As if it wasn’t hard enough for people with an eating
disorder, social media has made it even more difficult not to compare ourselves
to others. Do you find yourself scrolling through social media losing track of
time and feeling worse after because all you're doing is looking at other women
and wishing you were more like them? Well stop! It's a waste of time. Sitting
there looking at other people and feeling sorry for yourself is not going to
help you.
When I finally realized how negatively social media was
impacting my life I un-followed every account that made me feel bad about
myself. By eliminating all of that negativity I was able to put more time and
effort into bettering myself. Don’t get me wrong I still struggle with
comparing myself to other women at the gym but I can’t control who is at the
gym. I can however control how I respond to my surroundings and the situations
that I am put in and I can control who and what I see on social media.
What you have to remember about social media is that it is just
a snapshot of that person's life. They might be smiling for the camera
but miserable the rest of the day. Also, so many pictures are photo shopped or
altered to make people look better. The type of clothes such as high waisted pants
can also make someone appear thinner than they are. The way the person is
posing or the camera angle can have the same effect. So you can’t really judge
the person just based on the pictures they post. Of course they are going to
post the most flattering pictures of themselves.
When we look in the mirror we tend to only see the negative
things about ourselves. We are our own worst critics. Often time’s people with
eating disorders have a distorted body image. They can’t see themselves how
other people see them; I know this is true for me. Someone will give me
a compliment and I don’t get it, I don’t see what they see.
Instead of comparing myself to other people I try to only
compare myself to me. It’s unrealistic to think I can look like someone else
because we all have different genetics that limit us and shape us. I also have
no idea what their story is and what they have been through to get where they
are today. Likewise they don't know that I am recovering from an eating
disorder. So you see, it’s not fair to compare two people with different lives
and different genetics.
One time I was being really hard on myself my boyfriend said
to me, given the situation you are in did you do the best you could? If the
answer is yes then you should be proud of yourself. All you can do is give
it your best with the circumstances that you are in. That really stuck with me
and I remind myself of those words whenever I find myself comparing myself to
other women.
You are good enough! Don’t let your eating disorder tell you otherwise.
