Zoe Burnett Counselling

24/07/2025

Continuing with my body image theme:

🌿 Body Neutral Affirmations
📢You don’t have to love your body to treat it with respect.

As an eating disorder counsellor, I often remind my clients:
You don’t need to force body love.
It’s okay if “body positive” feels out of reach especially in recovery.
Body neutrality gives you space to just be.

Here are a few affirmations to ground you in that space:

✨ My body is not a project.
✨ I can have a full life without loving how I look.
✨ I deserve to eat, no matter how I feel about my body.
✨ My worth is not defined by my appearance.
✨ I can respect my body, even if I don’t always like it.
✨ My body carries me through each day, that’s enough.
✨ I release the pressure to feel a certain way about my body today.
✨ How I feel about my body does not change what I am allowed to do.

You don’t have to wake up loving your body every day.
But you do deserve to treat it, and yourself, with care and compassion. 💛

17/07/2025

Eating disorders don’t discriminate, but awareness often does.
It’s time we talked more openly about male body image.

🟣 Around 25% of those with eating disorders are male

🟣11%, of men have reported having suicidal thoughts or feelings related to body image issues. (MHF 2019)

🟣 A 2021 study by CALM and Instagram found that 48% of men aged 16-40 in the UK have struggled with body image issues

As an eating disorder counsellor, I see this struggle masked behind strength, humour, or silence.
But just because it’s hidden, doesn’t mean it’s not deeply real. I see you.

💬 Your experience matters.
💜 Your struggles are valid.
🤝 Support is here for everyone, in every body.

Let’s start normalising this conversation, one post at a time.
For help and support, do get in touch.

07/07/2025

We did a thing… 😂

Why? For charity, of course!

Yesterday a group of six of us, staff, service users, and friends of the charity, took the leap! We completed a bungee jump in support of First Steps ED.

It was an unforgettable experience filled with laughter, nerves, and community spirit. We cheered each other on and came together to raise vital funds, so we can continue supporting ALL those affected by eating disorders and difficulties.

First Steps ED is a charity I’m incredibly proud to work for and one that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Here’s to jumping for hope, for recovery, and for the people we support, every day.

Total raised so far: £3,218

You can still donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/team/team-fsed-bungee

03/07/2025

Very much enjoyed doing a bit of image-based projective work today 😊

Something I do often, a technique where a client selects a random image they are drawn to as a way to access unconscious thoughts and feelings, prompting reflection and deeper exploration. 🌱

I am wondering....... which are you drawn to? 🧐
Do not think about it.
Do not pay too much attention.

Go with a gut feeling, which is calling you. which one do your eyes keep darting to?

Then we can explore what that may mean to you, why you may be drawn to that image and explore what our unconscious mind is telling us. 💜

Good for when we are having a bit of a mental block or feel stuck. Pictures can speak a thousand words.

#

24/06/2025

🔄 The Diet Cycle: Why Restriction Leads to Bingeing (spoiler alert guys..... It’s Not Your Fault)

Leading on from my post last week about set point theory, I thought I would continue with a similar theme ☺️

If you’ve ever said, “I have no willpower” after a binge… pause right there. Let’s talk about the binge-restrict cycle, also known as the diet cycle and why it’s biological, not personal failure.

🧠 Here's how it works:

Restriction begins: You cut calories, skip meals, or label foods “bad.”
➡️ Your body enters survival mode.

Hunger builds: Physical and mental deprivation kick in.
➡️ You may feel obsessed with food, tired, moody, 'hangry' (I know I do) or out of control.

Binge eating happens: The body overrides restriction in a powerful drive to catch up.
➡️ It can often spark feelings of chaos, shame, and can feel compulsive, but it’s a normal biological response. Your body is trying to protect you!

Guilt and shame set in: You promise to “do better” tomorrow.
➡️ The cycle starts all over again.

✨ The truth? Bingeing isn’t the problem. Restriction is!!
Your body isn’t betraying you, it’s trying to protect you.

💛 Healing means breaking the cycle, not tightening the rules. This takes time, compassion, and often support. But freedom is possible and you don’t have to earn it with control.

If you are struggling, do get in touch. I have a space available ☺️💜

19/06/2025

🧠 Set Point Theory: Your Body Isn’t Broken, It’s Protecting You!

As an eating disorder counsellor, I often talk about something called Set Point Theory, a concept that can be both validating and freeing for those struggling with disordered eating and body image.

This image is just the starting point of understanding set point!

