Body Image Challenges

I’m having a hard time in my body.

There, I said it. It’s been hard to admit, but the truth is, I haven’t been feeling good in my body. I’ve been struggling with my body image since I moved to a new city a few weeks ago.

I found myself on the busy downtown streets, surrounded by people, and feeling like I didn’t fit in. Everyone I passed on the street seemed to be smaller than me, thinner than me, younger than me, more fashionable than me.

It was an odd feeling. After feeling so confident and secure in my body for so long, it felt like I was at square one, back to where I started. I felt myself start to spiral, begin to pick my body apart, start to feel that familiar tug in the back of my brain that tells me I need to diet or change my body.

I’ll admit that I even wondered if I should take a GLP-1 medication. My brain skipped to that rather quickly, the need to change myself, morph myself into something else, to fit in. I hate that my brain went there. I hate it.

I stopped the spiral by talking through it in therapy, by doing things that show my body respect, like going for a walk, eating, and resting. My body deserves respect, even if in the moment I wasn’t feeling kind towards it.

This is body image. There will be ups and downs. There will be days when you feel like the hottest, sexiest person in the room, and days when being in your skin feels uncomfortable. On the days when you feel uncomfortable in your skin, try to practice kindness and empathy. Put on soft pants, make sure to eat, drink water, take a walk, and focus on things other than your body.

Body image isn’t always easy, but the hard days will pass, and better days will come. The days when you feel comfortable and confident in your skin will come again. I promise.