**EATING DISORDER AWARENESS WEEK Monday 1st march**

Hey Guys, Thanks for coming to the page! Throughout this week and then mainly on Friday, when I do my 24 hour stream marathon, ill be trying to raise, both awareness and money for "BEAT eating Disorders" a fantastic charity devoted to the help and support of people struggling with all eating disorders.

-Why  chose Beat?-

Since 2015 I have dealt with an ED, it started at university and carried on through my early 20s. I withheld eating to deal with anxieties and depression and it snowballed out of control. I dealt with anorexia for a long time and It really changed my life...lots has changed since then... I've lost a lot but also gained through the years but now I am thankfully on the better side of it although there is a lot that will never really go away. If there is any way I can raise awareness and a bit of money to help people dealing with the same problems, i want to be involved. I have a lot to share on the subject and hopefully i can help others. For me Beat was there as a online resource to go to for information and help but for others it offers much, much more so this charity event hopefully can aid them in helping people around Britain.

-Why Stream?- 

For me its easy, one of the main ways i cope with what was/is going on is gaming. Distraction and escapism using video games helped me so much and now its at the point where gaming is a huge POSITIVE part of my life and I stream live games on twitch throughout the week. However gamers do spend a lot of time sitting in one spot, hyper focused on the screen in front of them that it can often be too easy to let other things slip their minds such as mental health and even food, therefore one big goal of mine moving forward is to bring awareness to young gamers, guys especially, about eating disorders and mental health and how it can affect anyone. Tackling some of the stigmas behind the illness and how its portrayed by others is a challenge i want to hit head on. Stick around for my Twitch and YouTube content where i will looking into this, i want to use the games i play and the content i create to teach gamers about eating disorders and the challenges they bring. So if you have have a twitch account or YouTube and want to see more head over to www.twitch.tv/theliongerbil to follow and stay in the loop!!

I want to say a huge thanks again to everyone, for even just visiting this page, let alone anyone who donates or sticks around for the stream. The main goal here is to spread awareness so any little thing you can give, be that a share, a donation or even just a 'hi' in chat is greatly appreciated! Please come visit the stream and ask any questions whatsoever that cross your mind!

Thank you all

Tom

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.