🌟 How I navigated toxic social media content through my recovery 🌟

As you may have seen I have announced the awareness event I have organised, “Stories of Recovery and Hope” which is a night dedicated to bringing awareness to eating disorders through the lived experience of me and my two incredible co-hosts Evan and Ayzia.

I have been overwhelmed by the support this event has received already and even more excited that people have asked whether certain topics will be covered on the night. This is exciting as we want to make this event as relevant and informative as we can so we have welcomes this feedback with open arms.

This week I had a conversation with a lovely lady who asked whether we will be talking about the impact of toxic social media on recovery and how we navigate through this. When she asked this I knew that she was not alone in navigating toxic social media content and the power it has to fuel disordered behaviours and glamourise disordered eating and manifestations of this.

I couldn’t wait until the event to talk about this so this weeks episode is dedicated to ‘how I navigated toxic social media content through my recovery’.

The hard pill to swallow is that we are never going to be completely immune to this, we are never going to boycott this content (maybe one day?) and we are going to see content that may be harmful to our recovery. HOWEVER, I talk about the power of YOU and how YOU have the power to disengage from this content.

In a world filled with f****d up algorithms and content designed to receive the most engagement we need to have our social media bul***it detectors on at all times! Join me on today’s episode as I share my lived experience with navigating social media through recovery and beyond! Y

ou can listen on spotify, apple or my direct link which can be found in the link in my bio! I would love to hear your feedback, what measures do you have in place to protect yourself from harmful social media content?

TW – in today’s episode I talk about disordered eating, eating disorders and recovery which may be triggering for some.

I have linked some great resources below which can offer support if you find yourself needing to speak to someone.

@thebutterflyfoundation National Helpline 1800 334 673

@lifelineaustralia 24/7 support 13 11 14

@beyondblueofficial 1300 224 636

NEW THE COMPATIBLE YOU PODCAST EPISODE Today’s a goodie (But I always say that!) today’s episode is called – ‘Dismantling Diet Culture with APD Laura York’ It is no secret that we are regularly, if not daily, influenced about food, nutrition and movement but individuals who don’t have our best interest at heart.. I’m talking the “don’t eat this food”, “Do this exercise to get abs” or “don’t eat after this time if you want to reach so and so” – cue eye roll! Society is saturated with this nonsense and in today’s episode I sit down with Accredited Practicing Dietician Laura York from @iamlaurayork We break down some common misconceptions surrounding health, nutrition and body image which are often spun by media outlets and show you the reality. In this no bullshit approach to holistic health you can hear how passionate we are to reduce the harm caused by diet culture and help individuals see that their worth is determined by far more than their physical bodies. We also touch on the idea that as women we don’t need to shrink ourselves down and not ask for what WE WANT. We are no longer living by the narrative of you’re “too much” or “don’t charge that, you’re not worth that!” – screw that! We talk about backing yourself and stepping in to the person you TRULY ARE! You can listen by searching “The Compatible You Podcast” on Spotify or Apple. You can also click the link in my bio which will take you to my streaming service!

When I sought out professional help for my eating disorder I only thought that the recovery was completed by psychologists alone. It wasn’t until I was in the midst of recovery with my interdisciplinary team that I understood how many professionals can be involved including Accredited Practicing Dieticians (APD).

I was excited to be joined on this episode by non-diet Accredited Practicing Dietician (APD) Amanda Maiorano from @madeby.mandy Amanda has experience working within the realm of eating disorder treatment and strives to dismantle diet culture in her practice which is something the world needs more of!

In this episode we chat about all things: 

- Harmful nutritional and diet advice that is saturating our online environment 

- The role of APD’s within Eating Disorder recovery

- Important considerations when seeking help

- Challenging beliefs surrounding food

- The impact of misinformation about nutrition on individual’s body image and relationship with food

You can find Amanda here at @madeby.mandy and you will not want to miss out on her incredible recipes she shares!

So, I started seeing a psychologist again this week and as scary as it was to open up and be uncomfortable, I am so grateful I am in a position to be able to receive this support.

I wanted to share some feelings and thoughts I had about this new journey I am on as I know how many emotions can come about when you finally seek help for an often-silent battle you have been going through. Trust me, it is worth it.

You do not need to wait for your mental health to “get as bad as others” or to reach your breaking point.

I also reflect on the reality of tying your identity to external circumstances such as a job or the expectations others have of you.

It’s scary sometimes to be your true authentic self, but do you want to be reflecting on your life wishing you stopped living by expectations and standards placed on you by others? Of course you don’t.

TW – in today’s episode I talk about mental illness and identity loss which may be triggering for some. I have linked some great resources below which can offer support if you find yourself needing to speak to someone.

@thebutterflyfoundation National Helpline 1800 334 673

@lifelineaustralia 24/7 support 13 11 14

@beyondblueofficial 1300 224 636

NEW ‘THE COMPATIBLE YOU PODCAST’ EPISODE

This is a different episode to what I usually do but when someone’s makes unhelpful, damaging and outright wrong comments on an individual’s eating disorder recovery journey I wanted to record this. In this episode I respond to a video ‘Pretty girl with an eating disorder thinks she’s a psychologist’ – if that name doesn’t set the tone for the episode…

I respond the poor commentary and discuss why it is NOT OKAY to comment on someone’s eating disorder recovery and why eating disorders aren’t caused by someone’s food intake (YES, that is a comment within the original video…).

I discuss privilege and why we need to ensure people within their eating disorder recovery are supported given that eating disorders have the HIGHEST mortality rate compared to other mental illnesses. I hope this provides some education and a new perspective around eating disorder talk and serves to remind us that we need to be conscious of our comments.

