Melinda Hutchings

Company:
Position/Title: Author, Speaker, Mentor, Coach
Phone: 61 417 717 190
E-Mail: Click Here
Website: www.melindahutchings.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Melinda-Hutchings-Why-Cant-I-Look-The-Way-I-Want/108994113898
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/M_Hutchings

Bio

Following a successful career in marketing, Melinda Hutchings made the bold decision to move on from her corporate role and focus on becoming a writer in order to use her knowledge and personal experience to help young people believe in themselves.

Having lost her teenage years to anorexia, Melinda is passionate about promoting positive body image as well as empowering young people to trust the voice that speaks from their heart to create a happy and fulfilling future.

She has written three books about eating disorders, including the recently published Why Can’t I Look the Way I Want? Overcoming Eating Issues, which have helped thousands of people understand the dynamics of eating disorders from early warning signs through to the recovery process.

A high profile role model and mentor, Melinda was a Finalist in Cosmopolitan's ‘Fun Fearless Female 2009’ awards in the category ‘Inspirational Role Model’.

Her fourth book, It Will Get Better; Finding Your Way Through Teen Issues, has just been published by Allen & Unwin and aims to help teenagers find their way through the maze of emotions and challenges facing them today.

Having devoted the past three years to interviewing teens and young adults who have suffered through hardship, Melinda is attuned with the struggles teens face and believes that by increasing their knowledge and awareness, they will better be able to develop strategies to face and overcome challenging issues and recognise their enormous potential. Melinda is an Ambassador for the Life Changing Experiences Foundation. An experienced speaker, she has presented at several conferences and forums, and has also been profiled extensively in the media. Melinda graduated from the Australian College of Journalism in 2002 and is an accredited Professional Coach. She is a member of the International Coach Federation, the Australian Society of Authors and the NSW Writers Centre.

Blog Feed

How to Help Your Child Foster a Positive Body Image

14 March 2012, 6:13 am

Last week I spoke at Ravenswood School for Girls, Gordon, with the aim of raising awareness of the early warning signs of eating disorders to help reduce the incidence of eating disorders in our young adults.

It is a fact that 1 in 100 adolescent girls are diagnosed with anorexia and this statistic is disturbing. With this in mind, I decided to reprint my article about how to encourage positive body image in your child.

Children spend much of their early lives at school, an environment that can be competitive, with hierarchies often based on physical appearances. A negative fixation on weight and size potentially lends itself to self-destructive thoughts and behaviours, which can be triggered by situations, comments or events that bring up feelings of anxiety and worthlessness. These include family arguments related to eating (e.g. “You’re not leaving the table until you’ve eaten everything on your plate”), feelings of being misunderstood, rejection by peers (e.g. “Go away, we don’t want to play with you”) or feeling like a misfit.

Negative emotions can lead to unhealthy thought processes and feelings of insecurity around body image. If left undetected, these feelings can lead to the onset of an eating disorder.

In my book Why Can’t I Look the Way I Want?: Overcoming Eating Issues, there is a chapter dedicated to the early warning signs. These signs are often subtle and can be passed off as “normal” behaviour – unless you know what to look for. Common warning signs include avoiding eating in front of others, making excuses to avoid family meal times, obsession with food preparation and a change in attitude towards food, e.g. becoming vegan or cutting out entire food groups under the guise of wanting to be “healthy”. In addition, ritualistic behaviour when eating, such as cutting food into tiny pieces, insisting that meals are eaten at a particular time each day or obsessive use of the same crockery and cutlery is cause for concern.

There are also warning signs before the warning signs. If a child is constantly complaining of headaches and tiredness, or appears to have trouble coping at school, this could indicate there is something deeper going on. Emotional issues, including feelings of inadequacy, often manifest as physical ailments, so stay aware of any symptoms that persist or behaviour that indicates difficulty coping, such as falling behind in class.

Becoming vigilant about the early warning signs means there is a very real chance of catching the behaviour before it spirals from an eating issue into an eating disorder.

Here are five tips for parents and carers:

1. Eat with your child as often as you can so that you become familiar with their eating habits.

2. Watch for changes in those habits, especially anything that appears unusually strict and lasts for several weeks.

3. Listen to the language your child uses around food. If they start talking about diets or calorie contents, or complain that they are fat (when they’re not) this is a red flag.

4. Watch for a change in disposition. If your child displays hostility around meal times, they could be experiencing internal conflict towards food.

5. If your child eats large amounts of food constantly but doesn’t realise how much they are eating and/or aren’t enjoying it, especially during times of stress, this could indicate obsessive eating.

In the event your child begins to display an aversion towards food and changes in their eating patterns, seek medical advice as soon as possible so that they get the right treatment without delay. Early intervention is critical in reframing the mindset before it becomes entrenched.

Christmas Wish

23 December 2011, 11:09 pm

To me, Christmas is about embracing the festive season and making it magical. Sharing this wonderful occasion with family and friends, being grateful for all that is wonderful in our lives and celebrating the gift of love.


Take a moment to look into your heart and as you do, let your mind wander back over the year to some of the amazing moments you've experienced; triumphs; joyous occasions when life surprised you; unexpected encounters; places you've travelled; friendships that have become important to you; and on. And recognise that these moments have profoundly shaped your year and led to where you are now. 


