Body Image tips for returning to in person interactions
At this point, we’re all back in person to some extent. Little kids are in daycare, kids are in school, young adults have gone back to college and many adults are back to the office. Some normalcy of activity has resumed, and its left lots of folks feeling a bit shaken.
we’ve been floating heads on a zoom screen for a year and a half!
And now, we have to show up. In real life. Head AND body? Many of us may be struggling with body image and self-esteem after all of this.
it’s hard y’all.
To be seen, like really seen, after going so long without, is enough to bring on a whirlwind of body image issue attacks. Between the cultural expectations for bodies to be thin and static, unchanging entities, our own personal body stories, and histories with disordered eating, the current climate is the perfect temp for skyrocketing anxiety about your body.
The online therapists in Pennsylvania of Reclaim Therapy want to give you some tips on how to navigate this time. And, hopefully, relieve some of the distress you’re feeling as you continue to re-enter your world.
Here are Tips for Navigating Body Image and Self-Esteem Post Pandemic
1. when you have the thought to change your body, shift to how you can care for it and respect it.
Caring for this one and only body is the name of the game. We consider this weight-neutral self-care. It’s powerful because acts of self-care that are not steeped in desire for weight or body change can actually bring us closer to ourselves. Weight-neutral self-care reconnects you to your body, your emotions, and your actual needs instead of staying stuck in a place of shame and blame.
2. soothe your nervous system
If you’re feeling activated and your anxiety is skyrocketing, it’s helpful to turn toward your body to soothe it. Yes, connecting to the thing that is seemingly bringing you emotional distress.
Hard. Work.
Practice grounding exercises. Brainstorm ways that you can soothe your senses. Think of what makes you feel calm and comforted, safe and secure. If you’re particularly struggling to get ready in the morning, plant some self-soothing before you start your routine. Try to stay ahead of the activation that you can anticipate.
3. wear clothes that fit and are comfortable on your current body
After a year and a half of yoga pants and sweats, it can feel threatening to dig into drawers and closets filled with items that you’re not sure will still fit. And, there’s nothing that brings ongoing hypervigilance about your body than clothes that are uncomfortable and don’t fit.
Don’t push yourself too hard to try everything on. Start with what you feel most comfortable with. If that’s too much, call it. Don’t push yourself into a place of despair. Affirm that this body, your current body, is a good body.
It has seen you through a pandemic, collective trauma, and the grief that comes along with all of that.
Remember, clothes are made for your body, your body was not made for your clothes.
4. avoid body checking
The vicious cycle of body checking keeps us activated and stuck in a state of anxiety. Do your best to minimize and shift away from body checking as much as you can.
5. call out the cultural narrative (diet culture) at every point that you can.
This is empowering because it separates you from the narrative that says that you ‘should be a certain way. Ask yourself, “according to who?” and “who profits from this thought?” The more you can un-blend your personal values from the values of the culture that values thinness overall, the more you’ll be able to sink into caring for yourself.
6. ask yourself, if this wasn’t about my body, what would it be about?
What else is present in that moment (ie feelings, self-beliefs)? If it weren’t about the size of your belly or your thighs, what else could be causing you distress? The worry of acceptability? The feeling of being not good enough or worthy of love and care in your current body? Bring curiosity to these moments. See if you can allow yourself to get underneath the swirling body thoughts. What you find will be where you can spend some time and attention that will move the needle in your relationship with yourself.
7. call out the voice of your anxiety. allow thoughts to come and go and shift toward what you value.
If you’ve experienced body image thoughts and anxiety, my bet is that you know the voice of that anxiety pretty well… It’s a story about your body, lovability, worthiness, etc. See if you can un-blend from that part of you. Call it out as your anxiety, your eating disorder, your shitty body image part… call it whatever feels right for you. And know that engaging with it will typically leave you entangled in the thoughts and feeling more anxious.
Instead, hear it, feel it, call it out, detach from it and consider what action you can take at that moment that will bring you closer to a life that you value.
This takes practice. But ya’ll, it can be powerful and freeing.
finally, give yourself grace.
None of us have experienced living through a pandemic and re-entering society before. Normalize some of this anxiety. Of course, it feels hard re-engaging with people and relationships after so long. And, you’re resilient. You can do this. Offer yourself compassion for the suffering you’re experiencing. You have so much more to offer the world than the way your body appears. Remember, it simply houses all that you are. Body image and self-esteem after a long year are hard to regain. However, our body image therapists can help you.
Believing in you as you navigate this time.
🧡,
Looking to begin in-person or online therapy in Pennsylvania?
We provided specialized therapy services for people struggling with body image, eating disorders, trauma, EMDR, and grief. We also provide Intuitive Eating counseling through our individual and group online coaching programs. We have an unwavering belief that all bodies are deserving of recovery from disordered eating, trauma, and body shame. We’ll be ready when you are to support you as you start your journey to healing your relationship with your mind, body, and food. Learn more by visiting our blog or FAQ today.