Friendship & Digital Detox
- Grace Kim
- Sep 23, 2025
- 2 min read
It was best not to eat, I thought as I scrutinized my body in the bathroom mirror. I was thirteen years old, in 8th grade, surrounded by friends who constantly posted images of themselves on social media. I wanted to look pretty enough to post myself on social media too- pretty enough that I would never worry about comments about me being “ugly” or “fat.” Pursuing this “beauty” nearly destroyed me from the inside out.
In this era of modernized technology, it is rare to see a teenager without at least one social media account. Social media dominated my life throughout my middle school and early high school years. During this time, I was captivated by young petite models and aspired to be close to the ideal of beauty. What started as a controlled diet and routine rapidly progressed to not eating out, not eating carbs, to not eating at all. The disordered eating habits continued to a point where it resulted in an eating disorder.
My social media page frequently displayed young women and teenage candid photos. The more photos featured of them, the more I highlighted the differences in my own body. My drive for thinness had me constantly reading the calorie count on packages and drinking through bottles and bottles of water to curb my hunger pains. No matter how little I was eating per day and excessively exercising, I never felt satisfied with my body. The rare moments of satisfaction were instantly extinguished when I opened up Instagram or any other social app. My mind was always filled with shame and harmful weight loss tactics whenever I saw my reflection or a picture of myself.
My deteriorating health was later noticed by a classmate. Worried, she pointed out my harmful eating habits. I could not bring myself to lie to her face so I remained quiet. From there on, she became more involved in my life. She pushed me into partaking in various activities together- going to the mall, painting pottery, watching movies, etc. Though I was reluctant at first, I began to enjoy the time shared. The enjoyment distracted my mind from the negativity and anxiety about my appearance. My screentime for many social platforms decreased drastically and the suffocating pressure of being thin had lightened.
My recovery journey started gradually. Even with my classmate’s support, there were days when I seemed to make no progress and continued my unhealthy eating habits. However, recovery is rarely linear and it is common to experience setbacks. With time and practice, I gained more self-confidence and body positivity. Whenever I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I stopped feeling disgusted at my appearance. The chances of my recovery would’ve been much lower had I not had a strong support system and spent less time away from social media. I am forever grateful to my classmate for stubbornly sticking by my side on the days when I had nearly given up on myself.
Having the support of a friend was vital to my recovery journey and has demonstrated how friendship is crucial in protecting our mental health. Our friends can help keep us grounded and help with our life problems.
Sources:
Comments