How I Navigate Bad Body Image Days
Sometimes they’re a by-product of an experience we had (*cough cough* trying on clothes in fitting rooms at the mall 😳). Sometimes we just wake up and can’t help but feel negative towards our appearance.
These days and moments can happen at any stage of your recovery journey and are not something to feel ashamed about. They don’t signify you’re falling backwards in your healing journey. They’re just a repercussion of growing up in a society where diet culture pervades countless aspects of our lives and simply will not leave us be in peace 🙃.
Throughout my recovery journey, I’ve learned that while these days may not be completely preventable, you do have the power to decide how they affect you.
And in an effort to minimize the negative toll they take on me, I‘ve established a few routine habits that I employ on these days:
Putting a towel or sheet over my mirror (see slide 2 below 👍🏼). It’s so easy to get stuck in front of the mirror picking apart your appearance, but body checking will truly do nothing but put you in a worse mood than you were in before. Reclaim the power and say, “We ain’t doing this today! I look great!”🕺🏻
No mindless scrolling on social media 🙅🏼♀️ Every.single.time I find myself aimlessly scrolling through my explore or fyp page I am always left feeling so much worse about myself. This habit can be difficult to break since it becomes so impulsive, but the next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling, I encourage you to ask yourself, “Is this actually doing anything good for me? Is it making me feel more energized or is it dampening my mood?” Because you deserve to treat yourself with so much love and only do things that bring you happiness. You have the power to remove any habits from your life that aren’t bringing you joy.
Doing things that bring me peace and comfort. This specific day I went on a long walk around the city before my morning class to clear my head, enjoy the gorgeous fall weather, and pick up a fun seasonal flavored drink. And I felt so much lighter afterwards 🍂
Reminding myself that there is SO much more to life than dedicating all of my mental capacity towards wishing I looked a certain way. It is extremely draining and steals away precious energy you could be spending on other things that actually make you feel happy, fulfilled, and empowered.
And finally, remembering that my body is not all there is to me. You are so much more than a body to be looked at and your value extends far beyond your jean size or weight on the scale. Being a good listener, a decent human being, and a kind friend to yourself are so much more valuable in my book ❤️
x Emma