In a world that encourages us to peacock and show only the best of what’s happening in our lives, social media can oftentimes feel like a complete shit show.
On occasion someone gets real. Recently, fitness blogger and influencer Anna Victoria shared a transformation photo on Instagram. While physical transformations are something to applaud and behold, Victoria’s photo was about something more.
“My ‘transformation’ Sometimes I don't like calling it that because I was never unhappy with the way I looked to begin with,” the caption began. “My transformation was more about how I felt on the inside, about my health, and that's not something I can show you in a picture. Nevertheless, instagram is a visual platform and we are visual creatures so here we are. While I'm happy with the physical changes I've worked so hard for, they don't compare to the non-physical changes that aren't visible to the naked eye. Those non-physical changes are what keep me going.”
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Naturally, on social media, mental health and internal transformations are rarely celebrated simply because they often can’t be visualized. Those newly sculpted abs are much easier to see than say, overcoming a major life hurdle. However Victoria’s decision to align both her physical and mental transformations sent a powerful message to her followers. It's widely known that happiness can absolutely alter your physical self.
Victoria then delved into the dangerous cycle of being overly consumed with focusing only on making outward changes to oneself.
“There's always room for physical improvement and there's always someone who looks better than you, and those two facts can be freaking exhausting if it's all you're concerned with,” the caption continued. “It can put you in a constant state of wanting to restrict food more, work out more, and if you're not careful, lead to an unhealthy obsession and relationship with workouts and with food. That's not what I want for me or for any one of you.”
Check out the rest of the message below.