We return to Tri Delta’s popular 3 for You series with recent Tri Delta alumna Brittani Lancaster, Oregon, who went viral on TikTok for her videos on body positivity and self-care. She shares the three tips she finds important for herself as she promotes body positivity around the world. Read more below, watch the full video or listen to her interview on our Let’s Talk Tri Delta Podcast.
In February, as Brittani was getting ready for her chapter’s Winter Formal, she realized it coincided with 3.5 years of her recovery from an eating disorder. She made a TikTok video of herself dancing to celebrate—and it went viral! Realizing that not a lot of people were talking about eating disorder recovery or body positivity on TikTok, she decided to make more videos focused on body positivity and self-care and has since gained nearly 800,000 followers.
Tip #1 Social media doesn’t display real life, but it does affect real life
Often people corollate social media with a highlight reel—they post the best times of their lives, when they’re doing really well, and share photos that have been photoshopped, Facetuned or filtered. You’re seeing these false, altered images, and then taking a look at the real you, wondering why you can’t look like that. And even though it’s not a real photo to begin with, it can make you doubt your worth or your beauty. Remember, whomever you follow should inspire you, not trigger you or create a toxic, negative mindset for you.
Tip #2 Self-care looks different for everyone
Everyone has different passions, everyone has different things that inspire them or help them relax and that’s ok—that’s why we’re all unique human beings. Find what works best for you! It could be taking a hot shower, reading, running or baking cookies. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you take the time for self-care. It’s so important to know what you need, when you need it, and to take time to do it for yourself.
Tip #3 Communication with yourself has never been more important
There’s a saying that the longest relationship you’ll ever have is with yourself, so make it a good one. In 2020, we’re experiencing a lot of isolation—and all this alone time makes it more important than ever to nurture that relationship with yourself. Mentally check in often, and be sure to be honest with yourself about how you’re feeling.