read this if you are having a bad body image day.

If you know, you know.

I remember at the beginning of my recovery someone on my treatment team told me “body image is the last thing to go”. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, as I was still in the depths of my eating disorder. Now that I am at a solid point in my recovery, this statement makes SO much sense to me. I don’t struggle with food on an every day basis but I still have bad body image days. And that’s okay.

Even people without eating disorders have bad body image days. Humans aren’t perfect and there are going to be days where you don’t feel your best. And that’s okay.

But for anyone in eating disorder recovery these bad body image days can lead to acting on behaviors or entering a dangerous relapse. It’s important to be aware of when you’re having a bad body image day. It’s also important to find the specific things that work for YOU that help you avoid acting on behaviors.

I’m going to share a few things that have helped me over the years when I’m having one of these days.

• FEELING: Find out what you’re feeling. When you’re used to running from your feelings at all costs – this can be a tough one. But it is very important to understand why you have bad body image days and how you can move past them. When I was in residential treatment 8 years ago my treatment team engrained the phrase “fat is not a feeling” into my mind. Put simply, there is some other underlying feeling that is just mainifesting in the form of you feeling bad about your body. You may feel anxious, depressed, angry or frustrated with a number of aspects in your life.

Recognizing these feelings and understanding why they are there can do wonders in improving how these bad days affect you.I still remember the day in treatment when I discovered this. We had to fill in our meal plans daily and I was struggling with a decision for dinner. I remember going back and forth a million times and then beating myself up because I couldn’t make a decision. Between me feeling frustrated, I realized that the meal plan wasn’t the real reason I was feeling this way. My best friend from treatment was being discharged (hi Cody!) and I was very sad about this. I remember realizing it wasn’t about the food. It was about how I was feeling about my friend leaving. I try to think of this example whenever I’m having a bad day to find out what else could be going on.

• DO: Do something (gentle) with your body. This one can be tricky if you have ever struggled with over-exercising. Try not to think of this in terms of exercise but rather something that engages your body in some way. This could be a taking a warm bath, getting a massage or going for a light walk.

• TALK: Talk to someone on your support team or even someone without any experience with an eating disorder. Explain how you’re feeling and why you are feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes saying it out loud will help give your thoughts less power.
  
  Another way to talk yourself through it is to work on your self talk. Try imagining your best friend coming to you with the same feelings and concerns. How would you respond to them? What would you say? If journaling is your thing, try writing out what you would say to your friend and then try reading it to yourself. This may seem forced or not genuine at first, but it can definitely help.

• IT’S OKAY: Remind yourself that it’s okay to feel this way. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable in recovery, it’s okay to not be positive 24/7 and it’s okay to ask for help. Remind yourself of a time that you felt awful and you never thought you would feel better. But you did. The feeling will pass and you will feel better.

If you’re reading this and currently feel uncomfortable in your body: you are beautiful, you are strong and the feeling will pass.

With Love,

ED Recovery Blog