Free Handout: Coping with Triggering Social Media in Eating Disorder Recovery

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Recovering from an eating disorder is a deeply personal, often nonlinear journey. It requires immense strength, vulnerability, and support. In a world increasingly dominated by curated images and “wellness” content, social media can be both a source of encouragement and a trigger. For those in recovery, navigating social media can feel like walking a tightrope—one misstep can destabilize hard-earned progress.

The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media

Social media is designed to connect us, inform us, and entertain us—but it’s also carefully engineered to keep us scrolling. Being in eating disorder recovery, this constant stream of content can expose you to:

• Diet Culture Disguised as Wellness: Posts promoting "clean eating," "detoxes," or "what I eat in a day" videos are pervasive. While often framed as healthy lifestyle content, they can reinforce restrictive behaviors and unrealistic standards.
  
  
• Body Comparison Traps: Seeing endless images of seemingly “perfect” bodies—often edited or filtered—can lead to self-criticism and a distorted sense of what’s normal or healthy.
  
  
• Recovery Invalidation: Well-meaning posts that glorify weight loss or “discipline” can make someone in recovery feel like they’re doing something wrong by choosing healing over a controlling relationship with their body or food..

The Emotional Toll

Even with strong intentions and support systems, it's easy to feel triggered, ashamed, or isolated after just a few minutes of scrolling. The subtle messages—thinness equals happiness, control equals worth, appearance equals value—can erode recovery work if they’re absorbed day after day.


Download our free handout!

We have created a free guide to help cope with triggering social media posts during eating disorder recovery. Take your time to read through each prompt and use this guide whenever you are feeling triggered by your social media feed. This happens to all of us– but by getting the help and support you deserve, you can lessen these feelings and triggers. 

Click here to download our free handout!


Wanting more specialized support? 

Here at The Eating Disorder Center in Boca Raton, Florida, our clinicians, Jennifer Rollin LCSW-C, Lauren Levine, MSW, LCSW-C, and Rachel Steinhardt, LMHC provide virtual therapy throughout the state of Florida. Reach out to us via our contact form or call us at 301-246-6856 to get started with a free 15-minute consultation with an eating disorder specialist. We are happy to answer any questions you have and provide more information about our center or the clinicians on the team! 


Interested in additional help beyond therapy?

If you’re looking for more help to supplement therapy, we offer eating disorder recovery coaching. Coaching can be a great addition to your treatment, and it can be a game-changer during recovery! Our coaches, Javoni Cobb, MA and ​Sarah Baginski, MSW are here to help you in your journey to finding freedom from food and body obsession.

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Schedule a free 15 min consult for eating disorder therapy in FL, or recovery coaching worldwide.
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Click here.

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Eating Disorder Therapy Boca Raton  is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide virtual eating disorder therapy in Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Pinecrest, Parkland, Naples, Miami Shores, and Palmetto Bay. Virtual eating disorder therapy throughout Florida. ​