I also hope this encourages individuals to speak up about their struggles and know that they aren’t alone. This podcast was recorded to share advice from my own recovery and comments made are my own opinion. I am not a qualified psychologist of medical professional.

You can listen to the podcast on apple and Spotify.

TW – In this episode I do talk about eating disorders and poor body image which maybe distressing for some listeners. Please find below some links to great resources if you find yourself struggling, you are NOT ALONE.

@thebutterflyfoundation National Helpline 1800 334 673

@lifelineaustralia 24/7 support 13 11 14

@beyondblueofficial 1300 224 636

#podcast #mentalhealth #awareness #bodyshame #breakup #with #dietculture #fuckdietculture #bodypositive #acccept #neutral #health #hollisitc #morethanabody #youareworthit #mentality #women #womenshealth 

NEW THE COMPATIBLE YOU PODCAST EPISODE OUT!

Are you struggling to look at old photos of you in a different body than you are now? Sadly, you’re not alone which is what this episode is all about!

For ages I got hung up on mourning my old body and letting those thoughts spiral in to pushing me back in to restrictive and unhealthy food behaviours.. And I know that I am not the only one to do this.

If you are struggling to break free from the body shame of looking at old photos then this episode is for you! I talk about the skills I utilised to stop my negative thoughts about my old body spiralling in to my old unhealthy behaviours.

Remember, we can’t always control our first thought (Ugh, I wish I had my old body back). BUT we can control our thoughts and behaviours that follow (You know what, I actually wasn’t happy and in a really bad place in that photo… I don’t actually want to be back there).

This episode will serve as a guide to help you break free from the awful cycle of mourning your previous body.

Did you know that our chances of being born are 1 in 400 TRILLION… Those aren’t spectacular odds. This is why it is bloody important to live the life WE WANT TO LIVE and tell diet culture to shove it.

We weren’t placed on this earth to live a life based of living up to societal expectations of our bodies.

You can listen on apple or spotify!

I would love to hear your experiences with mourning your previous body, what do you tell yourself when you look at old photos of yourself?

TW – In this episode I do talk about eating disorders and poor body image which maybe distressing for some listeners. Please find below some links to great resources if you find yourself struggling, you are NOT ALONE.

@thebutterflyfoundation National Helpline 1800 334 673 @lifelineaustralia 24/7 support 13 11 14 @beyondblueofficial 1300 224 636

#podcast #mentalhealth #awareness #bodyshame #breakup #with #dietculture #fuckdietculture #bodypositive #acccept #neutral #health #hollisitc #morethanabody #youareworthit #mentality #women #womenshealth

NEW THE COMPATIBLE YOU PODCAST

This wasn’t an easy one to film for me OR my husband but as hard as it was we both agreed that we need to be talking about this kind of stuff..

On todays episode I sit down with my husband Joel and we open up about his lived experience with a partner who was silently suffering from an eating disorder.

Joel was the first person I opened up to about it albeit by Facebook messenger, but that’s all that I could muster up at the time.

Joel bravely shares his experiences relating to how it felt when I told him and his unawareness of this condition and its effects. He discusses that he had a narrow perception of an ED and believed for a while that anorexia was the main ED and the misconception of what an ED looks like.

Joels talks through how he sought help for me including reaching out to @thebutterflyfoundation and the processes. We talk about the tricky stuff such as how he felt knowing I was living with him and being able to hide it and the realisation that I wasn’t lying to him and wasn’t intending as unfortunately that’s the power of an ED.

I am so grateful for having a supportive and caring husband like Joel and cannot stress enough the importance of talking about this with a loved and trusted person.

Help is available is EVERY situation. In the words of Joel, BE BRAVE.

Trigger warning ⚠️

In this episode we talk about mental illness, the effects of mental illness and lived experiences. We also discuss disordered eating, dieting, body image and eating disorders.

If you or someone you know may be suffering with an ED here are some incredible resources that CAN help you.

@thebutterflyfoundation National Helpline 1800 334 673 @lifelineaustralia 24/7 support 13 11 14 @beyondblueofficial 1300 224 636

🎉 NEW COMPATIBLE YOU PODCAST EPISODE 🎉

I sat down with Stella from mental health with Stella and it was amazing, I felt like we could’ve talked all day but we managed to squeeze it into under an hour!

We opened up about mental health and the importance of speaking up before it gets to breaking point, as both having lived experiences with mental illness, and also having close people around us battle the often silent battle. We speak openly about our experiences and what bought us to the point in our lives now in the hope that it will show listeners that it is okay to talk about.

We dive in to social media and diet culture plays a huge role in mental illness and ways we can challenge unrealistic expectations and “highlight reels”.

I think a lot of listeners will resonate with this episode and we hope that it may plant even a little seed to you that your struggles are valid and worthy of help no matter how small they may seem, mental illness loves being alone and in the dark and as bloody difficult as it is to speak up, you are worth the recovery. Stella is someone you NEED to follow! You can find Stella at:

IG: Mentalhealthwithstella 

IG: merakimhtraining

Trigger warning ⚠️ In this episode we talk about mental illness, the effects of mental illness and lived experiences. We also discuss disordered eating, dieting, body image and eating disorders.

Here are some excellent resources, you do not need to do this alone.

pandanational national perinatal mental health helpline 1300 726 306 9 am – 7.30 pm Monday -Friday (AEST/AEDT)

Lifeline 13 11 14

Suicide call back service 1300 659 467

1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

Emergency 000