Rachel Egan

I went to university with an eating disorder. I moved from my hometown in Essex to Cardiff University wholly unprepared for the new challenges I would face when I arrived.

Here’s what I wish I had known:

1. Nutrition comes first

I tried to scrape by in my first year eating the absolute bare minimum I could get away with. But low calorie days mean low energy days and I found it hard to keep up with my studies, socialising, nights out and working on the weekends. It’s on you to take responsibility for staying well and spend a bit more time than the average student does when it comes to planning meals and making sure you have the right ingredients to cook yourself nutritious food to support your wellbeing.

“Low calorie days mean low energy days.”

2. Have a plan of action for challenging situations

I was really excited about moving into student halls and living independently for the first time but I hadn’t really given a lot of thought to how I might cope with new challenges like a shared kitchen, and having a full-length mirror in my student bedroom. Think about what might be difficult for you in advance of starting university and have a plan of action to address these.

If you have a therapist, or a close friend or family member you can talk to it might be useful to work through some of these scenarios together, but if not you might find it helpful to use this IF-THEN plan template as a guide.

Things you might want to consider:

• When will I plan my meals and snacks for the week/day?
• How will I cope with sharing a kitchen?
• What if somebody else eats my food?
• What if I binge on my flatmates’ food?
• What if I can’t avoid missing a meal or a snack? (students’ schedules are notoriously unpredictable!)
• If I feel anxious about eating out with friends, how will I address this?

3. Think about your relationship with alcohol

Alcohol can be fun and nights out are a big part of student life. But it’s important to be honest with yourself and consider the impact that regular drinking might have on your recovery.

Don’t make the same mistake I did and restrict your food intake to save up calories for drinking-this is really dangerous and put me in some very vulnerable positions! Remember that if you are underweight, or if you are restricting your calories, you may feel the effects of alcohol a lot more quickly. Alcohol may also increase urges to binge-eat.

Find a balance that works for you.

4. Set healthy limits on exercise

I lived within a 5 minute walk to the campus gym in my first year. In fact I basically ended up living in the gym to the point where I would cancel social plans, neglect my studies and lie to my friends about where I was going, in order to sneak off and fit in some more exercise. It was all fun and games until I started fainting.

Have a realistic, balanced exercise plan written up when you arrive, and if you do join a sports team, it’s a good idea to let your coach know about your eating disorder so that

5. Know your warning signs

Eating disorder recovery is an ongoing process and some lapses and slip-ups along the way are to be expected.

Make a note of the signs that indicate you might be slipping back into your eating disorder like counting calories again, increased body-checking, spending more time alone, or spending more time exercising.

Think about who you can reach out to for support: your university might have a counselling service, a Student Minds group or you can reach out to friends or your personal tutor.

You can use this template to help you.

I’d recommend registering with a GP as soon as you arrive and letting them know about your history.

Good luck!