By: Gabrielle Morreale M.A. LPC. C-DBT.
When it comes to social media and eating disorder recovery navigating a balance can be difficult. I don’t know about you, but I often feel like I am in information overload when it comes to social media. I strongly believe our brains were not meant to consume all of this information at once!! Now don’t get me wrong, are there times that I am cracking up over a TikTok sure, but are there also times when I am in a deep anxiety spiral or what we refer to as doom scrolling, yes. Can you relate? If so, this blog is for you!
So as we navigate recovery, how do we find balance with social media and use it for the powers of good?
Tip #1: Take Inventory on Your Usage
My first tip take an inventory of how frequently are you using social media. What are your habits around social media? How frequently are you going on? Do you feel pulled to social media in a way that feels unhealthy? Maybe pause for some reflection and start with these questions.
Also, ask yourself, "Is social media becoming a time suck?" This is a question I find myself reflecting on frequently! Recovery itself is time-consuming, and if we are devoting too much time to one thing, whether that is social media or something else, it can distract us from the goals and values we may be working towards.
Also, this is not to say that all social media is bad; it can be good, and it can assist us in recovery (but I’ll talk more about that later.)
So the first step is to take an inventory and decide what amount of time feels aligned with your values and feels safe for your personal healing journey.
Tip #2: Avoid the Comparison Trap
My second tip that I often give clients (and try to apply to myself) is let’s not get stuck in the comparison trap. This is much easier said than done, however, social media is a highlight reel. It is filled with people’s victories and the positive experiences in their lives. This is beautiful and amazing! However, it is not always the full picture! As a new Mom, I can promise this is the case. There are times I must dance like an elephant or monkey to get my daughter to smile, but all you, as the observer, see is a smiley baby which she is, but I can promise, sometimes I worked for the smile... it may even be post blow out. Mom friends, can you relate?
When I find that I have fallen into the comparison trap on social media, I tend to ask myself to following questions…
What is coming up for me
What emotion am I feeling?
Do I need to step away and hit pause? (Easier said than done I know!
Also, many times when we compare our bodies this can be triggering, especially if we are struggling with body image and in recovery. It’s normal in recovery to struggle with body image. It’s normal to struggle with body image even if you’re not in recovery! If you are currently struggling with your body, please know I’m sending you so much compassion. This stuff is hard!
When, and if, we can learn to let go of the comparison, and we can realize that all our bodies are inherently good this can be very helpful as we begin the road to making peace with our body.
Tip #3: Check in with Yourself
The third tip I like to give when it comes to navigating social media is to check in with yourself. Do these accounts or the accounts that you’re following make you feel good? If the answer is yes, please continue to follow. However, if the answer is, "I’m not sure" or "Sometimes, maybe" it’s time to hit pause. Or maybe it’s time to mute these conversations or these accounts.
When I make these suggestions what is coming up for you? Are you feeling frustrated? Are you feeling empowered? If you’re feeling frustrated, it’s OK, again I totally acknowledge that this is much easier said than done.
We live in a world consumed by media and needing to be in the know. However, I want to encourage you to slow down. We don’t always need to be in the know, and sometimes when we are constantly hyper-aroused it is very dysregulating to our nervous system. This can often cause us to slip in recovery. Sometimes we will use our eating disorders to soothe ourselves but if we can learn to regulate and balance our social media use this doesn’t have to be a trigger.
Tip #4: Diversify Your Feed
Lastly, let’s diversify our feed! The more we can look at different bodies, the more our brain can learn to accept and embrace all body types. As I said earlier in this blog, all bodies are inherently good, however, I fully acknowledge that that is a privileged statement. When we can diversify our feed and social media, this can help us learn and embrace all different body sizes.
When it comes to mainstream media, it is not very diverse - how boring! One way to embrace bodies of all sizes is to engage with them through social media. If this is something that feels hard for you. I would encourage you to do some work around your own internalized, fat phobia. We all have a weight stigma, it’s ok! What’s important as we navigate recovery and life is that we do something about it. If these are concepts you’re hearing for the first time, it’s ok; check out our blog on Health at Every Size.
If you want to continue to learn more, check out our free guide and our video for further discussion of these tips, as well as other tips on our YouTube channel:
We know recovery and social media can be distressing and we also know social media is not going anywhere. Let’s work together to use it for the powers of good. Let’s let it enhance our recovery and bring us together.
Looking for a NJ Therapist?
For those struggling with an eating disorder, online therapy can offer the necessary help and support for the recovery journey. Research has shown how online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy.
Recovered and Restored Eating Disorder Therapy Center offers online therapy sessions to all residents of New Jersey. This means we can help and encourage you along your recovery journey no matter where you are in the state! All of our therapists are qualified to provide both in-person and virtual eating disorder therapy in New Jersey. We are here for you!
Other Mental Health Services Offered in PA, NJ, DE, SC, and FL
We offer a wide variety of services related to eating disorder recovery including trauma therapy! We offer Weekly Support Groups, Nutrition Services, and Family and Parent Therapy as well as Coaching, all tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual. We offer our services for Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, and Orthorexia online in New Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina, and Florida! We are here to offer our support and understanding in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
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Recovered and Restored is an eating disorder therapy center founded by Gabrielle Morreale. We specialize in helping teens and young women heal from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, and binge eating disorder and treat disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. We provide eating disorder therapy in the towns of Horsham, Upper Gwynedd, Lower Gwynedd, North Wales, Lansdale, Hatfield, Blue Bell, Doylestown, and nearby towns with eating disorder therapy. Also providing virtual eating disorder therapy in New Jersey, Delaware, and Florida. Some towns served virtually but are not limited to Pittsburg, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Center City, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Mount Laurel, Cape May, Avalon, Brick, Dover, New Castle, Bethany Beach, Marydel, and Oceanview