Lily Allen just spoke candidly about her 'issues with eating'
Problems around food and mental health (and how the two can interlink) sadly impact many people, and Lily Allen has candidly opened up about her own 'issues with eating' on a new episode of her and Miquita Oliver's podcast, Miss Me?.
Sharing that she feels disconnected from her body and that she has "stopped eating" recently, Lily was incredibly honest and thankfully said she's starting to work through these issues with the help of her therapist.
"I've been going through a tough time over the last few months and my eating has become a real issue. My therapist and I talk about it and she says, 'How long has this been going on?' And I said, 'Well, about three years really.' And she's like, 'OK, why haven't you mentioned it before?'," Lily explained while opening up to her friend.
She added that she hasn't kept quiet about her struggles intentionally, but is only just giving herself the space to work on them now.
"It's not because I'm lying about it. It's just because it hasn't seemed at the top of the list of important things that I need to talk about, but obviously it is," Lily shared, before questioning whether or not her ADHD could also have played a part in her not opening up about her food-related issues before.
"I know a lot of people feel those two things are very connected to each other, but for me it's very different," she continued. "I spend a lot of time in my head, and not a lot of time thinking about my body. I'm really not in a great place mentally at the moment, and I'm not eating. But I'm not hungry. I obviously am hungry, but my body and brain are so disconnected from each other that my body… the messages of hunger are not going from my body to my brain."
Lily said she's not deliberately "avoiding food" but just hasn't been thinking "about it because I'm so in my head. My body's, like, a few steps behind me".
It's really powerful that Lily is speaking honestly about an issue that no doubt some of her listeners will be able to relate to. If you're also struggling with your mental health and/or relationship with food, remember that help is out there – please do contact one of the support services mentioned below, or your GP. Opening up to a trusted friend or family member can also be a positive step.
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s relationship with food, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
Further advice and information on looking after your mental health can be found at Mind. You can call the helpline Monday to Friday, between 9 and 6pm, on 0300 123 3393, or even send an email to info@mind.org.uk.
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