Tips for Body Image Disorder from a Christian Counseling Perspective

Body image disorder, or body dysmorphic disorder, affects roughly 2% of adults in the U.S. Body image is your perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and thoughts about your body. Your beliefs about your appearance can stem from childhood, trauma, or recent events.

Body image disorder is a negative perception of your body. You see your body differently from how it is. You become preoccupied with thoughts regarding your appearance, body shape, size, or weight. You may spend hours in front of the mirror or spend excessive amounts of money trying to fix any perceived flaws. You may excessively diet and exercise.

Body image disorder can lead to anxiety, depression, negative thoughts, isolation, and compulsive behaviors. Counseling is still one of the primary treatments for the condition.

Tips for Body Image Disorder

Combining lifestyle changes with counseling can help you manage the symptoms of body image disorder. A few take consistent daily practice, while others are things you can schedule into your calendar when you have time. Pick some of the lifestyle changes and tips below to get started.

• Step Back from Social Media – Social media can feed our negative thoughts and emotions about our bodies. We cannot help but compare our appearances to highly edited and filtered versions of others. We forget that not everyone on social media is in a healthy mental space. Take a small sabbatical from social media or limit your interaction to checking messages and notifications only once a day for a while.
• Appreciate All of You – Positive affirmations are a great way to shift your mindset and accept your body and appearance. Write out a few affirmations to say in the morning while looking in the mirror. You can also carry them with you in the note app on your phone to say throughout the day.
• Join a Support Group – You need support while seeking treatment for body image disorder. Join a local or online support group of others familiar with the condition. This group should be led by a counselor or someone who has overcome poor body image. The participants can lean on each other and offer support.
• Help Others – Get outside yourself and your thoughts by volunteering to help others. Check with your church or local community center for opportunities. If you struggle with social interactions due to body image disorder, challenge yourself to serve others for a small period of time, such as 30 minutes to an hour.
• Reframe Negative Thoughts – Negative thoughts can lead to compulsive behaviors and negative emotions. You can take control of your behaviors by reframing your thoughts to ones that are more conducive to health and body positivity.
• Do Something Fun with a Friend – Focusing too much on appearance is detrimental to mental health. Try activities that focus your mind on someone or something else. Do something fun with a friend, such as meet at a coffee shop, try a painting class, check out a classic car show, or hike.

Choose one or two tips to try first. Also, consider getting help from a professional with experience in this area.

Christian Counseling is Available for Body Image Disorder

To manage body image disorder, you need to identify the cause and learn how to process those emotions while shifting to a healthier mental space with positive coping mechanisms. Managing body image disorder through Christian counseling takes time as you tackle obstacles, learn to love and accept your body, and make healthy choices through a faith-based lens.

Connect with us today to schedule a session with a Christian counselor specializing in body image disorder.