Body image issues are very common in our society, with research showing that over 80% of women and 50% of men experience body dissatisfaction at some point in their lives. You’re probably thinking, “Duh, who feels good about their bodies, anyways?” This dissatisfaction can range from mild discomfort (“I hate the cellulite on the back of my thighs”) to severe distress (“I can’t stop thinking about how bad I look in my clothes and need to find ways to lose weight. I can’t think about anything else” ).
This preoccupation with body image can sometimes lead to the development of eating disorders like as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. But even for those who never develop an eating disorder, a negative body image will affect your self-esteem.
So what is body image anyway? Body image refers to an individual's SUBJECTIVE perceptions and attitudes toward their own body. It includes how you perceive your size, shape, weight, and overall appearance. Body image can become distorted when your perceptions and attitudes are unrealistic or negatively biased.
This can lead to body dissatisfaction and a preoccupation with the perceived flaws or imperfections of the body. People feel certain that their bodies are bad, fat, gross, and unattractive even when the evidence doesn’t support that conclusion. It is not always a good idea to trust that negative voice inside your head when it comes to your body image.
Houston Body Image Therapist rant
Why do the majority of us feel unhappy with our bodies at some point in our lives? Social and cultural factors play a role in shaping your body image. In Western societies, for example, thinness is often idealized and equated with beauty, success, and social status. It’s a pretty simple equation, thin = good, beautiful, smart, disciplined, successful, and popular, whereas fat = unattractive, undisciplined, lazy, less intelligent, dirty, and unpopular. It’s kind of incredible and sad that we attribute so many positive qualities to a thinness that has no relationship at all to weight. And what’s worse are the degrading qualities we relate to bigger-bodied individuals. It is sheer weight bias.
This body ideal is perpetuated by media, social media, advertising, and popular culture, which promote a narrow and unrealistic standard of beauty. You practically have to starve yourself to look like the models on the runway or on the covers of fashion magazines. If that is the only acceptable standard of beauty, it’s no wonder we feel so inadequate in our regular, non-airbrushed, non-starved bodies.
Body image issues can lead to eating disorders
Eating disorders can significantly impact an individual's physical, emotional, and social well-being. These disorders often involve extreme and unhealthy behaviors related to food and weight. People with eating disorders may be purging their food, using laxatives, and seriously restricting their food intake. This can result in malnutrition, electrolyte imbalances, gastrointestinal problems, and other health issues. If you have an eating disorder, it’s important to let your doctor know so they can check you out. Eating disorders are the mental health diagnosis with the highest rates of mortality, so please take this seriously. Even if you don’t develop an eating disorder, your dissatisfaction with your body can affect you in a lot of negative ways.
Body image issues can have a significant impact on how your overall health. Emotionally, body image issues can contribute to low self-esteem, negative self-talk, and depression. Physically, body image issues can lead to unhealthy behaviors such as restriction, orthorexia, binge eating, and excessive exercise, which can result in malnutrition, fatigue, and other health problems. Socially, body image issues can lead to social isolation and difficulty with interpersonal relationships, as well as discrimination and bias related to body size and appearance. It’s hard to want to go out and socialize when you feel really bad about your body and would rather just hide away on your own.
therapy helps you improve your body image
It's important for individuals struggling with body image issues to seek support and professional help from a Houston eating disorder treatment counselor to address these challenges. Body image therapy can be a highly effective tool for individuals struggling with negative body image issues. Body image therapists in Houston can support individuals in identifying the underlying factors contributing to their body image concerns. These concerns include societal pressures, past trauma, or emotional distress. By exploring these factors in a safe and supportive environment, you can gain a deeper understanding of their experiences and develop strategies for managing their negative body image. By the way, you don’t have to be bigger-bodied to have a negative body image. People of all sizes struggle with feeling bad about their bodies.
Learn to challenge negative thoughts about your body
One of the primary ways in which eating disorder therapy can help is by providing a safe and supportive environment in which you can explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to your body image. By working with a body image therapist in Texas, you can identify and challenge negative beliefs and behaviors that contribute to your body dissatisfaction, and develop more positive and realistic attitudes toward your body.
Develop better coping skills to deal with body image issues
Another way in which online Houston eating disorder treatment can help is by providing individuals with skills and tools to cope with body image issues. Therapists can teach mindfulness techniques and self-care practices that promote self-awareness and self-acceptance. By learning to be present in the moment and tune into their body's needs, individuals can reduce stress and anxiety related to their body image.
Additionally, body image therapy can help individuals develop more effective coping mechanisms for dealing with triggers and challenges related to their body image. This can include developing positive self-talk, building a support system of positive influences, and exploring creative outlets for self-expression. Ultimately, counseling can help individuals develop a healthier relationship with their bodies and improve their overall well-being.
Tips to improve your body image
Change your body image self-talk:
Developing positive self-talk is an essential aspect of body image and eating disorder treatment. The way you talk to yourself can significantly influence your self-perception, mood, and behavior. Therapists can help you challenge your negative self-talk and replace it with more positive and compassionate self-talk. This can involve identifying unhelpful beliefs and self-criticisms and replacing them with affirmations and positive self-talk. For instance, an individual struggling with negative body image might replace thoughts like "I'm so fat and ugly" with more supportive thoughts such as "I am more than my appearance, and I appreciate my body for all it does for me."
