Oxfordshire eating disorder specialist urges caution with social media in the New Year
Online pressures around diet and weight loss can impact mental health
An eating disorder specialist in Oxfordshire has warned about the potential impacts of social media, as many people feel pressure to change their diet in the New Year.
Tom Lankester, a manager at the Oxfordshire Adult Eating Disorder Service, highlighted the risks of engaging with unhelpful online content during the ‘New Year, New Me’ trend.
He said: “A lot of people do lean into it and feel the pressure to make certain changes in the way they eat.
“Those pressures can really impact people's underlying presentation of themselves.”
He explained that social media “can be a bit double edged” where some see it a helpful tool to connect with people who have had similar experiences, while others find it detrimental to their body image.
To mitigate the risk of being harmed by social media, Tom said it is important to regulate your feed: “Diets are very embedded into our culture, but it's about what we choose to engage with and what we don't choose to engage with.
"If you see something that's quite unhelpful for you on social media, we can block things, we can remove things - that's often the advice I tend to give people.”
Tom said people must also remember that social media gives an unrealistic view of day-to-day life, with content portraying small snapshots rather than the full picture.
"The crux of it is about trying to find that happiness within, instead of looking elsewhere," he said. "It’s an old phrase I like to use, which is comparison is the thief of all joy, and I think that's really applicable when we're looking at social media."
Tom noted that eating disorders can impact anyone at any time and it is important to get a medical diagnosis to ensure the right care moving forward.
He also encouraged people to support loved ones who maybe struggling with their body image.
"If you're ever concerned someone's got an eating disorder or underlying eating difficulties, the main thing to do is approach them with compassion,” he said. “Make sure you offer a safe space for people to be able to talk and not feel like they're being judged."
For those feeling guilt or shame around eating, Tom advised speaking to someone trusted: "It could be a friend, it could be a family member, it could be your GP, it could be someone from school, just an individual you feel like you can talk to."