One of our co-founders, Lindsey, recently went on Instagram Live with Jess, one of the first trial users of our app.
Jess has been using Beanbag Health for a few weeks but has struggled with disordered eating for years. While her eating disorder stopped her from becoming a professional dancer, her recovery progress has allowed her to become a dance teacher.
Why did you join the Beanbag app?
Jess was reluctant to try the app when her mom first brought it up. She was in a bad place and her disordered eating behaviours were reappearing. She was eventually persuaded to try it and is very happy she did. She particularly likes the little “gems” of information she gets on the app because she learns more about herself and the eating disorder from them.
What would you say it’s like to use the app?
Jess says it’s very simple to use, and everything is set out very nicely with meal logging, modules, weekly goals, support features, and more. She likes how the app is customisable to each user’s needs. Beanbag is designed so that you can choose what features to use based on what is most relevant to you and your recovery. You aren’t pressured to log details about meals, modules are short and accessible, weekly goals keep you focused, and support features facilitate conversations about your progress with your supporters.
What would you say the hardest thing about recovery is?
For Jess, one of the hardest things is staying consistent. If you have a bad day, try for the next day; you have to constantly aim for recovery and move forward. She notes, “It doesn’t go away… but it gets better.” To use a metaphor: in the beginning, it’s like a big swarm of flies around your head, and it’s really overwhelming. Over time, the flies get easier to swat, and the size of the swarm gets smaller.
What would you say to someone who is just starting the Beanbag app?
“Do it, obviously,” says Jess with a chuckle. “You don’t have to do everything at once—take it step by step. Challenge yourself but don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get everything perfect—no one is perfect.” Listening to yourself and making your recovery journey your own is essential. Jess concludes that if you’re thinking about it, give the app a go. “The stuff on there has been so helpful and has really helped me to turn things around.”
You can watch the Instagram Live here.
Beanbag Health is launching soon 🚀
Join the waitlist here!
Written by
Zoe Trevithick
Zoe is an intern at Beanbag Health. She is a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Cognitive Science. Zoe is excited to be working at Beanbag Health and is passionate about its cause of making eating disorder and negative body image recovery easy and available. She is eager to see a world where mental health disorders are no longer stigmatized, and where anyone who needs care is be able to access it.
Clinically Reviewed By:
Iain Jordan
Iain is a consultant psychiatrist with postgraduate training in medicine, psychiatry, complexity science, and healthcare informatics. He's fascinated by the relationship between physical health and mental health and has extensive experience with eating disorder patients in inpatient settings. He's an honorary senior clinical lecturer at University of Oxford. His passion is making psychological strategies for recovery available to all.