We can offer shelter to Canadians with eating disorders from the pandemic’s perfect storm GlobeDebate
Amanda Long, a writer and massage therapist, has to face being confined to home during the COVID-19 pandemic even as she deals with her eating disorder.Zoë Bell is a Canadian journalist based in the U.K., where she is currently completing a master’s degree in International Journalism at City, University of London.
Recall that when fears over the pandemic first began, reports of panic buying at the grocery store were rampant. This broader pressure to stockpile food in order to reduce trips to the store, amid anxieties around food security and the supply chain, was a risk for disordered eating behaviour, according to Canada’s National Eating Disorder Information Centre . The organization reports that their helpline has seen at least a 30-per-cent increase in demand since physical-distancing measures began.
It has reinforced how people often frame exercise as something related to the food we eat. Motivational workout slogans often insinuate that we “earn” good food and that we can counteract “indulging” with hard exercise. The language for fitness is often negative: we “blast” fat, “crush” calories, “destroy” abs – perpetuating the idea that exercise, as healthy as it can be, is a kind of self-punishment.
Though I do not personally have an eating disorder, I often find myself struggling with body image concerns, and I can be extremely critical of my eating and exercising habits – and that feeling has only been amplified during the lockdown. I have found myself connecting my lack of social life and cancelled plans with unsustainable fitness goals. I catch myself thinking,If I’m not having fun, I might as well get fit.
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