43: Social Media, Part 2

The Invisible Influence of Social Media on Your Health

Have you ever been scrolling social media, watched one video about hormones, gut health, ADHD, perimenopause, supplements, or sleep, and suddenly thought, Wait…do I have that? Same.

Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation about the invisible influence of social media—this time, we’re talking about our health.

There is so much information about women’s health online right now. And in many ways, that’s an amazing thing. We’re talking more openly about topics that women didn’t always have access to information about. We’re learning more about hormones, perimenopause, menopause, mental health, nutrition, and our bodies.

But there’s another side to having all of that information constantly available to us.

Sometimes you didn’t think anything was wrong until Instagram told you there might be.

You’re tired? Must be your hormones.

Bloated? You need this supplement.

Having trouble concentrating? Maybe it’s ADHD.

Your child didn’t sleep well last night? Here’s the vitamin they need.

Suddenly, something that may have been a normal part of life—or something worth simply paying attention to—feels like a problem that needs to be diagnosed and solved immediately.

And, conveniently, there’s often something you can buy to fix it.

When Social Media Becomes Your Health Advisor

One of the biggest things we kept coming back to during this conversation was the importance of considering the source.

Social media can be a great place to discover information. Maybe a video makes you realize that something you’ve been experiencing is worth asking your doctor about. Maybe you learn about a health issue you’ve never heard of before. Maybe an expert explains something in a way that finally makes sense.

That’s valuable.

But seeing something on social media shouldn’t necessarily be where the research ends.

A reel is a snippet. Even when the information comes from a qualified professional, there is only so much context someone can give you in 30 or 60 seconds. And when the person giving the advice isn’t a medical professional, it becomes even more important to stop and consider where the information originated.

There’s also something powerful about relatability. We see another 40-something mom talking about feeling tired, overwhelmed, bloated, distracted, or hormonal and think, That’s me.

We identify with her. We trust her. And before we know it, we’re considering whatever solution worked for her.

But her body isn’t your body.

Her medical history isn’t your medical history.

And her solution doesn’t automatically need to become yours.

Social media can be the beginning of the question. It doesn’t have to be the answer.

Do I Actually Need All These Supplements?

If you’re a woman anywhere around 40 right now, your algorithm probably has some thoughts about your hormones.

And apparently, it would also like you to purchase 47 supplements.

There are supplements for sleep, stress, digestion, bloating, energy, hormones, weight, focus, cortisol, perimenopause, menopause, metabolism—and probably another five things you didn’t realize you were supposed to be worried about yet.

It can get overwhelming really quickly.

One of the stories we shared in this episode was about researching a probiotic after experiencing bloating. The research was intentional, one supplement was chosen, it helped—and that should have been the end of the story.

Except the algorithm didn’t get the memo.

One search about bloating suddenly became an entire feed of supplements, weight-loss products, body-related content, and solutions to problems that weren’t even being experienced.

That’s where we have to be careful.

There is a big difference between thinking, I’m experiencing something, so I’m going to learn more about it, and being repeatedly shown content until you start wondering whether you have a problem.

Your Body Is Not a Trend

The health conversation online is also almost impossible to separate from body image.

We’ve gone from diet culture to body positivity to wellness culture to an online resurgence of thinness as an ideal. For millennial women especially, it can feel eerily familiar.

We grew up in an era when women’s bodies were constantly picked apart. Now we have social media giving us access to thousands of other people’s bodies—and thousands of people giving their opinions about them.

And those opinions can be brutal.

Behind a screen, people often say things they would never say to someone’s face. We forget that the person in the photo or video is exactly that: a person.

But there’s another, quieter form of body influence too.

It’s the “what I eat in a day” video.

The morning routine that includes a workout, green juice, supplements, meditation, skincare, journaling, and a perfectly balanced breakfast before you’ve even managed to locate everyone’s shoes for school.

The day-in-the-life video from someone whose actual life looks absolutely nothing like yours.

The creator may not be trying to make you feel bad at all. They may genuinely be trying to inspire you.

