College is a time of change, for your mind and body. Being in college has certainly helped me maintain my personal eating disorder recovery in so many ways, but throughout my four years I’ve noticed there are a lot of aspects of college life that can be dangerous to mental health.
Certain ideas and behaviors we see so commonly in a college environment are often overlooked without even being seen as a potential threat to body image, and can turn college campuses into a breeding ground for problematic behavior.
The first and perhaps most common idea is the “Freshman 15” concept. As soon as 18-year-olds are moved into this brand new environment, they are constantly told that they will gain weight, no matter what.
However, in a society that is so firmly set against the idea of gaining weight, the thought could be terrifying to the youth who have been told their entire life that they must maintain a certain image. The idea of growing in any way can cause thoughts of negativity, such as, “Why am I not as thin as I was before?”
And that becomes the vicious cycle of thought. Why am I gaining weight? What am I doing wrong? How do I make it stop? Do I look skinny in this picture? Do I look good in this outfit? Are people judging how much I’m eating?
And from there begins problematic thinking.
This can result in dangerous behavior such as binging and purging, over-exercising or even eating little to nothing at all. I hear little things like this all the time. A friend or colleague will look at the mirror, wearing a pair of shorts that fit just a little more snugly than when they put them on last year, say something like “I need to go to the gym for HOURS!” and proceed to go to the dining hall to grab a salad. In a society where the media promotes finding flaws in yourself, it’s almost as if hating your body is a norm. This is the type of behavior that promotes negative body image and a potential eating disorder.
However, weight fluctuation during college isn’t anything out of the ordinary. You’re at a stage of life when your body is constantly changing, as is the environment around you. Sometimes it just takes a little time to adapt.
While overall health is very important, college is a time for learning, living and experiencing as much as you can. Since it is often a precarious time for someone’s mental health, you must make sure that you are not letting stigmas and negativity about your body image stop you from making the most out of every experience.
Your weight, like your future, is ever-changing – but you mustn’t let that stop you from loving yourself. Putting health and happiness first during this time will help you live the best years of your life to the fullest.
Tori James is a senior at Manhattan College and originally from Schwenksville, PA. Tori is an advocate for eating disorder awareness and social justice. She intends to use her experiences and creativity to provide love, support and positivity to others.