Christmas doesn't have to be about dwelling on what may be lacking in our lives. If we take the time to look at all the wonderful things we have now, in this moment, we naturally feel a sense of contentment and importantly, gratitude. 


Remember there are endless possibilities that lay before you in the year ahead - and you have the ability to create the life that is true to your heart.


I'd like to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas; may your festive season be filled with wondrous moments, meaningful connections, love, laughter and happiness.

Q&A

Q&A – Melinda Hutchings

1. What issues does It Will Get Better deal with and why do you feel these issues are important?

It Will Get Better deals with many serious issues affecting teenagers today including family break ups, coping with abuse (physical, sexual & emotional), living with an alcoholic parent, suicide, eating issues, depression, drugs, binge drinking, self injury, being gay/coming out, bullying, cyberbullying and dealing with the death of a parent or a friend.

These issues are important because there are young people out there struggling through difficult situations who need to know that they are not alone. Not only that, these issues can be overwhelming if someone feels misunderstood or that no-one is listening to them. My book shows that there are other teenagers who have struggled through these issues as well as what helped them find themselves and how they were able to discover their true potential. There are also wonderful experts out there who are kind and compassionate and know exactly what needs to be done to help teenagers in crisis get back on track, who provide expert advice throughout the book.

I believe that instead of turning a blind eye to these issues in the hope that they will go away, exposing them and acknowledging them is the only way forward. The greater the awareness in terms of how to deal with these issues, the more teenagers will be able to face them, overcome them and move forward with confidence.

2. How will your book help parents, carers and teenagers?

It Will Get Better is revealing and informative, providing strategies that will help parents and carers know and understand the issues affecting teens today and how to help. The book contains numerous real life stories from teens who have struggled and overcome difficult situations. The book also highlights the process involved with recognising the issue and asking for help, how to move forward and discovering positive aspects about yourself as you grow through a difficult situation. The final chapters of the book are inspirational and include gems of wisdom from teens who have found a way through their issues, to help other teens with direction, purpose and creating happiness and fulfilment.

3. What organisations are involved with your book and how does this improve the quality of information for teenagers?

The book has a great deal of support from many organisations dedicated to helping young people overcome hardship. The Inspire Foundation, which encompasses ReachOut and ActNow, Kids Helpline, Oasis Youth Support Network, headspace, Youth Insearch, Life Changing Experiences Foundation and the Butterfly Foundation have all contributed important information to help teenagers who are struggling through the various issues outlined in the book. Alongside the real life stories there is expert advice not only from these organisations, but from health professionals and psychologists to provide clinical aspects to further help teenagers feel understood, less alone and find their way through. Addressing each issue from the clinical as well as the emotional aspect enriches the quality of information.

4. How does your book help parents and carers?

Parents and carers will benefit from the book because the real life stories of teens in crisis will give them an understanding of what is going on inside the head and heart of their teenager/s. This will be valuable in helping them deal with a particular issue because each issue is addressed from an emotional as well as a clinical perspective in order to provide a broad insight into the issue itself and how to overcome it and move forward.

There is also a section called “Helping someone you love” and this explains the importance of being supportive and patient, encouraging your loved one to do the things they enjoy, giving them hope and letting them know you love them no matter what.

5. What in your opinion are the most prevalent issues affecting teenagers today?

Cyberbullying is at the forefront due to the recent spate of suicides from young people who were bullied online. Because it is non-confrontational and everything spreads so rapidly online it has become easier to bully someone through the internet. Some schools have implemented policies related to all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying, which I think is a very positive step forward. If there are consequences in place, including the threat of a criminal charge, this will act as a deterrent.

Another prevalent issue is alcohol. We need to raise the awareness of the dangers of binge drinking and the fact that alcohol adversely alters behaviour to help teenagers avoid doing something they might regret.

Another issue is family break-ups. An interesting statistic is that one in five children are now living in single parent households. There is a shift in the perception of single parents and one of the quotes in the book is from Dianne Fitzjames, team leader of the adolescent service at Prince of Wales hospital, who states “It has been well established by research that in order to develop normally we need only one "good enough" relationship with a parental figure …the quality of relationships in the child's life is more important than whether families have one parent or two”.

It is important for young people to know that if their family splits up, after the initial period of discomfort and adjustment, they still have every opportunity to thrive. And even if their childhood lacked love, they have the opportunity to change that by creating more love in their lives and opening themselves up to those who love them now.

6. What is the overall aim of your book?

The aim of my book is to provide a comprehensive account of the issues affecting teenagers today and strategies to work through and overcome these issues. The real life stories of teens in crisis, expert advice, practical tips, websites and many other supportive resources are all there to help teens better understand how to find their way through. Having faced some pretty tough issues myself, the book is underpinned with my own experiences, knowledge and wisdom. The last part of the book provides insights for teens about changing perspective, becoming self aware and making positive choices to work towards achieving their goals.

My overall aim is also to help teenagers find their potential and confidence so that they can move forward and live with happiness, fulfilment, direction and purpose.