We’ve made a massive error in ‘normalising’ our struggles and it’s done us no favours
 
These super relatable, super vulnerable, sometimes oversharing posts about how much everyone struggles with their body image, relationship with food, diet etc., I’m worried they’ve gone too far
 
That we’ve begun to normalise actually, ‘not normal’ and often unhelpful thoughts, habits and behaviours around food and our body
 
 
Hate the way you look?
Don’t worry we all do
 
Emotionally eat?
Don’t worry we all do
 
People please your way through life?
Don’t worry we all do
 
Pick toxic relationships repeatedly and seek solace in red flag memes?
Don’t worry we all do (obviously not me)
 
 
I’m worried that we’re now living in a space where we’ve normalised dysfunctional eating and body thoughts and behaviours such that you’re living with things that aren’t serving you under the guise of normal
 
 
How have you coped mentally with the body changes pregnancy has brought?
 
 
Someone asked me earlier this week, I’ve yet to answer on Instagram but as we know I always like to share my truest thoughts here
 
It was a super well-intentioned, logical, welcome and helpful question to ask
 
And here’s where my brain went
 
 
Why would I have to ‘cope mentally with body changes’?
 
In total transparency, I haven’t really
I worked on my body image for about a decade
Alongside the best coaches in the industry, I built an entire team that supports 1000s of people to find peace with their body
Body changes aren’t really a problem for me
And I don’t feel guilty or conceited saying this 
I feel proud that I worked to get to this point
 
 
You do not have to live with disordered eating behaviours or body struggles


A place does exist where you don’t feel this way
Provided that (where accessible) you do the work to change it
 
Yet we’ve normalised living with them
Normalised an undercurrent of suffering around food and our bodies
Like we’ve settled on being ‘fine not great’ with them on a good day
In despair on a bad day
But it’s fine because enough influencers have normalised it
 
It’s not fine IMO
You deserve better
You deserve to rid yourself of the lingering thoughts and behaviours and preoccupations that don’t serve you well
 
I know it requires faith that you can change 
And that’s another downside of this normalising
We’ve accepted that we can’t change
All people struggle
 
I mean the last statement there is true
But not in the ways we’re led to think
 
Normalising has been great to share awareness,
Remove shame
Encourage discussion
Create some change
But we’re at a roadblock and it’s stopping you from getting to your final place of peace with food and your body
 
Earlier this week I created a new quiz for you,
It’s kind of like those Cosmo quizzes you did when you were 17 to find out if your boyfriend fancied your best friend
Except with a little more science 
 
There are lots of ways we can ‘quantify’ disordered eating and in research we use validated questionnaires,
One of them is the EAT-26 questionnaire,
Which I’ve created for you to do your own self-assessment
 
Click here to do yours (the assessment part is totally anonymous)
 
On there, you’ll be able to do a bit of a self-check in about where you are with food right now
If there might be space for change 
 
I encourage you to do it this weekend,
Maybe try out the others on there too which I’ve linked below
 
And get curious about the beliefs you’ve adopted from this trend of ‘over-normalising’
 
I’m always here,
Em