5-minute read
You know that sinking feeling when you see another "What I Eat in a Day" post? Someone effortlessly meal prepping 15 containers while doing pilates before 8am, looking absolutely radiant?
Meanwhile, you're proud you remembered breakfast and managed a 10-minute walk between meetings.
Here's what that perfect post doesn't tell you: maybe she's 25 with no kids, works from home, and has never dealt with hormonal changes. Maybe you're 45, juggling teenagers' schedules, managing a demanding career, and your body needs completely different things than it did two decades ago.
We're all different ages, with different abilities, talents, and lifestyles. Yet we keep comparing our behind-the-scenes reality to someone else's highlight reel.
I've been there. And after 15 years in wellness and working as a holistic nutritionist, clinical hypnotist, and mental health coach, I've discovered something the industry doesn't want you to know: comparison is the fastest way to abandon what's actually working for your body.
The Hidden Cost of Wellness Comparison
That perfect Instagram routine might be completely wrong for your schedule, metabolism, and life. Yet we keep trying to force our bodies into someone else's blueprint, wondering why we feel worse instead of better.
Here's what I see happening every day: women exhausted from trying to be someone else. They've attempted every trending diet, every viral workout, every morning routine that promises to transform their lives.
The result? They feel like failures when the real problem isn't them – it's the approach.
Why Cookie-Cutter Wellness Plans Don't Work
Your Body Has Different Needs
That girl thriving on intermittent fasting and raw vegetables? Her metabolism, stress levels, and activity needs are completely different from yours. What fuels her might leave you hangry and exhausted.
I learned this the hard way during my own health journey. Fifteen years ago, I was sitting in specialist offices with unexplained digestive issues and crushing fatigue. I tried every diet and wellness trend I could find, thinking if it worked for others, it should work for me.
It wasn't until I started listening to my own body instead of following someone else's plan that everything changed.
The Social Media Wellness Trap
Social media has created an impossible standard for wellness. Every post shows perfect meal prep, flawless workout selfies, and morning routines that would require a personal assistant to maintain.
But here's what those posts don't show:
- The prep time required
- The budget needed
- The background curation
- The specific life circumstances that make it possible
- The days when it doesn't work
When you're constantly seeing these highlight reels, it's hard to feel good about your real, imperfect efforts.
How to Break Free from the Comparison Trap
1. Trust Your Body's Signals
Your body is constantly giving you feedback about what it needs. The problem is we've been taught to ignore these signals in favour of external rules.
Your body's signals matter more than any influencer's advice:
- Need breakfast to function? Eat it.
- Does that elimination diet make you obsess over food? Skip it.
- Feel amazing eating carbs? Your body knows best.
2. Define Your Own Version of Wellness
Wellness isn't one-size-fits-all. Your version might look completely different from what you see online, and that's not just okay - it's necessary.
Ask yourself:
- What time do I naturally have energy?
- What foods make me feel satisfied and vibrant?
- What type of movement feels good in my body?
- What stress management actually helps me?
3. Curate Your Social Media Feed
Your Instagram feed might be making you feel worse about your health journey. It's time for a wellness social media detox.
The 3-Day Social Media Reset:
- Day 1: Unfollow (or mute) any account that makes you feel "less than" or triggers comparison
- Day 2: Follow accounts that show realistic wellness (messy kitchens, modified workouts, real bodies)
- Day 3: Take a complete break from wellness content and check in with your own body
What Personalized Wellness Really Looks Like
I've seen incredible transformations happen when people stop trying to be someone else and start working with their unique needs.
Real wellness isn't about:
- Perfect morning routines
- Restrictive diets
- Punishing workouts
- Expensive supplements
It's about:
- Consistent small actions that fit your life
- Foods that nourish your specific body
- Movement that feels good, not forced
- Managing stress in ways that work for you
Your Next Steps: Finding What Actually Works
Instead of copying someone else's routine, try this approach:
Body Awareness
Pay attention to your natural energy patterns. When do you feel most alert? When do you crash? What foods leave you satisfied versus sluggish?
Experiment with One Thing
Pick one area – sleep, nutrition, or movement – and try small adjustments based on what you learned about your body in week one.
Social Media Audit
Implement that 3-day social media reset and notice how it affects your motivation and self-perception.
Create Your Blueprint
Based on what you've learned, create your own simple, sustainable routine that works with your life, not against it.
The Energy Reset That Works for Real Life
If you're tired of trying programmes that require you to become someone else to succeed, you're not alone. That's exactly why I created my 30-Day Energy Reset – to help people discover their unique energy blueprint without the comparison trap.
It's not about following my routine or anyone else's. It's about understanding the principles behind sustainable energy and applying them to your specific situation.
Because here's the truth: your wellness journey doesn't need to look like anyone else's. It shouldn't.
The Bottom Line
Your body is the expert on what it needs. Social media can inspire, but it shouldn't dictate your choices.
Stop trying to be that girl with the 'perfect' routine. Start being the person who listens to their body, makes choices that support their actual life, and builds wellness that sustains rather than exhausts. Life can be messy - invite that in!
Your future self will thank you for choosing authenticity over comparison, and sustainability over perfection.
What comparison triggers are you ready to let go of? Your wellness journey is supposed to make you feel better, not worse about yourself. If it's not, it's time to change the approach, not blame yourself.
Ready to discover what actually works for YOUR body? My 30-Day Energy Reset private beta is launching soon with only 25 spots available. Get on the waitlist here
