UPinion: Social Media Wellness Culture and How Damaging It Can Be

By Emerson Driscoll

Virgobaby / @maybeeevirgo via Pinterest 

As someone who came to college after finishing high school sports, I was thrown into a new life I hadn’t prepared for. I realized my workout schedule was now on my own time — no more shielded practices or games, but 12-3-30 walks, YouTube ab workouts and grabbing 5-pound dumbbells to make up an arm workout. All of a sudden, I found myself looking on TikTok for the first time for workouts, recipes and health advice — things I had never even thought of before.

At first, it was fun to see the different workouts people did and their wellness advice. But soon enough, it became incredibly damaging for me. I began to think I had to follow step-by-step instructions from random videos, expecting to look just like the person in a matter of seconds. When that obviously didn’t happen, I went to the next influencer, hoping for the same thing. I forgot all the workouts I loved, believing they weren’t effective just because I didn’t hear someone calling them the “best workout.”

Not only is this cycle repetitive and frustrating, but it can cause us to compare ourselves to these people, wanting their perfect bodies and lifestyles. We fail to remember that everyone is different. Some of us never had to step foot into a gym growing up. Some of us tirelessly go to the gym or meal prep and feel like giving up. Some of us are successful in our health goals and could never imagine it any other way.

The reality is, the wellness guides influencers' posts are not a one-size-fits-all plan. Health and wellness should be fun; it should be a mix of your favorite habits, as well as challenging and educating yourself in a healthy way from professionals. It’s time we decide to make the change for ourselves and our own well-being. In the long run, you only have yourself and your body.