Overcoming Negative Body Image in a Judgmental Society

Today’s society portrays narrow and unrealistic beauty ideals, especially on social media. Because of this, many people struggle with body image issues and push themselves to look similar to what they see online. If you’re one of these individuals, you may experience significant psychological and emotional distress, affecting your entire well-being.

But don’t worry. As difficult as it is to get away from negative body image, there are some potential solutions. By practicing body neutrality, you can shift your focus away from appearance altogether. Appreciating your body for what it can do, rather than how it looks, helps improve your relationship with yourself.

This article will explore the detrimental societal pressures and offer practical strategies for overcoming negative body image. Learn to cultivate self-love and body positivity to achieve a positive body image.

Understanding negative body image

Negative body image refers to a distorted perception of one’s physical appearance. It is often characterized by dissatisfaction, shame, and discomfort with one’s body. It has multiple dimensions.

Mental. It involves constant self-criticism, comparing oneself to unrealistic beauty standards, and internalizing societal pressures to look a certain way.
Emotional. It can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression.
Practical. Negative body image manifests in behaviors like avoiding social situations, obsessively monitoring weight, or unhealthy habits like restrictive dieting or excessive exercise.

Negative body image has become an increasingly pervasive issue due to the promotion of Western standards of beauty. This issue has been a relevant problem since the era of black-and-white films and fashion magazines. But what made it worse is that social media and the internet often show off ‘perfect’ bodies.

The younger generation is constantly exposed to ‘perfect’ bodies. It increases their insecurities about appearances and weight. Such idealized images have been known to lead youths to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Aside from these eating disorders, many now use steroids, get dependent on protein supplements, and even undergo plastic surgery.

With the rise of social media, it’s easy to feel more focused on your appearance than ever before. Image-sharing apps, where showing off a certain lifestyle or physical look can boost your status, often make you think constantly about how you appear online.

Approaches for overcoming negative body image

To combat negative body image, it’s crucial to embrace self-love, body positivity, and resilience. There are many practices you can do to overcome negativity related to your body, as described below.

Cultivating self-love

Overcoming a negative body image isn’t always easy, but starting with self-love can make a big difference. Self-love means recognizing and appreciating your own worth and strengths. It’s accepting yourself as you are, prioritizing your needs, setting healthy boundaries, and forgiving yourself when needed.

Taking care of yourself with kindness and respect might include simple practices like keeping a gratitude journal or doing daily affirmations, which can help boost your overall well-being.

Start a gratitude journal

An important part of self-love is staying grounded in the present moment. It’s easy to get caught up in worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. When you focus on things outside your control, it can lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and even hopelessness.

A gratitude journal can help you stay present by reminding you of what you’re thankful for right now. In fact, research shows that writing exercises focused on body gratitude can reduce weight bias, improve your body image, and increase your overall happiness.

Adding gratitude to your daily routine can reinforce positive messages about your body. You can try using an app, keeping track on your phone with a list, or even jotting down what you are thankful for in a notebook.

For example, a body-focused gratitude practice might involve being grateful to your body for keeping you alive or appreciating all the cells working together to keep you in ideal health.

You could focus on smaller details, like thanking your hands for allowing you to write or your lungs for enabling you to breathe in the fresh morning air. As sunlight streams in, you can pause to thank your legs for supporting you during your morning walk, recognizing their strength and endurance.

Daily affirmations

A simple but powerful way to boost your self-confidence is by giving yourself compliments. Regularly affirming yourself can really shift how you see yourself and help you build a more positive mindset.

One approach to this is through “values affirmation interventions.” Instead of focusing on any insecurities about your body, you focus on your positive qualities, like empathy or loyalty. It’s a great way to train yourself to embrace more positive feelings.

A scientific study found that women who focused on positive qualities unrelated to appearance felt less dissatisfied with their bodies. They were more likely to reduce future self-criticism compared to others.

