Comparison is the killer of all joy.
Comparison is something that comes up in our client sessions often, and today we wanted to take a minute to talk about comparing ourselves to others in our community –Â how it can negatively impact our goals.
Your community is not just about the people you physically choose to surround yourself with anymore – it’s also about the community that you create for yourself on social media. This includes brands/businesses, gyms, influencers/bloggers, friends, and family.
If a photo you saw social media is creating negative self talk – unfollow that account now. You don’t have time for that!
Practice avoiding the comparison of current self to your old-self, your friends, family, strangers, coworkers, neighbors and ESPECIALLY photoshopped media and social media images. Social media is a place to selectively connect with others and build your community – make sure yours is a positive one!
Here are some of our favorite Instagram accounts to follow:
- @victoriamyers_ : Victoria is a body positive Registered Dietitian in Florida. She is the owner of her own private practice, Nourishing Minds Nutrition and the host of the Nourishing Women Podcast. She is a new mom and in her practice, she places an emphasis on women’s nutrition and wellness without fad diets.
- @find.food.freedom: This is one of our favorite accounts to follow, because they are so REAL. Sammy, Mindy and Aimee take a no BS approach to nutrition and call out all things diet culture. Our favorite is their f*** diet Friday series. Check it out – you won’t be able to stop laughing!
- @stephaniechinart : Stephanie is an illustrator from Toronto, Ontario. She shares her body positive and women’s empowerment designs over on her Instagram account. Stephanie utilizes her talents to tell women that they are more valuable than how society defines women.
- @Kait.hurley : Kait is the founder of the KAIT app. In her app she creates mindful movement by implementing a meditation session in each workout. Her goal is to use exercise to help individuals get stronger both physically and mentally – something we can get behind.
- @thebodypositive : The Body Positive is a non-profit from California that helps people overcome conflicts with their bodies to lead happier, more productive lives. Over on their Instagram, they use real women’s quotes, experiences, and artwork to express real body positivity.
- @aerie is a female underwear and swimwear brand owned by American Eagle. Aerie was one of the first clothing lines to leave their photos untouched. They use the hashtag #aeriereal to give women the power to share images of their real untouched bodies.
- @thirdlove Third Love is a bra and underwear company for women that carries 78 different sizes. Their mission is to supply bra sizes to accommodate women of all sizes and shapes and they promote this on their social media. (Also now is the time to unfollow Victoria’s Secret and all of their models that make you feel inadequate.)
- @girlfriend Girlfriend Collective is an active wear line based in Seattle Washington. Their pieces are ethically manufactured, made of sustainable materials, and they carry sizes from XXS to 6XL.
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@bodyimagewithbri:Â Bri is a licensed professional counselor living in a larger body. She works as an individual counselor focusing on body image and also provides supervision for professionals that want to learn more in this area. She posts many helpful tips on reframing negative body image thoughts and dealing with body image grief.
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@et.the.rd: Esther Tambe is a Weight inclusive Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. Esther strongly believes nutrition is an important topic for the African-American community but especially for young women, who may not connect with traditional weight-centric messages they see and hear about nutrition from society. She is committed to increasing awareness of eating disorders/disordered eating and weight inclusive nutrition counseling in Black communities.
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@chelseahester: Chelsea is a certified intuitive eating counselor and anti-diet coach living in NYC. She focuses on teaching people how to make peace with their bodies and food. She states her perfect future would be where all people can “embrace [their] curves, share meals filled with laughter, and wake up every morning proud and grateful to be exactly who [they] are.”
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@schultzzie: Sierra is a body positive youtuber, social media influencer, and new mom. She has been open about her own struggles with body image, PCOS, and bipolar disorder. Many of her videos focus on unrealistic beauty standards and fashion. She owns a clothing line called Confident and Kind that supports body positivity.
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@encouragingdietitian: Christyna is a weight inclusive dietitian that helps people find a peaceful and sustainable relationship with food and their body. Her mission is to create equitable access to evidence-based weight-inclusive space for individuals seeking nutrition education regarding intuitive eating and eating disorder recovery. She also has a blog and podcast you can find on her website.
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@dietitiananna: Anna is a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Specialist and owner of Whole Life Nutrition Counseling. She proudly identifies herself as a disabled woman and is passionate about bridging the gap between the able-bodied and disabled worlds. Anna’s goal is to help others heal their relationships with food and body, trust their own wisdom, appreciate self-care, and to enjoy every bite along the way.
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@thenutritiontea: Shana labels herself as an “eat anything” dietitian. She focuses on challenging diet rules and common nutrition misinformation. She practices using the Health at Every Size Approach. Fun fact – she also has a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising!
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@jennifer_rollin: Jennifer is therapist and founder of The Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. She has a certificate in Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorder, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Her pro-eating disorder recovery posts reach many, encouraging others to challenge negative thoughts and give themselves compassion.
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@alissarumseyrd: Alissa is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Body Liberation Coach, and author of “Unapologetic Eating.” She strives to create a space that is inclusive and equitable for all body shapes and sizes, races and ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and abilities. Her Instagram posts keep it real – the perfect balance of humor and facts to help you ditch the diet mentality and challenge negative food and body image thoughts.
What are your favorite accounts to follow? Let us know in the comments below!