🧐Set Point Theory suggests that each person’s body has a natural weight range, a place it functions best, physically and mentally. This range is influenced by genetics, biology, medications, social elements and SO MUCH MORE! it is not just what you eat/how you exercise. Remember, if we ate the same and exercised the same, we would all still be different shapes and sizes........ (hello genetics)

✨ When you eat below your body’s needs (intentionally or unintentionally), it doesn’t just quietly comply. It fights back to protect you:

🔥 Metabolism slows down

😫 Hunger signals increase

🧠 Food thoughts intensify

On the flip side, when you eat more than your body needs for a time, it typically:

⚡ Speeds up metabolism

😌 Decreases appetite

📉 This is why many people can’t sustain weight loss from restrictive eating. It’s not a failure, it’s your body doing exactly what it’s designed to do: keep you alive and safe! Your body is literally rebelling against starvation.

💬 Healing your relationship with food often means letting go of unrealistic expectations around weight, and trusting that your body knows what it's doing. It takes time, but your body can settle into its natural set point, when it’s consistently fed, nourished, and not in survival mode.

💛 Your worth is not defined by your weight. You deserve peace with food and respect for the body you’re in. Life is simply to short to spend every day fighting your own DNA!

Struggling with body image or your relationship with food? I have a few spaces available for counselling. Get in touch today 🙌

18/06/2025

Full permission from the client to share this!

This piece of feedback had me in absolute stitches recently 😂 I adore working with young adults!

💜💜

03/06/2025

Reposting this as it seems to be cropping up in a lot of sessions. Remember there are different types of ADHD!

When we think of ADHD, we often picture a hyperactive person, scatty and maybe a child.

Ooft how wrong is this stereotype! 😫

There are actually three subtypes of ADHD, There is so much I could write on this, but to keep it simple, I have summarised the best I can 😊 Also there is only so much I can squeeze onto a Venn diagram 🤣

Inattentive
This type is characterized by difficulties with staying focused, organization, and staying on a task. Symptoms may include distractibility and inattention, possibly daydreaming.

Hyperactive/impulsive
This type can include symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity. Possibly impulse buying and can lead to an addictive personality style (dopamine chasing.) Symptoms may include excessive movement, fidgeting, being talkative, and having excessive energy.

Combined
This is the most common type of ADHD and is characterized by symptoms of both the inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive types. With combined type, you may for example, get bursts of energy but also the racing internal thoughts and daydreaming.

The examples above are just a few, there are MANY more symptoms, also to make it more difficult, everyone will present differently! we are all unique after all 😊

For more information, please do check out the ADHD centre. Or for help and support get in touch with myself ☺️ Often a late diagnosis can leave you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated!

28/05/2025

I have not done much public speaking for a while, and now it seems I have done a few big talks in a short period of time 😂

It has been fun tho!

🙌First exploring body image and ways we can become more body neutral. Teaching skills and sharing resources.

🧐The next talk was exploring the darker side of fitness trackers (this image). Linking them with disordered eating and how they can fuel exercise addictions. How we may become disconnected from our bodies because of them and what companies could do to ensure they are used safely.

🤱Then finally, a talk at a big perinatal conference for the NHS, exploring the clinical risks of eating disorders and the pregnancy journey. Also, exploring the unexpected triggers that could occur and how eating difficulties may present during this time!

All three talks very different but all three desperately needed!

If you are struggling with any of the above topics, please do get in touch. It does not matter where you are in your recovery journey, I am here to walk it alongside you.💜

21/05/2025

Just a little mind dump if I may :)

REMEMBER! your body will change, it is supposed to. That is OK!

20/05/2025

14/05/2025

There is SO much I can say on this topic...... SO much! it is hard to know where to start, so naturally, lets start with a few stats and the basics!

📢Eating disorders can thrive during pregnancy, and the risks can be catastrophic. Struggling to deal with the hunger signals increasing, the fact the body changes quicker then the mind can handle, and the emotional whirlwind that comes with this journey. Things like heartburn and food craving can be very difficult to navigate through and the comments on your body, can cause distress. 😔

I am doing a LOT of work behind the scenes around this and I have recently enjoyed delivering talks and starting to lecture on this very difficult topic. I am so pleased to be able to combine lived experience with professional, clinical knowledge, to deliver an in depth insight to the clinical and mental risks associated with eating disorders and pregnancy.💜

If you are struggling, please do get in touch. The earlier you receive the right support, the better.