…is important but not always simple.
**IMPORTANT: if you have an eating disorder, this page is not for you**
If you have (or suspect you may have) an eating disorder, please use one of these links to get some support: Beat if you are in the UK, or International Eating Disorder Charities if you are elsewhere. This page is for people who are struggling to eat or prepare food due to low energy / exhaustion / depression / as a result of another condition or experience, not people who have disordered eating or a dysfunctional relationship with food. Please keep yourself safe by finding support that is appropriate to your situation.
When I’m low on energy and motivation I often find it really difficult to summon up the energy to decide what to eat. Let alone cook or prepare an actual meal. Some days getting something to eat is too much, so I’m going to suggest some tiny little steps you might be able to take towards this goal.
You may find that once you’ve read them you don’t actually need as much help as you thought and you can manage to get some food and get on your way – great, well done!
You may find that you can only do a couple of these little steps, or maybe only one for now, and that’s ok too – you’ve still made some progress, however small! Wait for a bit, relax and regroup. Try to get a bit further a bit later if you can. Or accept that you’ve made a start but you might not manage to have a full, balanced meal today. You still made some progress and on days like this – take that win!
And it might be that none of these help you today, in which case, I’m so sorry that you are having such a horrible day. I want to reassure you that I have been just as incapable at times. I know it’s horrendous. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But as I write this I am thinking of you, with deep empathy in my heart for you and the pain you are feeling right now. I hope you can feel even a tiny bit of that care as you read this. Please come back and try again tomorrow x
If you need urgent help, please use one of these links to get some support:
Samaritans if you are in the UK, or
International Mental Health Charities if you are elsewhere.
Moving towards getting something to eat
- try thinking about what you’d like to eat
- try seeing if there is any food within reach
- try seeing if there is any food in the same room as you
- try thinking about what you’ve got in the cupboards / fridge / freezer
- try having a look through your cupboards / fridge / freezer to see what you’ve got in
- try choosing something from your no-effort food list if you’ve got one
- try moving to the kitchen to get a glass of water first – once you’re in the kitchen, you might feel able to open a cupboard or fridge door after a while
- try thinking about whether you’d prefer hot or cold food
- try thinking about whether you need a full meal or just a snack
- try thinking about whether you are able to go and buy some food
- try thinking about whether you could order a takeaway or grocery delivery
Those are my ideas for now. Feel free to try one or more and let me know how it goes / whether it helped / what else I should add to this list in the comments.
It’s also really important to remember that it’s absolutely ok if you stop before you’ve got as far as preparing a whole meal. You’re on this page because managing to eat can be really hard when you’re having a bad day. However, please do your best to eat something. Eat what you can manage. Take your time. Give yourself that time. And remember, it’s ok to accept that it might be too much for you today – in which case, take care, and please come back and try again tomorrow x