Feeling bad about yourself can lead to overeating. It can also mean that you don’t feel like being active.
Sometimes it’s easy to eat because you’ve had a bad day
or things aren’t going well. This is often called comfort eating.
Comfort eating can lead to being overweight.
Being overweight can lead to more feelings of sadness
and create a vicious circle. The more depressed you become, the more you
overeat and don’t exercise, leading to more depression.
Overweight and obese children often have low
self-esteem and confidence. Many are bullied and teased at school, which
makes them feel even worse about themselves.
Signs that something’s not right
- Feeling sad, tearful and low.
- Finding it hard to concentrate.
- Feeling bored or tired all the time.
- Thinking you’re are ugly or feeling guilty.
- Feeling moody or ‘ratty’.
- Having lots of headaches and stomach aches.
- Missing school.
- Thinking about running away.
- Wanting to die or hurt yourself.
If you feel any of these things, speak to a parent and
get in touch with your family GP. They can put you in touch with someone
who can help, and is used to dealing with children with these sorts of
problems.
The key to feeling better
Exercise has so many benefits. It not only keeps weight
down, it makes other problems seem smaller. This is because it
generally makes you less ‘stressed out’ and feel better all round. This
is why it’s important to exercise every day. It’s a must for
self-esteem!
It’s also important that when you make a decision to
exercise more, you set little goals for yourself. Make sure they are not
too difficult. When you succeed you can then reward yourself. Ask your
parents to reward your efforts – but not with food – it’s no good being
good, then filling your face!
Try asking for tickets to a concert or the cinema, have a friend to stay over, hint for a new bike helmet or rucksack, or some new gear for school.
