my ignorance: I've always been curious, being from a much older generation, why/how young people develop bulimia? In my youth, we've never heard of this eating disorder.

Hey, thanks for asking! You aren't ignorant at all, and I understand this sort of curiosity, I was the same before developing it myself, really; I would almost say it could be nonsensical from the perspective of others because it is so detrimental to health/well being as most disorders can be.
I believe eating disorders are unfortunately more prevalent than ever with the rise of social media - I don't know a single person my age using it who hasn't experienced any kind of self-image or body concern - people are definitely using it as a platform to compare themselves with quite impossible / hard to achieve standards. Alternatively, many people are influenced by those around them, whether that is their parents/family, friends or the media. It was something I was all too familiar before even entering high school.
Another side is the binge-eating aspect that I suppose gets overlooked sometimes. Growing up, I was always quite prone to it as I was always limited to how much food I was allowed under supervision, and combined with body image related issues and social media.. It becomes this sort of melting pot of terrible things, all leading to development of eating disorder. Of course there are so many explanations for binge-eating.. I think it's one of the more common things, even for those who don't have eating disorders to be engaging in.
I think the purging / throwing up aspect is a little different depending on who you ask, but I would describe it as this guilt or compulsion in doing so as a means to get food out of the system, though it's more harmful than anything, from a plethora of deficiencies (as you are not absorbing much food, and losing a lot of electrolytes), tooth / throat damage, difficulty of breathing, digestion issues and more; I wouldn't wish it upon anyone, really, some of those side effects will stay for life. I'd like to add on top of all that, which I found quite surprising - most people with bulimia are actually considered an average weight or slightly above that threshold - it's known that weight loss isn't all too common with the disorder, and frankly it's just a whole clusterfuck of health issues..
I did have to spend some time writing as not to misrepresent anything, and I still believe I'm getting things a little wrong, so I'll end this by saying there's always plenty of reasons people develop this disorder, like many others, it's not something that can be simply put as one thing or another, and if anyone struggling with this, I really do want the best for everyone, recovery is always the best option, my heart goes out truly.

 

[mzkashi]

its not an eating disorder but i gained a decent amount of weight during the hsc period. especially in the crunch times near trials and hsc it is known that these times are terrible for your mental, physical, emotional health, there is a crazy statistic that 1/11 adolescents who commited suicide in nsw had hsc related stress (that was likely a contributor), personally i was fine though for the majority of time, of course there are those super stressful moments though especially the morning before an exam. i mean when you are spending the majority of your time studying, of course you will not be having a good time unless if you actually enjoy what you are doing, it doesnt matter if your goal is 99+ atar or not, and obviously this can lead to things like eating disorders, suicide etc. the reason why i think uni is less stressful for people is because 1. there is less cohort competition (ranks dont really matter) and you can actually work together 2. you are (the majority of the time) studying subjects you enjoy, and are related to your "dream" career and 3. there is less weighting placed on the final exams (by this, i mean that in the literal sense ie 50% of mark being hsc is non-existent, and also that if you do pass without flying colours, you will still be able to graduate and get a job, so less stress). i think that if the hsc was more similar to these three points, then the potentially damaging side effects of the crunch periods would be more managable for students. one possible way to do this would involve removing the requirements to study english and mathematics, as students would be able to only pick subjects they enjoy, though this would obviously run the risk of students failing to graduate with these basic numerical and literary skills.

one big factor is the insane body image expectation placed on our generation. with so much media cherrypicking a certain type of body, beit on social media or even what is depicted in films and advertisements which are more widespread than ever, there is a silent but also looming expectation for our generation to fit into these categories, eg men being so skinny to the point they have extremly prominent 6 packs, even if it is unhealthy. what makes it worse is that platforms like tiktok literally have a filter on videos that cannot be removed (afaik) that makes peoples faces look "better", which obviously leads people to be self conscious about their own in real life, especially due to how widespread social media useage is.

thanks for your response! You're right, it's a crazy statistic, I'm quite shocked, but not surprised either.. Schools place an enormous amount of stress and emphasis on grades for those senior years, often just for their own benefit (rankings) without putting the correct mental health assistance / availability in place, it's really quite sad.
As for your comment on social media, you're so correct, I honestly fear we're on our way back to that 2010's tumblr 'cocaine chic' physique, in other words quite underweight and unhealthy, I think it should stay buried in the back of millennial's minds, not regain popularity, really, it's so harmful the way these kinds of bodies are promoted as healthy and desirable.. And about tiktok,, I'm pretty sure it's this facial recognition type technology, I'm really interested in the specifics, but I don't know too much, that pushes content with 'ideal' facial features more than others, scary.. I've heard it's mostly towards those with eurocentric/white features, which has caused people to be rightfully mad, I'm really surprised this doesn't get as much action/attention as it deserves, I'll definetely have to look more into it.. I never finished the series personally, but it's awfully reminiscent of something out of black mirror..

