Boost Your Body Image: 7 Practical Reminders that Can Help Improve Your Body Image This Fall
I recently read something about body image that resonated with me: Improving our body image is not necessarily about increasing the love we have for our bodies, but rather, it’s about turning down the intensity of how we approach our bodies. This is a frame in which many of the suggestions and tips I have received and read throughout the past several years fit into. Ultimately, we aren’t trying to shift our focus from intense scrutiny to intense love, but rather to a place where the feelings and behaviors toward our body are less intense overall.
If you are struggling with your body image overall right now, or if you have a bad body image day, these reminders can help provide you with a body image boost.
7 Practical Reminders that Can Help Improve Your Body Image
What you have learned CAN be unlearned
We weren’t born believing that taking up less space is better. It certainly feels like we were, but this is an internalized belief that many of us have as a result of growing up in spaces where this is introduced and then confirmed – both directly and indirectly– over and over again. It doesn’t take long for our brains to learn that small bodies seem to be more accepted and preferred.
One way to “unlearn” this is to intentionally seek out evidence and experiences that challenge this message. This may look like: Having HAES-informed professionals on your care team if you are in treatment and have access to options for care, unfollowing social media accounts that perpetuate this bias and following more accounts that are inclusive and informative, seeking out books, podcasts, and other sources of media that help you to unpack internalized fatphobia and other internalized biases, among so many other things that help to change the narrative around body size.
2. Hating our bodies is profitable . . .
Everywhere we turn, there’s a product or program being marketed to *fix* a part of our bodies that are “broken.” From weight loss programs, cleanses, and supplements, to concealer, lash extensions, and anti-aging face masks and brightening serums, there is something to address flaws you didn’t even know you had. The beauty, wellness, and diet industries profit from our insecurities, continually creating new 'problems' for us to solve.
The message is clear: we are always works in progress, and only by buying into these products or programs can we hope to reach some elusive standard of 'perfection.' This constant barrage of marketing reinforces the idea that our bodies are projects to be worked on, rather than homes to be appreciated. It’s a vicious cycle that challenges our body image and keeps us chasing an impossible ideal.
Remembering that all of this marketing is done to prey on vulnerabilities as a way to sell products and generate profit is a helpful lens through which we can approach these products and programs. And this is not to say that makeup, face masks, and lash extensions are inherently bad; it’s a gentle reminder to ensure they stay in their rightful places in our minds, so we can work to ensure that our body image is not dependent on buying into them. :)
3. . . . But you don’t necessarily have to “love” your body
You may find that you can drastically improve your body image by shifting your perspective about what improving your body image actually looks like. If “loving” our bodies is the goal, it’s hard to feel progress when feelings of love toward our bodies are not necessarily a realistic or attainable goal for those of us who really struggle with body image. Being neutral toward or appreciative of my body feels more authentic and, therefore, more attainable for me. Reframing the word “love” may be helpful here, too. If we view love as a continual decision to be committed to growing in appreciation for our bodies rather than a feeling that drives action, we may, indeed, find our “love” for our body growing as we take pressure off ourselves to feel differently about our bodies.
4. Pictures of yourself don’t have to be invitations for body analysis
My gut reaction when someone takes a picture and I’m in it is to do some immediate scrutinizing:. Ugh, can we take it again? My hand looks weird…That’s not my good side…. What’s my hair doing? Why does my leg look like that? It almost feels obligatory to tear myself apart when looking at a picture, like some kind of weird expression of humility. I’ve gotten so used to doing this that flaws are the first thing I look for when I see a picture of myself.
One thing that has actually helped me not do this is to not look at a picture immediately after it is taken. If you can go do something else and then look at the picture later or the next day, it allows time for your brain to shift focus from analyzing the picture. It also takes you out of the moment in which you can retake the picture so you aren’t as inclined to try to retake it over and over. This has helped me start to break the association between taking pictures and scrutinizing my body and appearance.
5. Cozy clothes season is a gift
Okay, any season can be cozy clothes season (I will rock sweatpants and a hoodie year round), but the cooler temperatures make it a bit easier to lean into all things soft and sweater-y. There’s something comforting about pulling on clothes that are warm, forgiving, and designed for comfort rather than appearance. Cozy clothes season makes wearing items that fit well and feel good more accessible, as we can trade shorts or sundresses for soft layers that allow us to relax into our bodies. Try to lean into this as the temperatures continue to drop, especially on particularly challenging body image days. Sometimes, simply wrapping ourselves in comfort can be a seemingly small thing that helps shift your focus from how our bodies look to how they feel.
6. Enjoying seasonal foods can be cathartic
At this point in my own eating disorder healing journey, I am actually able to get excited about foods again. Now, that doesn’t have to be everyone’s goal, but it’s something I am so thankful to “have back.” Being able to genuinely look forward to some of my favorite fall staples: soups and chilis, pumpkin flavored everything, warm lattes, pies and cookies – continues to be a reminder for me that my body exists for far more than for the appearance of it to be controlled. My body is allowed to enjoy food, and enjoying food – especially seasonal staples – is something that helps me to grow in appreciation for my body and its enjoyment of food instead of focusing on its appearance.
7. Affirmations can be helpful
Consider choosing a few affirmations to commit to memory and to really work on believing for when you are struggling with your body image. Admittedly, before I started treatment, I would roll my eyes at the idea of affirmations. They felt… cheesy to me at the time. I think that’s in part because some affirmations do feel a little tired and cliche. A larger reason I think I would roll my eyes, though, is because I didn’t believe (about myself) any of the affirmations I would read or hear. When I started healing and really making attempts to find evidence for and work on believing some affirmations about my body, I found that they can be valuable and helpful for me during particularly hard moments. Here are some of the ones I have found to be helpful:
My body’s appearance is the least interesting thing about me
My body is my home, and I will build it up, not tear it down
My body deserves to be nourished even if I don’t love the way it looks
I can have a challenging body image day and still show up for my body by [insert ways you take care of your body].
I am allowed to take up space.
Offer Yourself Grace Through Body Image Shifts
Like so many things in life, body image will fluctuate. Even after doing work to improve your body image holistically, some days will feel harder than others. The goal isn’t to reach a point of constant love for your body, but to ease the intensity of how you see and treat yourself. Fall invites us to slow down and embrace comfort—making it a perfect time to offer yourself an extra measure of grace. With each small reminder, from cozy clothes to affirmations, you can gently loosen the grip of body scrutiny and create a little more margin for being at peace with your body.
By: Erika Muller, Assistant for Wildflower Therapy LLC
All images via Unsplash
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