8 Tips to Navigate Bad Body Image Days
Written by CCTC Staff Writer
While in recovery from an eating disorder, there is often a focus in treatment on negative body image. Even though these concerns, feelings and thoughts are addressed in treatment, there may be days where you feel more focused or anxious about your body. Negative or bad body image days are something many humans experience from time to time given the weight and body focused society we live in. But for someone in recovery from an eating disorder, negative body image can be extremely distressing. For many, negative thoughts about their body and appearance can trigger urges to use behaviors or engage in disordered eating. It is important to take care of yourself on these days to stay on track in your recovery.
Here are 8 ways to manage negative body image days:
1. Wear comfortable clothing.
Tight or restrictive clothing can exacerbate negative body image thoughts. When you are already feeling focused on your body and how you feel, it can help to wear clothing that is comfortable to alleviate added anxiety or attention to the parts of your body you are feeling particularly self-conscious about. It may be helpful to have a few key items and outfits that are go-to options when body image feels more difficult than usual that can be helpful throughout your recovery. If you find yourself holding onto clothing that triggers negative feelings it may be helpful to get rid of those items. If you find it hard to let go of these items, you are not alone. Ask your support system for help or talk to your treatment team for tips on how to navigate this difficult but necessary part of recovery.
2. Lean onto your support system.
It is okay to need support and to ask for the help you need, in fact, it is essential to do so in recovery. If you have a provider on your treatment team such as your therapist or recovery coach that you can seek some extra support from, that may be a good way to acknowledge how you feel and get some support in between sessions. You may also find it helpful to reach out to a friend or family member that can provide some support or serve as a distraction. If there are certain people you don’t feel comfortable being honest about the exact struggles you are dealing with, you can always ask to do something to take your mind off of things. Watch a movie, go for a walk, grab a coffee. Anything that will let you stay present and take the focus off of your body.
3. Connect with your feelings by journaling.
Oftentimes negative body image thoughts can get a bit louder when we are dealing with other emotions or situations that feel overwhelming. Take some time to journal, whether in a notebook, your phone, or a scrap piece of paper and ask yourself if there is maybe something else going on? Are you feeling anxious about a test, are you stressed about work, are things at home feeling a bit overwhelming? Are you feeling unloved, alone or distracted? It is not uncommon to push these difficult emotions and feelings onto our bodies. Journal about what is coming up and how you plan to deal with it. Try to let go of judgment and simply acknowledge how you feel.
4. Stick to your meal plan.
Eating disorder thoughts and urges can get loud when negative body image arises. Restricting or engaging in other disordered eating behaviors may seem like the best way to alleviate body image worries and anxieties, but it’s important to remember that leaning on disordered behaviors does not help and often makes things worse. It’s important to practice opposite action and prioritize eating all meals and snacks as originally planned to keep yourself on track. Fighting your eating disorder may be difficult on days like this but the more you do it the easier it will become. It may not feel like it at the moment but choosing to fight your eating disorder is a powerful feat to be proud of. Nourishing your body in a time that typically would lead to behaviors previously shows how much progress you are making.
5. Make time for self-care.
While it may just sound like a buzzword, it is incredibly important to practice self-care. Self-care is anything that allows you to stay both physically or emotionally well. These can be larger daily activities like prioritizing sleep and drinking enough water, or smaller moments that promote stress relief and overall well being like taking a few deep breaths, getting some sun, or drawing a bath. You may also spend some time doing a favorite hobby to take your mind off of things. These moments provide an opportunity to take care of yourself and your body regardless of how you feel.
6. Avoid triggers.
When negative thoughts about ourselves and our body are already present, it can be helpful to avoid people or things that reinforce these feelings. If scrolling on Instagram or other social media platforms often leaves you feeling focused on your body, it may be best to stay off the app for the day. In the future, it may be a good idea to clean up the feeds you follow to remove any people or accounts that trigger comparisons, or encourage you to engage in disordered behaviors around food or movement. Same goes for real life, if there are people in your life that do not respect boundaries around comments on your physical appearance or food whether it be yours, theirs or others, avoid contact with them on difficult days. Protecting yourself from triggers is an important part of putting your recovery first.
7. Treat yourself with the same respect you do others.
On difficult days, ask yourself if you are treating yourself with the same compassion and respect you would your best friend, your sibling, or any other stranger that may be in your shoes. Would you tell them they are right about their body? Would you tell them that their recovery is not worth it? Would you tell them their body is in fact a problem to fix? You would likely tell them there is nothing wrong with them, that they deserve to nourish themselves, that they are doing the right thing fighting against their eating disorder. Why not extend that same level of love to yourself?
8. Remind yourself about the realities of diet culture and the thin ideal.
You have spent your entire life absorbing messages from the media, often reinforced by the people around you, about what a ‘right’ body looks like. Did you know 96% of women do not match up the models and actresses presented in media? This leaves many women feeling inadequate in the body they are in, hoping to one day reach these unrealistic ideals. It is important to acknowledge how toxic our society is with an unrelenting focus on dieting and appearance. Don’t get frustrated with yourself for allowing diet culture to impact how you feel about yourself, we are all victims of diet culture. Instead, acknowledge how strong you are for fighting diet culture in eating disorder recovery.
Bad body image days are no doubt difficult, but if you take the necessary steps to take care of yourself you will get through it. If you are finding it difficult to combat these days and are in need of support, there is help available to find a better relationship to your body. Take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery or simply learn more about the holistic eating disorder recovery programs we offer.