Develop better self-care practices:
Self-care practices can help individuals cultivate self-acceptance and promote a positive body image. This can include practices such as yoga, meditation, massage, and other relaxation techniques that promote physical and emotional well-being. Additionally, therapists can help individuals explore self-care practices that are tailored to their unique needs and preferences. For example, some individuals might find solace in spending time in nature, while others might enjoy creative outlets such as art or music. By engaging in self-care practices, individuals can cultivate self-awareness, reduce stress, and enhance their overall quality of life.
Identify and challenge negative beliefs about the body:
Identifying and challenging negative beliefs about the body is an important component of body image and Houston eating disorder treatment. Therapists can help you recognize the impact of societal pressures and cultural norms on your body image beliefs and challenge them. This can involve exploring alternative perspectives and examining the evidence supporting your negative beliefs.
By doing that, you can develop a more realistic and positive attitude toward your body, which can contribute to better self-esteem. How you think about your body has everything to do with how you feel about your body. Kind, balanced, realistic thoughts will result in kinder, more compassionate thoughts. That will lead you to feel more at peace with your body.
Practice self-compassion & Use Positive Affirmations:
Be kind and compassionate to yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend who was feeling down about their body. Instead of beating yourself up over your perceived flaws, practice self-compassion. For example, you could say to yourself, "It's okay to have imperfections," or "I am more than my physical appearance."
You can also try repeating affirmations. For example, you could say to yourself, "I love and accept myself just the way I am," or "I am beautiful and confident." Repeat these affirmations to yourself whenever you catch yourself engaging in negative body talk.
You won’t suddenly be thrilled with every part of your body, but you can be tolerant or even kind about it. It certainly beats tearing yourself apart for perceived flaws. If we were to talk to other people the way our inner critic talks to us about our bodies, it would probably be considered abusive.
Use Mindfulness practices that promote self-awareness and reduce stress:
Mindfulness practices such as deep breathing, body scans, and meditation can help individuals cultivate self-awareness and reduce stress related to poor body image. By practicing mindfulness, you can become more attuned to your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, and learn to respond to them with greater compassion and understanding.
In addition, mindfulness can help you reduce stress related to body image triggers. These triggers can include things like social events or exposure to media messages. By integrating mindfulness practices into your daily routine, you can feel better and develop a more positive relationship with your body.
Surround yourself with positive influences:
Surround yourself with people who uplift and support you. Avoid people who make negative comments about your body or who encourage you to engage in negative body talk. When you're around positive influences, it can be easier to talk back to negative body talk and boost your self-esteem.
Your therapist can help you build a support system of positive influences by identifying role models, mentors, or other positive influences in your life. By doing so, you can develop a sense of community and support, which can help you navigate difficult times and sustain your recovery. It takes a village.
For more tips on how to build a better body image, check out this blog post entitled, “How to feel more secure in my body.”
What are the best types of therapy for body image issues?
There are several evidence-based therapeutic approaches for addressing body image issues, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
CBT is a goal-oriented therapy that focuses on identifying and challenging negative thoughts and beliefs related to body image. This can involve techniques such as cognitive restructuring (changing your negative thinking), exposure therapy (being confronted with things you fear to normalize them), and behavioral experiments to help individuals develop a more positive and realistic self-image. You don’t need to know what all of these terms mean yet. Your therapist can help walk you through each of them in order to become more comfortable with your body image.
ACT, on the other hand, focuses on developing mindfulness and acceptance of one's thoughts and feelings, including those related to body image. The idea is to accept what you can’t change and to change what you have the power and desire to change. By integrating mindfulness and acceptance-based practices, individuals can learn to tolerate and respond to negative body image thoughts and emotions with greater compassion and understanding. You can’t stop all negative thoughts, but you can become more accepting of things you don’t love about your body.
Therapy can be a powerful step towards healing and developing a more positive relationship with one's body. With the right support and guidance, individuals can overcome negative body image and cultivate a more positive relationship with their bodies. Skilled therapists understand the complexities of body image issues and work with clients to create personalized treatment plans that meet their unique needs and goals.
I know it can be intimidating to schedule your first therapy session. You may be struggling with feelings of shame, fear of judgment, or concerns about the cost or time commitment. Contact one of our Houston body image & Eating disorder treatment therapists today to learn more about how we can help you make peace with your body and feel free.
OTHER THERAPY SERVICES WE OFFER IN HOUSTON, TX
In addition to anxiety treatment and family therapy, we have other mental health services that we offer at our Houston, TX counseling office. Our services are available for adults, children, and teens. For individuals, we offer Couples and Marriage Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, School and College Counseling, and Infertility Counseling. As well as EMDR Therapy, and Trauma Therapy, PTSD Treatment, LGBTQ+ Counseling. Our caring therapists also offer Career Counseling and LPC Supervision. All of these services are also available through Online Counseling throughout Texas.
If you’re ready to get started, please contact Wilson Counseling today. Together we can get you to a better place and help you achieve a healthier lifestyle.
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