If you find it uncomfortable to randomly speak to yourself, it may be helpful to choose a designated time of day to affirm yourself, such as in the morning or before bed. You can write affirmations in a journal, place Post-It notes on the bathroom mirror, or set phone reminders to acknowledge your efforts.

Positive affirmations like “I am kind” or “I am worthy” are powerful ways to stop overthinking and negative thoughts.

Promoting body positivity

Body positivity involves embracing your differences to realize the beauty every person has. It also makes you appreciate how uniqueness enhances life experience.

It’s essential not to confuse this with toxic positivity; positive body image isn’t believing your body looks good all the time. It’s knowing that it is good, regardless of how it looks, and building body acceptance.

According to Dr. Kaylee Misner, a psychologist and expert on positive body image, there are some important pointers to keep in mind when building a positive body image:

Honor your body. Protect and embrace your body image by rejecting unrealistic media portrayals and accepting it despite perceived flaws.
Ask self-evaluating questions. What are you sacrificing? What would you prefer to do instead of feeling negative about your body? Redirect your focus on joy, movement, and functionality.
Practice self-compassion. Self-compassion is a skill; thus, you should be your own best friend and advocate. Self-compassion combines self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness, which helps you stay present without judgment.
Choose supportive companions. Surround yourself with body-positive people and influences.

Using social media to your advantage

Completely cutting out social media might be ideal, but it’s not always realistic. So, take control of it instead. Social media is increasingly creating a culture of self-love and body positivity.

Take charge by unfollowing users and celebrities who make you feel insecure or don’t support a healthy body image. Instead, follow accounts that promote body positivity and healthy habits.

Even following people with body types similar to yours can help break the cycle of negativity and improve how you see yourself. Seek out and interact with posts that promote self-love and body acceptance.

Consider posting your own positive experiences and body acceptance stories. Sharing your journey can inspire others and help create a community focused on self-acceptance and authenticity, reinforcing the idea that everyone has their unique beauty.

Read More: How to Avoid Social Comparison?

Building resilience

For many, overcoming a lousy body image involves building resilience. Resilience has been described as strengthening one’s mental muscles to withstand struggles as they arise.

Still, with proper guidance from mental health professionals, especially therapists who utilize techniques such as CBT, this strength can come in handy in improving body image through cognitive restructuring.

Cognitive restructuring is a technique used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help you reshape negative thinking patterns at their core.

CBT uses a method called thought challenging to replace negative thoughts with more positive and constructive ones. You can also try it on your own to redirect negative thoughts about your body. It involves three main steps:

Recognize negative thoughts. Pay attention to moments when you catch yourself berating your body. Things like, “I wish my thighs were thinner,” as you see your reflection in the mirror.
Challenge them. The next step is to question and challenge these thoughts. This means looking at the evidence that supports your negative beliefs. For instance, if you believe a physical feature will make you unpopular or disliked, you can weigh the pros and cons of keeping that thought and consider how realistic it is.
Replace them with positive ones. After recognizing and questioning your negative thoughts, you can replace them with more positive, constructive ones. This takes practice and commitment, but it’s a powerful way to break the cycle of negativity.

While cognitive restructuring can be helpful, it can be hard to do alone. If body image issues feel overwhelming, seeking help from a therapist can be a crucial step in addressing and working through these challenges.

In conclusion

Negative body image takes a serious toll on your emotional and psychological health, affecting your overall well-being. That’s why overcoming these harmful perceptions is important for living a healthier, happier life.

By embracing your unique beauty and focusing on self-love, you can resist societal judgments and work toward a more positive body image. These approaches will help you develop a healthier relationship with yourself. Embracing self-love and body positivity is a powerful step toward true well-being.

Remember, your worth isn’t tied to how you look.

If you would like to see more resources on body image, check out the Personal Science Labs. The lab uses the research of the Institute for Life Management Science to produce courses, certifications, podcasts, videos, and other tools. Visit the Personal Science Labs today.

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Rida Arif and Trisha Anjanette