We all have that inner voice that tells us we aren’t good enough. Some people call it the inner bully, some people call it the “ED voice”, some people give that voice a name. I like to call this voice the inner mean girl. She likes to chit chat our ear off and tell us why we shouldn’t ask for a promotion at work, why we shouldn’t go on a second date with the hot guy from the other night or why we shouldn’t eat dessert. Calming the inner mean girl and starting to get along wit[...]
Instagram started out as a platform for photographers to share their work. Once it became mainstream and popular, the selfie movement, butt pictures and a whole lot of “fitspo” images became the norm. I spent years of my life following “fitspo” accounts, bodybuilding competitors, models and celebrities. At first, I took great pleasure in getting such a private glimpse into everyone’s life. I convinced myself that all I do is inspire myself to work harder in the gym and the kitchen. Li[...]
Dear 18-year old Rini, Here is a very heartfelt letter from your future self. You have just finished high school, which given your laziness in class is actually quite the miracle. Now, you are about to have the most amazing summer with all of your friends. You will stay up with your friends until 6 in the morning every other day. You will cycle home on your bike while watching the sunrise and feeling absolutely free and invincible. Make sure you are present every single moment, because ten years[...]
Spoiler alert: I don’t ever talk about or promote dieting, weight loss and body transformations. Why? Because there is an incredible amount of people out there doing this. Also, we seem to know exactly what we have to do in order to achieve that “perfect body”. Nevertheless, the struggle with disordered eating and a crappy body image is bigger than it has ever been before. Hence, this article is about 5 ways to track your progress in terms of self-acceptance as well as in terms of improvin[...]
"Be obsessively grateful" I read this quote a while ago and it really stuck with me. During the first weeks of my eating disorder recovery, I spent lots and lots of time journaling. Working with my health coach held me accountable in starting a gratitude journal. Every morning, I would write down 3 things I am grateful for. At the beginning, I was pretty skeptical and wasn’t sure what to make of it. It sounded woo-woo to me to write down things I want to celebrate about my life. I felt so down[...]
Health is something we all strive for. Over the past few decades, the media has done a very good job at putting out a specific image of what "health" is supposed to look like. Nowadays, it is usually a slender, white, young female eating a salad, while laughing and having the best time ever. I am sure you have the exact picture I am talking about in mind right now. Seriously, who loves salads this much that they have the biggest smile on their faces while eating them? The reality of "health" i[...]