Written by: Summer Innanen, MACP (Candidate), Counsellor at Peak Resilience
Book a session with me | summer@summerinnanen.com
The Source of Body Image Distress
While having thoughts like, “I hate my body,” or “I have to do something about my weight” can bring up intense feelings of shame and disgust, they are quite normal and not your fault given the culture that we live in.
With the pervasiveness of social and mass media that glorifies Eurocentric beauty standards of whiteness, thinness and youthfulness and ties self-worth to appearance, it makes sense that body dissatisfaction and eating disorders span all ages, genders, ethnicities, races, classes and cultures (Samuels et al., 2019).
Body Image Distress Can Lead to Eating Disorders & Disordered Eating
Struggling with feelings of body hatred and shame can lead to a myriad of mental health challenges, such as low self-esteem, depressed mood and eating disorders and disordered eating (Carrard et al., 2021).
A counsellor can help you to make sense of the sociocultural, biological, genetic and psychological factors that influence your relationship with food and your body.
The Role of Beauty Standards & Weight Stigma
The way we feel about our body is complex due to the value Western society places on youth and thinness. Weight stigma has a critical influence on how we feel about our body and consists of negative associations and beliefs related to fatness, which can lead to fear of fatness, shame around weight and disconnection from our body (Sturgess & Stinson, 2022).
From a counselling perspective, it can be helpful to assess how cultural messages around bodies have impacted your relationship with your body and eating behaviours.
Taking a Weight-Inclusive Approach to Counselling
Taking a weight-inclusive approach to counselling means looking for ways to improve your body image and well-being without it being contingent on you changing your body and seeking out ways to reconnect with and trust your body (Kinavey & Cool, 2019). This can reduce the anxiety and shame you feel about your body and help you cultivate a better relationship with food.
How Counselling Can Help
There are many ways that counselling can support you through these challenges, including utilizing self-compassion, mindfulness and embodiment to help you learn to recognize and challenge negative self-talk patterns; helping you to build self-worth and an identity outside of your appearance.
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
If you’re struggling with feelings of body shame and eating disorder behaviours, you’re not alone. I have over a decade of experience supporting people with body image struggles, eating disorders and self-worth and take a personalized and multifaceted approach to support you wherever you are on your journey. As a practicum counsellor completing my Masters of Counselling, I offer affordable counselling and would be honoured to support you.
References:
Carrard, I., Argyrides, M., Ioannou, X., Kvalem, I. L., Waldherr, K., Harcourt, D., & McArdle, S. (2021). Associations between body dissatisfaction, importance of appearance, and aging anxiety with depression, and appearance-related behaviors in women in mid-life. Journal of Women & Aging, 33(1), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2019.1681882
Kinavey, H., & Cool, C. (2019). The broken lens: How anti-fat bias in psychotherapy is harming our clients and what to do about it. Women & Therapy, 42(1–2), 116–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2018.1524070
Samuels, K. L., Maine, M. M., & Tantillo, M. (2019). Disordered eating, eating disorders, and body image in midlife and older women. Current Psychiatry Reports, 21(8), 70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1057-5Sturgess, C. M. B., & Stinson, D. A. (2022). Fat embodiment for resistance and healing from weight stigma. Body Image, 41, 52–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.02.007
