For some, being dissatisfied about their looks has little impact. For others it can take over their life.
Have you ever reflected on this?
How does your body image impact...
your self-worth?
your social interactions?
how you exercise and eat?
your overall quality of life?
When helping my clients work towards a happy relationship with food and their body, we explore how they are struggling with their body image. We then start turning these self-discoveries into goals to work towards.
Professor of psychology, Thomas F. Cash describes this important part of the process as identifying our ‘needs for change’
If poor body image is having a negative impact on your life, then try this constructive exercise to get you started.
It’s helpful to keep a notebook or journal to write this down. Firstly, reflect on how your body impacts what you think, behave and how you live your life. Next, brainstorm a list of anything you think may make your body image and life better.
Here are some examples:
“I need to stop despising my stomach.”
“I need to work on reducing these self-critical thoughts about my weight.”
“I need to become more comfortable about my appearance at social events.”
“I need to stop comparing myself to how other people look.”
“I need to stop skipping meals in order to change my body size”
“This may be hard, but I need to accept that I look different to how I used to.”
This exercise is valuable because it firstly helps you to identify the difficulties you experience surrounding your body image.
You can then use this information to mark out your direction and goals. At this stage you can begin to take small, manageable steps towards reclaiming your life.
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