But that doesn’t mean you have to consume it.

If you consistently finish watching someone’s content feeling worse about yourself, it may simply not be content that is healthy for you.

Your Clothes Should Fit Your Body

One of our favorite social media moments we talked about in this episode was a woman showing a before-and-after in two pairs of pants.

She started in pants that were too tight and then showed herself looking more comfortable and confident.

Her big secret?

She went up a size.

That’s it.

And it was such a good reminder of something we tell our own daughters: your clothes should fit your body. Your body does not need to fit your clothes.

Maybe that same mindset can apply to more than clothes.

Your life doesn’t have to fit someone else’s wellness routine.

Your body doesn’t have to respond to the supplement someone else swears by.

Your morning doesn’t have to look like an influencer’s morning.

Your workout doesn’t have to be the one Instagram says women your age “need” to be doing.

And you certainly don’t need to invent a problem with yourself just because an algorithm keeps offering you a solution.

You’re Allowed to Change Your Algorithm

We talked about this in Part 1, but it’s worth repeating: you don’t have to follow people who make you feel bad.

You don’t even have to dislike them.

Their content can be wonderful. Their intentions can be good. They can be helping thousands of people.

And you can still decide that their content isn’t good for you.

Hide it. Unfollow it. Click “not interested.” Keep scrolling.

Start paying attention to what happens internally when you consume something.

Do you feel curious and empowered to learn more?

Or do you suddenly feel anxious?

Do you feel inspired?

Or inadequate?

Do you feel informed?

Or like you’ve discovered twelve new things that are supposedly wrong with you?

Social media is a tool. We get to decide how much influence we allow that tool to have over our lives.

We Might Be a Little Too Accessible

This conversation also brought us to something bigger: maybe we’re all just a little too accessible.

We know what strangers eat for breakfast. We know what time they go to the gym. We see their morning routines, nighttime routines, supplement routines, grocery hauls, workouts, kids’ schedules, marriages, vacations, homes, bodies, and health journeys.

And then we subconsciously compare all of that information to our own lives.

That is an enormous amount of access to other people.

We don’t necessarily need to know what hundreds of other people are doing every day. And hundreds of other people certainly don’t need to know everything we’re doing either.

There’s freedom in recognizing that not everyone needs constant access to you.

Your emails can wait.

Your notifications can wait.

You don't have to share everything in real time.

Not everything in our lives needs to be consumed, compared, optimized, or turned into content.

Let Social Media Give You Questions, Not Diagnoses

The beautiful thing about this moment in time is that we have access to more information about women’s health than generations before us ever did.

That matters.

Women are talking about things that were once ignored or brushed aside. We’re learning about perimenopause and menopause. We’re having conversations about mental health. We’re asking more questions and advocating for ourselves.

That is the positive side of all of this.

But access to information and having the right information for you are two different things.

So use social media as a jumping-off point.

If something resonates, look into it further. Find reputable information. Talk to your doctor. Ask questions. Pay attention to your own body instead of assuming someone else’s experience automatically applies to yours.

And remember that you don't have to try everything at once just because everyone online seems to be taking it.

More information isn't always better information.

Protect Your Peace—and Your Feed

At the end of this two-part series, that might be the biggest takeaway.

Your algorithm learns what gets your attention. And sometimes the things that get our attention are also the things that poke directly at our insecurities.

That doesn’t mean we have to keep consuming them.

Social media can introduce us to incredible ideas, helpful experts, supportive communities, new research, and conversations we may never have encountered otherwise.

But it should be a tool—not the voice that determines how you feel about your marriage, your parenting, your friendships, your health, or your body.

So pay attention to what you’re paying attention to.

Question what you consume. Consider the source. Do more research when it matters. Talk to the professionals who actually know you. And curate your feed so that the majority of what you see makes your life feel a little better—not like one more thing you need to fix.

Because maybe you don't need another supplement, another routine, another wellness hack, or another person telling you what you should be doing.

Maybe you're already doing a pretty great job.

And in case no one told you today: you handled that perfectly.