 

[Bronx_Tips]

I'm writing this post to bring up a topic that I feel isn't really discussed much in this forum, and before I start, I'd like to say I'm not promoting or inviting anybody with pro-ana/disordered views to contribute in a harmful manner; I also don't want anyone naming any pro-ana/ED forums or online spaces.
Eating disorders, or general disordered eating behaviors are already difficult and often debilitating on their own, but what about the HSC?

(semi-rant about my own experience, feel free to skip) For some background, I've been struggling, and attempting to recover from bulimia after coming to terms with the horrible impact it has on not only physical health, but my social and study lifestyle. I feel that the previous year was wasted on being sick, in a way, and I'm worried about this affecting my studies next year, as I'll be entering year 11 - I just feel so behind on everyone else from all of this.

Anyways, I'd like to hear from anyone else struggling from disordered eating, and those also in recovery, what is your experience like? What are your plans this coming year as well?

i bet u self diagnose urself as having it and how does social media affect u that much for u to even have one

 

[mzkashi]

Heyyy I guess I've gone through pretty similar experiences and I'm also trying to recover. I've struggled with anorexia since mid yr10 and ever since then I've struggled physically and mentally it had a huge toll on my learning especially in yr11, I was always dizzy and felt sick in class. I tried eating slowly, though it became even worse and every time I ate I purged. During prelims was when it got the worst, I ignored eating completely and spent all my time studying. At that time I lost my period and I still haven't gotten it back, I have sooo many regrets and I wish I got treatment sooner. Despite this I still managed to do well academically but thats not the main focus, you should prioritise yourself and if it gets really bad where you start giving up on yourself talk to someone. Someone who can actually help you not your friends, I'd suggest a professional but start off in your comfort zone.

thank you heaps for sharing! I'm glad you're choosing to recover, and that feeling of regret really resonates with me, it definitely takes time of healing to reverse some of those effects like dizziness or period loss, but it will be so worth it. It's never too late (or too early!) to start recovering, so I really do wish you the best.. There's always going to be bumpy parts but in the long run it pays off! I know you said it's not your main point, but still, congrats with your academics!! It's so difficult to study in the midst of an ED, atleast, I was barely able to study, it's crazy how much it can take over your life

 

[Average Boreduser]

i bet u self diagnose urself as having it and how does social media affect u that much for u to even have one

 

[Bronx_Tips]

View attachment 42026

thanks little boy

 

[mzkashi]

i bet u self diagnose urself as having it and how does social media affect u that much for u to even have one

Out of all disorders you should be the least worried about someone self dx'ing an ED.. it's really only one of the only few that are completely fine to do that with.. I'm currently seeing professionals for this, but really, I don't need you telling me otherwise, because frankly I'm the one who has to live like this, and I'm doing what I can to get better. Side note, many people don't ever get help for EDs, if you're self diagnosed, that's completely fine. Not everyone has access to that kind of healthcare either, so I can't judge them for it.

p.s. you're the idiot here. Social media is one of the biggest contributors to body dysmorphia.. But I'm really not that bothered, because I'd rather you be ignorant, and not understand why some people have these struggles, than be one of the people who are actually struggling and know all too well.

 

[liamkk112]

i bet u self diagnose urself as having it and how does social media affect u that much for u to even have one

unfortunately this perception is somewhat born from people faking illnesses on social media like tiktok, where people will claim to have mental disorders like tourettes for attention, which naturally discredits real people with illnesses/disorders. however eating disorders are one of the most self diagnosable disorders, just because it is literally an eating habit, so of course you can recognise when you eat too much or too little.

social media is pushed on our generation an insane amount, tiktok or instagram or whatever which is of course a contributor due to how much we rely on these platforms for communication (especially in times like lockdown). but theres also advertisements, which are again everywhere due to the internet using them as a main source of revenue, tv, movies, etc. that was not as prevalent for other generations, whereas i guarantee you almost everyone our age either uses social media or netflix a good amount. if all you see is an idealised or cherrypicked image of humans, then naturally your perception of what you should look like changes. its not necessarily going to affect everyone the same, but definetly for many people it leads to body image issues.

 

[Bronx_Tips]

Out of all disorders you should be the least worried about someone self dx'ing an ED.. it's really only one of the only few that are completely fine to do that with.. I'm currently seeing professionals for this, but really, I don't need you telling me otherwise, because frankly I'm the one who has to live like this, and I'm doing what I can to get better. Side note, many people don't ever get help for EDs, if you're self diagnosed, that's completely fine. Not everyone has access to that kind of healthcare either, so I can't judge them for it.

p.s. you're the idiot here. Social media is one of the biggest contributors to body dysmorphia.. But I'm really not that bothered, because I'd rather you be ignorant, and not understand why some people have these struggles, than be one of the people who are actually struggling and know all too well.

I know ur after me coz uk what I do here and if I was someone else and said that u wouldve treated me differently but ok ok no needa get mad I dont know anything about that and dont see how social media affects someone that bad especially normal people but ok i get ur too sensitive