Understanding and Overcoming Body Checking
Body checking, which involves obsessively evaluating or measuring one’s weight, size, or physique, can impede our journey to break free from diet obsessions, understand our body’s needs, and recover from problematic eating habits. Here, we delve into methods to curb body checking and suggest three key actions to minimize such behaviors.
Illustration: A person observes their legs’ reflection in a mirror with the caption: “Tips to Combat Body Checking.”
What does “Body Checking” entail?
Body checking isn’t merely about the weight on a scale. It involves a series of practices where individuals assess their physique. Some might frequently weigh themselves, while others gauge their size using a particular outfit.
It’s common for people to fixate on certain body parts. A client I once worked with would consistently focus on her abdomen, often judging its appearance in reflective surfaces.
Some might obsess over different areas like legs, arms, or face. This behavior often becomes so ingrained that individuals do it almost reflexively, unaware of the act. Its intensity can vary from mild, like monthly weight checks, to extreme preoccupations that lead to drastic diets or excessive workouts.
Various Body Checking Habits:
- Regularly stepping on a scale.
- Fitting into a particular outfit to judge size.
- Touching or pinching certain body parts to note changes.
- Using a tape to measure.
- Constantly looking at one’s reflection.
- Clicking photos to notice any changes.
- Over-analyzing past photos.
- Seeking others’ opinions on appearance.
- Making body comparisons with others.
- Juxtaposing oneself with online images.
The Pitfall of Comparisons
Humans naturally compare, but often this leads to harmful consequences. Such constant comparisons can erode self-worth, increase anxiety, and bolster self-doubt. Social media amplifies this issue by presenting idealized, often edited images of people. The reality is, many of these images are altered, and the beauty standards they propagate are rarely attainable.
Why do we resort to Body Checking?
For most, body checking starts innocently – as a means to assess personal progress or appearance. It becomes a measure of self-worth. Paradoxically, while it’s believed to offer control and reduce anxiety, it frequently exacerbates these feelings.
The Adverse Effects of Body Checking
Unfavorable outcomes from body checking, like not meeting personal standards, can lead to feelings of inadequacy. Instead of providing solace or control, it often intensifies negative emotions, pushing individuals toward unhealthy habits in an attempt to “correct” perceived flaws.
Body Checking and Problematic Eating: The Connection
Seeking control, whether over food intake or body image, provides an illusion of stability. From a neuroscientific perspective, our brains react to threats by reverting to old coping mechanisms. Thus, stressors, including body-checking, can spur negative body perceptions and drive individuals toward unhealthy eating or exercising routines. This behavior can distance one from understanding and respecting body signals.
A past client, Krysten (name altered for confidentiality), grappled with frequent checks of her abdomen. These routines stirred self-critical thoughts. Even as she made progress with me, a mere reflection could derail her newfound balance.
Does this resonate with you? Read ahead for actionable steps to counteract body-checking habits.
Steps to Eliminate Body Checking Tendencies
Body checking habits form over time and require patience and effort to overcome. Here are three steps to guide your journey:
- Be Aware: Recognize your body-checking methods. Identify triggers and frequency.
- Be Inquisitive: Reflect on the reasons behind body checking. Understand its emotional impact and your genuine needs.
- Strategize: Find alternatives to body checking. This could involve putting away scales, covering mirrors, wearing comfortable clothes, or seeking emotional coping tools.
Additional Tips to Limit Body Checking
- Critically assess the media you consume for diversity and portrayal.
- Refresh your social media by unfollowing accounts that lower self-esteem, encourage unhealthy behaviors, or promote unattainable beauty standards.
- Embrace a wider spectrum of body types in your media intake. Realize that diverse bodies with imperfections are normal.
In conclusion, recognizing and combating body-checking behaviors can pave the way to a healthier relationship with oneself and one’s body. Remember, you’re not alone on this journey, and seeking professional assistance can be beneficial.
