How Body Image Impacts Mental Health: Coping With the Ongoing Nature of Body Image Struggles
By: Dana Baker
Body image isn’t just looking at yourself in the mirror to check on your outfit. It’s about the feelings you have about your body. These feelings can be about your height, shape, weight or how your body moves, as well as how your clothes feel on your body. The feelings can be about your body in the present – like when you’re looking in the mirror – or as you think about your body in the present, past or future.
How we talk about our physical selves – our internal voice and monologue – is our body image. This blog will go into more detail about the different kinds of body image we have, as well as ways to better understand them. Body image can be positive, neutral or negative. A healthy or neutral body image means you feel comfortable in your body most of the time, and secure in the way that you look. For many individuals, negative body image is a struggle – and it can bring mental and physical health risks.
Body Image Struggles are Complicated
What is body image exactly? It can be defined as a person’s subjective picture or mental image of their own body. But it truly is SO much more than this. There is an effective body image- how you feel towards your body. There is cognitive body image- how you think about your body. There is a physiological body image- how your body literally feels in space to you. Research shows that body image isn’t static- it ebbs and flows throughout different life seasons, and even minute to minute throughout the day for some. It is influenced by external, cultural, familial, sociological, and other environmental factors.
How you talk to yourself about your body can start from events at a young age. How you’re treated by others – like if you’ve been teased, bullied, or criticized for your appearance – can impact your inner monologue. Comparing your body to others’ bodies – whether to your peers, to images on social media or to bodies in magazines, movies and TV – can also internalize negative messages about how you look.
In the era of social media, it’s easier than ever for comments about someone’s appearance to widely circulate – even if it’s coming from information that is fake, misleading, or private and personal and never intended to be exposed. This type of exposure to online gossip can lead to damaging consequences to a person’s body image and feelings of self-worth.
Body Image Issues Affects All Genders
Issues of negative body image and body dissatisfaction are often thought of as only affecting women – yet studies show men struggle with the same problems. Some experts estimate 20% to 40% of women and 10% to 30% of men are dissatisfied with their bodies – yet there is less research on men and body image available.
Several studies indicate men tend to keep their feelings of body negativity quiet, and their shame may hold them back from seeking treatment or help longer than women. Conversely, women tend to internalize negative thoughts about their body and other bodies more than men.
Body Image and Mental Health
How we feel about our bodies is often directly connected to our mental health. Often, individuals tie their feelings of self-worth to their body image. Low self-esteem can create additional anxiety, stress and loneliness – which can lead to depression. It can interfere with friendships and relationships, impede your performance at work or school, and can lead to negative coping behaviors.
These negative impacts of low self-esteem – like losing a romantic partner or failing on a big project – can reinforce the negative stream of self-talk for someone who is already struggling. This cycle of behavior can continue – which is partly why negative body image is often linked to a risk for eating disorders and depression.
Confronting Negative Self-Talk
Addressing the negative cycle of critical self-talk is important to overcoming body image issues. There are two movements that have recently gained popularity for the way they re-frame the inner mindset about how we interact with our bodies:
Body positivity: This movement promotes the acceptance of all bodies – no matter their gender, shape, size, color or physical ability. It challenges unrealistic societal norms of beauty by proclaiming that all bodies are beautiful.
Body neutrality: This is a newer movement that pushes the boundaries of the body positivity movement. Body neutrality is detaching any feelings of self-worth from what the physical body looks like, and instead focuses on the body’s function. Body neutrality means you don’t love or hate your body.
Some other ways to challenge negative body image thoughts are to surround yourself with people who engage in body positivity/naturality. Sometimes, one of the main factors that are driving our negative body image thoughts is the people around us. If your friends often discuss food intake, appearances, and body image in general, these conversations might be fueling your negative body image thoughts. If you surround yourself with people with a positive outlook on body image, you might find yourself having less negative body image thoughts and learning how to look at yourself more positively.
One of my personal favorites (and one I still do every single day) is to repeat some affirmations to yourself each day. Though it might feel silly at first, saying affirmations to yourself can be a great way to challenge your negative body image thoughts. If you think about it, these negative thoughts are negative affirmations you are telling yourself without even realizing it. Once you make it a routine to speak to yourself positively, you might find yourself having fewer of these negative thoughts. Some examples of affirmations could be:
“My body does not need to look like anyone else’s.”
“My appearance has no relation to my worth or value.”
“I acknowledge and accept my imperfections.”
“I am grateful for everything that my body is capable of.”
“I appreciate that my body allows me to do what I enjoy.”
Another way to counter negative body image thoughts is to make a list of 5-10 things that you like about yourself. The only rule is that you cannot include anything about how you look. This exercise can help you understand that your value is not equivalent to your looks and that who you are as a person is what matters. When you start having negative thoughts about your body, you can pull out this list to remind yourself of all the great things about you.
Finally, work on your ability to receive compliments rather than deflecting them. Whenever you receive a compliment, whether it be from someone else or yourself, try to be mindful of how you receive that compliment. Rather than deflecting the compliment or trying to challenge it, allow yourself to internalize the positive aspects of yourself. You can also write it down to look back on later if you feel that you are struggling with negative body image.
Challenging negative body image thoughts is not always easy, but trying out these practices is a great start. Remember that it is always okay to ask someone to help you, such as a family member, friend, or professional.
Are you struggling with negative body image? Are you feeling like you need someone to talk to? Interested in giving therapy a try? Worried about the New Year and creating new goals/resolutions? Give us a call today at 217-203-2008 or send an email to schedule an appointment.
Resources to learn more:
https://chicagocounseling.org/2025/01/mental-health-and-social-media-how-to-protect-your-well-being/gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8Lu9BhA8EiwAag16by98Rrdkf6UlD1ZR6SlJSjkdz93ofoIN1nIsS5IxbhDkxK2W4rzpRoCExkQAvD_BwE
https://integrishealth.org/resources/on-your-health/2022/may/how-does-body-image-affect-mental-health
https://evolvecounselingpa.com/understanding-the-impact-of-body-image-on-mental-health/
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