Navigating body image during summer months in can be challenging, especially with increased exposure while wearing weather-appropriate clothing, social events, and other pressures. Here are some strategies that we recommend:
1. Shift Focus Away from Appearance:
- Engage in Enjoyable Activities: Focus on summer activities you enjoy that don’t revolve around your appearance, such as hiking, playing recreational sports, reading, or traveling.
- Mindfulness Practices: Incorporate mindfulness and meditation to help stay present and reduce the focus on body image concerns. Summer offers an array of opportunities to help you stay grounded and appreciative of the season. Some examples are:
- Nature Walks: Take leisurely walks in nature, paying close attention to the sights, sounds, and smells around you. Notice the details of plants, trees, and wildlife. Try walking barefoot and feel the earth beneath your feet, whether you’re walking on grass, sand, or a forest trail. Focus on the sensations and textures.
- Beach Meditation: Sit or lie down on the beach and focus on the sound of the waves. Let the rhythmic crashing of the water bring you into a meditative state.
- Mindful Gardening: While gardening, pay attention to the textures of the soil, the smells of the plants, and the sounds of nature around you.
- Sunrise and Sunset Appreciation: Get up early to watch the sunrise. Focus on the changing colors of the sky and the gradual lightening of the day. At sunset, take time to reflect on your day, letting go of any stress or negative thoughts as the sun sets.
2. Use Body-Positive Affirmations:
- Be Effective: Practicing body affirmations can be a powerful tool to improve body image and self-esteem. Create affirmations that resonate with you personally. They should be positive, present-tense, and affirming your body’s worth and abilities.
- Visualization: As you say or write your affirmations, visualize yourself feeling confident and positive about your body. Imagine the physical sensations of self-love and acceptance.
- Practice, Practice Practice! Incorporate affirmations into your daily activities. Use moments like showering, brushing your teeth, or getting dressed as opportunities to practice affirmations. During physical activities like yoga, running, or stretching (or even moving out of your apartment, running to catch the bus, or lugging your suitcase up the stairs), repeat affirmations to yourself, focusing on your body’s strength and capabilities.
3. Avoid Comparisons:
- Social Media Detox: Limit time on social media or unfollow accounts that trigger negative body image thoughts. Absorb yourself in a summer novel as an alternative to mindless scrolling.
- Focus on Individuality: Embrace what makes you unique rather than comparing yourself to others.
4. Choose Comfortable Clothing:
- Wear What You Love: Choose clothing that makes you feel comfortable and confident, rather than what you think others expect you to wear. Give yourself permission to buy new clothes that fit you now, are in a style you like, and are not worn out. Even a couple new pieces for the season can make a huge difference in your confidence level.
- Function Over Fashion: Focus on how clothing feels and functions rather than how it looks. When you feel psychically comfortable in your clothes, there are fewer natural cues to turn your attention towards the size and shape of your body.
5. Maintain a Balanced Routine:
- Regular Meals and Snacks: Ensure you’re eating regular, balanced meals to keep your body nourished, and avoid restrictive behaviors.
- Hydration and Sleep: Stay hydrated and maintain a regular sleep schedule to support overall well-being.
- Don’t Over or Under Schedule: Depending on your personality and preferences, you may be tempted to fill up your calendar with activities, or perhaps you relish the idea of having very little to do. Try to stay balanced with your time so that you don’t find yourself feeling overwhelmed or having too much idle time. Both extremes can lead to emotional burnout and unhelpful thinking patterns.
6. Seek Support:
- Professional Help: If body image issues become overwhelming, seek help from a therapist or counselor who specializes in eating disorders or body image.
- Support Groups: Join support groups where you can share experiences and strategies with others facing similar challenges. Allium Counseling is hosting a support group for adults with struggling with eating disorders, which is a great option for those working on their recovery.
7. Focus on Overall Health, Not Weight or Shape:
- Health-Focused Goals: Set goals related to fitness and well-being rather than weight loss or appearance. Make sure that your goals are in service of the overall life you want to live rather than becoming a point of fixation.
- Holistic Victories: Celebrate achievements that have nothing to do with weight, like improved mood, energy levels, or other milestones.
8. Consume Helpful Content:
- Be Aware: Educate yourself on the ways media and advertising often manipulate images and promote unrealistic beauty standards and engage with body positivity content and communities to reinforce a healthy body image.
- Explore Resources: Below are some resources and platforms where you can find uplifting and affirming content:
Social Media:
o Instagram: Follow body-positive influencers and activists such as @bodyposipanda (Megan Jayne Crabbe), @tessholliday, and @thebirdspapaya (Sarah Nicole Landry). Use hashtags like #bodypositivity, #selflove, #allbodiesaregoodbodies, and #bodyacceptance to discover new accounts and posts.
o TikTok: Search for content creators who focus on body positivity, self-love, and body acceptance. Use hashtags like #bodypositivity, #selflovejourney, and #embraceyourself.
o YouTube: Look for channels that promote body positivity, such as “The Body Positive,” “BuzzFeed’s As/Is,” and “Megan Jayne Crabbe.”
Podcasts:
o “Body Kindness” by Rebecca Scritchfield: Focuses on body positivity, self-care, and health at every size.
o “Food Psych” by Christy Harrison: Explores intuitive eating, body acceptance, and rejecting diet culture.
o “The BodyLove Project” by Jessi Haggerty: Features interviews with body-positive activists and health professionals.
Books:
o “Body Positive Power” by Megan Jayne Crabbe: A guide to rejecting diet culture and embracing body positivity.
o “The Body Is Not an Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor: Explores radical self-love and body empowerment.
o “Health at Every Size” by Lindo Bacon: Discusses the health at every size movement and body acceptance.
Websites:
o The Body Positive: A nonprofit organization providing resources, articles, and community support for body positivity.
o More Than A Body: Offers insights and tools to combat harmful beauty standards and promote body acceptance.
Online Communities and Forums:
o Reddit: Subreddits like r/BodyPositive and r/HealthAtEverySize are supportive communities where you can find discussions, resources, and personal stories.
o Facebook Groups: Search for body-positive groups such as “Body Positivity Movement” and “Health at Every Size Community.”
Body Positive Art and Media:
o Art: Follow artists on platforms like Instagram and Etsy who create body-positive artwork. Artists such as @frizzkidart and @florencegiven promote self-love and body acceptance through their art.
o Media: Watch documentaries and shows that promote body diversity and positivity, such as “Embrace” on Netflix and “Shrill” on Hulu.
By implementing these strategies, you can create a healthier and more positive relationship with your body, especially during the summer months when societal pressures may be more pronounced.
