Matt Joseph Diaz

Matt Joseph Diaz

Bio

Matt Joseph Diaz is a public speaker and social media activist tackling the issues of body image and self love. Matt has been working in social media since the age of 15, and has a long history of creating online content for entertainment and educational purposes. Matts videos have accrued over 120 million views in countries all over the world as well as being featured in People, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, Upworthy and numerous other news websites. He now spend a lot of his time traveling and speaking on self love at conferences, colleges and public events. Matt Joseph Diaz currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.   

Matt Joseph Diaz Articles

#MondayMotivation With Matt Joseph Diaz

Welcome to Monday Motivation with Matt Joseph Diaz! Every Monday (obviously) I'll be serving up some motivation to get you through the week.

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Matt Joseph Diaz

What Major Surgery Can Teach You About Change

When you go through a difficult, traumatic, or transformative experience, there’s a part of you that wants to hold onto the person you were before it happened. You try so hard to hold onto a simpler time–a time when things weren’t so scary. But you can’t.

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16-year-old, 500-pound me. Image: supplied.

5 Things I Wish I Could Tell My 500-Pound Past Self

One of the most dangerous aspects of positive change is our tendency to demonize the people we’ve been. I don’t know a single person who hasn’t lain awake in bed, plagued with the thoughts of a cringe-worthy move they made in their younger years, or some kind of toxic behavior they exhibited before they knew better.

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#MondayMotivation with Matt

#MondayMotivation With Matt Joseph Diaz: We're Talking Mental Health

This week on #MondayMotivation With Matt Joseph Diaz, mental health. Matt talks about binge eating disorder.

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The best changes in life are the ones you effect yourself.

#MondaysWithMatt: Don't Be Afraid To Change Your Life Plans

This week Matt talks about the new job he never expected to have, and how changing your career path isn't just perfectly normal — it shows how much you've grown as a person.

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Image Credit: Ivan Karasev via Unsplash

We Need To Stop Telling People To Be Grateful Things Aren't Worse

I promise you, people living with depression are acutely aware that things probably aren’t as bad as they could be.

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Image: Elizabeth Barnwell Photography from her project Still:Life (http://www.elizabethbarnwell.com/)

Body Positivity And The Ebb And Flow Of Self-Worth

Taking the time to find clothes that I liked, to dye my hair, and get tattooed — for the first time I was building a place of my own.

When I lost that ability for a while, being too weak and swollen to really put the effort in, it felt like I’d lost a part of myself. It felt like I’d regressed, like I’d gotten to the finish line and was forced back into the race.

This is the trap we fall into when we discuss recovery, emotional development, mental health, or body image: believing there’s a destination.

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"Our mental illnesses are not a substitute for your bland personality, nor are they buzzwords you can use because they sound more interesting than saying you’re a 'neat freak.'" Image: Thinkstock

Saying “Bipolar” And “OCD” Casually Doesn't Make You Quirky Or Edgy

I’m about to be in the midst of a depressive episode. At times like these, I’ve learned to take a step back from social media. While I do ultimately believe social media is a force for good, a means through which we can connect to, learn more about, and inform one another, there’s a real problem with how mental illness is portrayed there.

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Image Credit: Stephen Arnold via Unsplash

On Passing Privilege & Not Belonging

For a long time, passing privilege made me feel like I didn’t deserve to call myself latino.

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Take yourself on a date. Image: Thinkstock.

5 Things To Do When You Feel Bad About Being Single

You aren’t half of something waiting to be made whole — you’re a complete human being with your own important thoughts and ideas, looking for someone to add to your life. You're neither incomplete nor missing out on anything just because you’re single.

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