I open tiktok and in 3 minutes I’m being diagnosed with autism and told that blinking is a trauma response
 
I saw a tiktok that said “sudden shivers are a trauma response” and all the comments were like “oh my god I thought I was just cold!” and a doctor was like “this isn’t true. You are probably just cold.” And all these 16 year olds were arguing with the doctor
 
The pathologising of completely normal behaviours on social media is so ridiculous like someone will say “did you know brushing you teeth twice a day is a sign of early childhood trauma” and it will have 500k likes
 
Some tweets I read earlier as I did my quick scroll of Instagram that made me laugh out loud and preach to literally no one around me
 
Oh how hard I relate in the nutrition and fitness space

If you struggle with fat loss during peri menopause it’s because your workout plan isn’t specific enough and your metabolism is broken and if you cry before your period your hormones are most definitely imbalanced or the response to the sugar you’re eating during your luteal phase is causing a heightened emotional reaction

If you gain weight and eat a lot of pastries it’s because your blood sugar rises in response to those pastries and because that sugar is addictive and has nothing to do with calories
 
It is always something more complex. Something mechanistic. Something scientific sounding. Something expensive. 
 
We’ve reached a place in health and fitness where we all think our bodies are broken and if it’s not our bodies it’s our brains
 
It’s not your fault if you feel this way. You’re sold this narrative every time you’re told to send a poop sample for analysis to decide if your gut microbiome responds better to plants than it does to ultra processed foods. Every time you’re sold a blood glucose monitor to check if you have a higher insulin response to oat milk compared to cows milk. To subsequently be sold a pill to dampen this totally natural physiological response that’s doing no harm
 
Reality is – we don’t need to pathologise our basic physiological processes 
 
Your drive to eat foods high in sugar and fat need not be pathologised (a natural neurotransmitter response occurs after these foods that drive us to want to eat them again and also they taste unbelievably delicious) 
 
Your hormones don’t need to be pathologised (a natural dip in mood or energy levels at certain times of the month and a heightened desire to audition the finger puppets or stay up past 9pm for actual real life sex is pretty normal)
 
Imposter syndrome needn’t be pathologised (a fear around doing something new and brave is super normal for many of us)
 
Curiosity around our behaviours is key
 
Many of our behaviours have some sort of underlying contribution from past traumas, learned behaviours, introjected values and social conditionins
 
Curiosity around ‘out of the norm’ responses is helpful
 
You are not, for example, meant to be doubled over in pain every time you surf the crimson wave
 
But honestly this pathologising and micromanaging of our health is another form of disordered wellness behaviour
 
It provides a distraction from our daily lives
 
A new way to be preoccupied by food
 
A glamourised way of controlling what we eat, one that we place morality over something like diet culture, as if they’re not basically the same thing
 
This pathologising sells us a message that if we micromanage hard enough, spend enough money, want it enough, buy enough kefir, we too can be the healthiest person around
 
We can reach a space of superiority amongst our friends and never have a problem again because we’ve optimised our health
 
Most people could do with a solid understanding of nutrition education, a better awareness of body food choice congruence (how foods make us feel), creating a better relationship with exercise and eating more plant based foods
 
Oh and ideally, creating a better connection with themselves and care for themselves and actual want to care for themselves
 
But honestly on a population most of these things aren’t the problem and we need to be looking at larger scale issues like socioeconomic factors like honestly, do you think Sandra next door is struggling with her health because she doesn’t monitor her blood glucose?
 
A gentle reminder today to keep perspective. To avoid listening to nutrition people on big podcasts with black and white messages to sell. To remind people in the staff room at work to do the same. To take a greyscale and flexible and individual approach to your nutrition and health. To notice areas of micromanagement and take a step back. To consider: what is the most healthful option for me in the context of my overall life? Is this something I really need to be concerned with? That will impact the rest of my life or health?
 
Or am I pathologising in the hope of finding a semblance of control in an otherwise very uncertain time in my life?
 
Have a lovely weekend,
I’m off for a pastry-induced physiological high,
Em