I love doing things symbolically. My favorite day of the week is trash day because I love symbolically getting rid of things and making space. “I DON’T NEED THINGS!!!!!”
Here are some symbolic steps you can take to move towards food and body normalcy.
Clothes
Get rid of clothes that are too small or don’t feel good to wear: Go through your clothes and get honest with yourself about the things you haven’t worn in over a year, the things that you don’t enjoy wearing when you put them on, the pieces you have been hoping to lose weight for, and things you plain just don’t like wearing – those things that have sit in your drawer for months and months.
Give them away.
Get some clothes you like, that fit: Just do it. You don’t need to have a lot of clothes. You just need to have clothes that fit, that you like wearing.
Bra: If you are a woman with big boobs, you must, for your own happiness, shell out money for a bra that actually fits. I wear a 30F-H, depending, and my quality of life is significantly better when my bra fits. I fluctuate, and yes, it’s frustrating and expensive. But when my bra doesn’t fit, my clothes are at odds with my body. When it fits, and when I make sure that I own bras that fit, I am symbolically at peace with my current size.
Social Media
Unfollow all fitspo and diet accounts: Either make sure to primarily follow social media accounts that are feminist, fat positive, and anti-diet, or get off social media altogether. Social media is designed to be addictive – and it can be a force for good, but it can also be incredibly anxiety producing.
Consider doing an actual social media break or cleanse. We can get addicted to the way people see us through social media, and a break can be really helpful and allows us to reset our mindless scrolling habits.
Devices (fitbit, scale)
Get rid of your scale: Fucking Seriously.
Get rid of your fitbits and calorie trackers and pedometers: You don’t need to track things in order to live a healthy lifestyle. The goal is to get intuitive.
Diet Books
Get rid of them: Give them away or better, throw them out. Or burn them. Safely.
…If you are resisting doing any of these things, ask yourself: why?
If the answer is money, remember you spend money on things you prioritize.
Prioritize feeling good in your body.
Over and out.