I recently posted a photo on my Instagram with a long caption about my top 3 self-care tips. While writing, I found myself trying to keep it short and simple so that it wasn't a long block of text— spoiler alert: it still ended up being VERY long. It was then I realised I still have so much to say so I decided to expound on each point and turn it into a series over here! So here it goes:
DISCLAIMER: Just because it works for me, it doesn't necessarily mean it'll work for you. There is a multitude of resources on body positivity and food relationship with all these tips, tricks, and information that can get more overwhelming than helpful. I've found that best way to go about it is to find what makes your life better because, at the end of the day, no one knows you better than yourself.
Don't Follow Shit That Makes You Feel Like Shit
I used to be the type of person that would follow girls whose bodies I wished I had so that I could "manifest" my dream body into reality. I thought it was to motivate me, but instead, it just perpetuated the toxic mindset that for as long as my body wasn't like the ones of these girls, I wasn't good enough. It didn't allow me to enjoy the current body I had— I needed abs to be happy. I've spent so many years yearning for a body I didn't have and I realised (too many years) after that it didn't matter how much weight I lost (I lost 15 pounds!!). If I kept using these girls as a reference to "happiness" then I'd never be happy because every body is different. I could eat the same thing they ate and we would still not look the same.
Does it Make You Feel Like Shit?
So something that worked for me is to do a "Marie Kondo" and tidy up your feed— look at each photo, think about the content, and how it makes you feel. If it makes you feel like you're living less of a life than the people on that post or that you're less of a person than they are because you're not like them, then it's probably time to hit the unfollow button... Yes, even friends!
It might seem a little harsh because these people most probably don't mean to give that kind of negative energy to their followers and we all technically know that Instagram is a highlight reel. But you can't help what makes you feel bad. The beauty of social media or at least on Instagram, is that you have the power to curate what you see. So if someone's "Instagram life" makes you feel bad, you have no obligation to keep following them. This applies to everything— including me! If you find that this blog or my content makes you feel bad about yourself despite my good intentions, it isn't irrational to unfollow.
Some pages I had to unfollow:
• Models and celebrities- I love Dua Lipa but I can't for the life of me see her body without making me feel bad about my own body
• Pages that advocate diets- IIFYM (If it fits your macros) worked for me at one point in my life, but now it doesn't. Also, anything that shows "healthier"/lower calorie food swaps, quotes along the lines of "SWEAT IS FAT CRYING" (honestly F that shit HAHA), and pages that shoot down other diets (for example, paleo eaters that think paleo is the only way everyone should eat
• Food and Restaurants- Have you ever scrolled through your feed feeling absolutely ravenous and seeing food that you can't eat? Yeah that sucks. When I'm hungry and see food on my feed, I tend to binge eat on my next meal. So I have a special food account where I follow food-related accounts so I don't have to put myself in that kind of torture
• People I know in real life whose content I found annoying... it isn't related to diet or bodies, but some people's posts aren't my cup of tea. And that's ok! It doesn't mean I don't like them and I don't mind if they unfollow me either haha
Follow Pages That Make You Feel Less Alone
I've found solace in the body positivity and anti-diet culture community on Instagram. I love pages that talk about anxiety (apparently it's common— who would've known without the internet?!), flaws and imperfections, and how it's OK to eat. For the first time ever, people are celebrating the flaws that make us human, and that's awesome.
Here is the list of pages that I like to follow. I'll keep adding to whenever I think of new ones, complete with a write up so you can see if you'd like to check them out:
THE LIST:
Posts about mental health and being forgiving about wanting to eat. They are against the pursuit of diet and teach you ways you can love your body. Although I take their content with a grain of salt because they don't seem to be professionals but are giving a bunch of advice they might not be qualified to give. Nevertheless, some of their posts are good, just be sure to read up on statements when you can!
@diet.culture.rebel and @thewellfull
They are advocate of food freedom— she is against food obsession and thinking about food the whole day. More about food relationship than anti-diets, which I appreciate. Anti-diet content sometimes gets aggressive, and while I do agree people shouldn't DIET you can't shame people for wanting to lose weight, especially when they are still healing from diet culture themselves.
Finally!!! A local account about finding YOUR OWN VERSION OF HEALTH. I love that because health will look different on anyone— and debunkdiets celebrates and encourages everyone to stop going by "food rules" (usually to eat less) and challenges typical Filipino cultural norms on weight loss, bodies, and eating. Big fan of this!
Showcases cute and empowering artwork focused on women and beauty in all shapes and sizes. I love them because it shows different bodies and problems that women face today. Celebrates good days, bad days, and all bodies. Shareable content too!
I forgot how I came across her page, but I love her content— every time she posts something on her feed and story, it makes me feel good about myself. She is also a licensed nutritionist and I'm currently working with her for my eating habits as well!
I absolutely love soheefit. She explains the science behind all different kinds of topics on fitness and health and is unapologetically real. She isn't necessarily anti-diet as she does help clients reach their goals whether it be for weight loss or not, but she specialises in behaviour change so she has a lot of valuable content on mindset that isn't geared towards weight loss, which a lot of coaches (especially here in the Philippines) think is the ONLY end goal.
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