How Social Media Influencers Can Influence Eating Disorder Recovery (Episode 26)

Beauty in Christ

I‘ve met some really amazing sweet social media influencers after about 2 years of being more involved in social media. I’ve realized in the past 2 years that the way I use social media can be a tool for good or for evil, and this had made me much more sensitive to why it’s so important to be careful and transparent about what I share on social media. Each post has influence. Each word means something, and I’m accountable to God for what I say and what I portray on social media.

This gives me a certain sense of more sobriety as I post on social media, when I share what I’m eating, or choose the words I choose. Each one has influence, and I’m one of those influencers. I’m that ambassador for Jesus, and I don’t want people to be stumbled by my account, especially when I share what I eat.

Food is food. It’s not supposed to be an idol or the center of anyone’s life, but we do need it to stay alive.

However, I’ve learned that my food that I share on Instagram, it’s okay to share a variety and not be ashamed of sharing the pizza and wings that I eat as much as it’s not a problem to share the salads I eat.

One of the things that has come to my attention the more I recover and come to a healthier relationship with food is that it’s okay and it’s a good thing to share a variety, share the variety in your life.

I know they say that you should have a mostly consistent feed on your Instagram, but . . . I have to steer away from just sharing oatmeal or just sharing salads. I love oatmeal, and I love salads, but for me I can’t get stuck in those food ruts. For me, I’m very prone to restricting food or staying in a food rut because it’s ‘safe’. Yet I can’t do that, because I’m in recovery. I want everyone to know that it is ok and WONDERFUL to enjoy God’s good gifts of food, every single kind of food.

I’m not condemning people who love to eat mostly salads and oatmeal, but I have to go for a variety of foods on my Instagram feed. I have to switch up the typical safe yogurt bowl, because it’s good for my trust and faith to eat a cinnamon roll or a breakfast burrito instead.

Every day it’s humbling to be reminded that the Lord has given me this sphere of influence, and I need to promote freedom in Christ, freedom to eat, to live, to enjoy, and to be free of the bondage of food and worshipping my body.

I’m thankful for several women who have touched on the influence that social media influencers have when it comes to promoting a healthy relationship with food and body.

These women have posted their own stories in the past few weeks:

Meg @ Root For Food

Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen

Kat @ Katalyst Health Blog

Robyn is also consistently posting and writing about food freedom. This girl is so healthy and vibrant, and her love for life shows in the fact that she is not worried about food, that she enjoys all the foods, and that she promotes the anti-diet approach for being healthy. She is one of the most well loved voices on the subject of food freedom, eating disorder recovery, and body image. <3

Each one of these women are women who promote a balanced relationship with food. They make and eat cookies and donuts and big salads. They eat cinnamon rolls and ice cream and sweet potatoes and (you name it… they have probably tried it.)

Meg is also the other professional who is part of the Nourishing Minds Nutrition Practice that I’m working with for my digestion. Victoria is the one I’m currently working with, but Meg is the other sweet half of the business!

Now, I have one sweet friend who posted about the influence that social media influencers can wield on Instagram a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to get her on the podcast to talk about it. Alyssa has been on the podcast two times before, and I knew she would be the perfect person to share more on this topic.

Here is the photo she posted that sparked these thoughts in my mind.

Here is the link to her original post!

Lyss came on, and we talked about how social media influencers can be a big force for good in encouraging eating disorder recovery and how it’s important to be sensitive to the struggles of others while being honest with what’s happening in your life.

These are some of the points we covered:

A) Why Showing A Variety Helps Promote Eating Disorder Recovery

B) Why It’s Ok To Have An Instagram Feed that Shows Different Parts of Life (not just food)

C) Being Real and Vulnerable About Your Struggles

D) Being Mindful About Who You Follow

The Episode is Here! (I had some MAJOR brain farts during it, so I had to do a lot of cutting out of long pauses and parts where I totally lost my train of thought. Lyss was super gracious about it.)

http://beautyinchristthebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Influencers-and-Instagram-Podcast-.mp3

Thank you Lyss for sharing your thoughts on this. I’m thankful we’ve been given this tool and that you’ve challenged me to really think about and be transparent and balanced about social media sharing.

This is a hard conversation; I know it’s tough, but I truly believe that social media can be a gift, a tool from God, for me to wield for good. I need so much more wisdom and grace as I navigate this and really remember that God’s glory is the ultimate goal when I share anything on social media.

(These verses are some of the verses that often come to mind when I’m reminded of Who I’m doing the social media for; it really puts a lot of sobriety and special care into the tool that social media is. I absolutely love it, and I’m thankful that God’s Word keeps me centered on what really matters. It’s a precious sobering reminder that what I do is accountable to God first and not other people, and that should keep me caring and compassionate and careful and truthful as I share.)

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’

Podcast Sponsor Notes:

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(Linking up with Amanda for ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Thursday on this!)

I would love to hear your thoughts on this:

What is your mission/passion behind your social media presence as an influencer on Instagram?

Do you appreciate it as an influencer/reader when people share different parts of their life on Instagram or Facebook?

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