Anorexia nearly ruined my life

Uni culture almost dictates a laid back attitude to sex, food and grades.

Surely we all shag who we want, eat what we can afford and pray we stumble out with a 2:1 come July?

No one faces any real problems, right?

Lydia Davies is a gorgeous 23-year-old, fresh from studying Fashion Communication at Northumbria. She’s also recovering from anorexia.

Now recovering from her serious illness, Lydia wants to help others struggling with the same issues.

We spoke to her about her harrowing experiences.

“My illness began at the end of my first year of uni. Before that point, I had no issues with food or anything.

“I think the drastic changes in lifestyle affected me quite deeply, but without me realising. The chaos, the sudden independence.

“Everything started taking it’s toll by second year because my living space was so mental.

“People commented on my weight loss, and they often said ‘you need to eat more, Lyds’… but it was really easy to ignore.

“I was extremely depressed about the STI I had got in first year, it was a huge shock and totally out of character for me.

“I experienced a lot of shame and feelings of uncleanliness and that, among other issues, acted as a trigger for me.”

Lydia explained it was easier to hide her disordered eating habits from those around her at uni.

“At uni, it was so easy to limit my food intake with everyone eating at different times. No one questioned why I was or wasn’t eating, not like at here my parents could keep constant tabs on my diet.

“I found myself eating less and less very gradually over the course of the three years, and not being able to eat more.

“My studies were affected as I couldn’t concentrate. I was constantly thinking about my weight, and what I was going to eat or not. By third year I barely did any work at uni.”

All while struggling to cope with under lying issues of depression and anxiety about the state of her well being, Lydia was constantly faced with the daunting task from hiding her illness from the people she cared about, and who cared about her.

“My first year I was put into a flat in Jesmond with a group of amazing people. Though, looking back, we left the place a mess all of the time and the chaotic environment of being a fresher wasn’t good for me.

“I stayed with the five boys I lived with in second year, and we’re still close now. But boys will always be boys so even though we had moved and were in second year with more responsibility, it was still absolute chaos. I loved them but it was still chaotic.”

Lydia thought living in a quiet, more stable environment would put her in the right mind frame for recovery. But by this point, she was so ill she couldn’t enjoy the love she was surrounded by.

“It was these flatmates who were extremely worried about my weight. I was disappearing before their eyes.

“They contacted my parents via email to let them know how bad I had got, and it was around that time where the intervention began.”

Living as a vegan with a new found passion for cooking and recipe making, Lydia is now on her way to full recovery after finishing her degree. She still admits while she’s feeling better now, the road to recovery hasn’t been an easy one.

“My recovery process was very long and complicated, in that through trying to beat anorexia, I developed bulimia.

“I was finally able to change my habits so that I could realise ‘Lydia, you don’t need to do this to yourself anymore, you don’t want to’.”

She’s able to say quite happily she’s doing really well now, and Lydia’s happiness and comfort burst through her words when she says she considers herself almost fully recovered.

“I would recommend anyone going through similar issues to contact their GP as soon as the first symptoms emerge.

“You need to make sure you’re taken seriously, and to make sure you get the help you need. It can’t be left until you think it’s ‘bad enough.’

“The longer anorexia is left, the more it develops. It gets harder and harder to get rid of.”

If you recognise any of Lydia’s symptoms, know someone who might need help or to more about the illness, visit YoungMinds.co.uk