Combating Negative Body Image

By Respark | February 3, 2021

By Robyn Flores, MS, LMFT-A, LPC-C

For many individuals, having a negative perception of their own personal body image is a constant struggle. It can be exhausting. Here are four strategies to try in moments when you may be experiencing unhelpful thoughts around body image:

Gain awareness: What unhelpful thoughts are you having about your body? What triggered these unhelpful thoughts? Is the trigger something that occurred externally (from the environment around you) or internally (difficult emotions)?
Describe in detail: If the trigger came from your external surroundings, describe the event that triggered the unhelpful thoughts toward your body. If you are feeling a difficult emotion and projecting it onto your body, describe the emotion: What does it feel like? Does it have a texture, or a temperature? What color is it? Where is it in your body? Hold your hand over the part of your body in which you feel the emotion. Take a few deep breaths. Acknowledge the emotion and what it looks like and feels like. Take a few more deep breaths and imagine that emotion floating away, farther and father away from your body.
Brain exposure: Start exposing your brain to a wider range of body shapes, sizes, colors, and appearances – start with your social media. This normalizes the beautiful diversity of bodies!
Embrace gratitude: Keep a gratitude journal of what your body does for you each day. The human body is an amazing thing – how are you grateful for yours today?

Next Steps & Resources:

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