How do you think or feel about your own body? 

Our body image is not something we often take the time to explicitly think about. Thoughts and feelings about our bodies are always running in the background, but are not always part of our conscious narrative. Because of this, our body image can impact our decisions around food and movement without our awareness — and sometimes in unhelpful ways. Therefore, the purpose of the following journal prompts is to get you thinking about how you think and feel about your body and to be intentional about working toward a body image that supports a thriving life. 

What is “body image work”?

Body image is generally defined as the way we perceive, think, and feel about our bodies (Grogan, 2006). Therefore, doing body image work means actively working toward modifying the way we view, think, or feel about our bodies. There is no one prescribed way to go about this work, but we know that positive health behaviors are more likely to occur for folks who have a more positive body image. 

Some people may want to work on a more realistic view of their body. Others may want to feel more positively or even feel neutrally about their body. However, regardless of what we are working on, I want us to move away from ever feeling like we have “arrived” at a positive (or negative) body image space. Our relationship with our bodies is going to shift based on many internal and external factors. However, finding ways to actively work on our body image means that we will have the tools to cope when we have our down days, weeks, or months (which we all have). 

Creating intentions

Just like anything else in life, if we want to make a lasting and substantial change, we need to be intentional about what we are working toward. Otherwise, how will we know if we are meeting those goals?

Today, I want you to journal about your goals for your personal body image. I am leaving this prompt open intentionally, as what this means and looks like will be different for all of us. However, I am offering several questions below that can help you in working through this process. 

Set a timer for ten minutes (or however long you have) and commit to writing the whole time about what you are working on when it comes to your body image. Don’t worry about whether it “sounds right,”  if it sounds pretty, or anything else. Think of this as a brain dump where you write down whatever comes to mind. Feel free to write a bulleted list, type up your thoughts, or even audio record them on your phone. This is only for you and your own life; in theory, nobody will even see it unless you show it to them. 

Prompts to consider

• What do you like about yourself?
• How do you currently think and feel about your body? 
  • What experiences have contributed to this?
• How realistic is your perspective on your body?
• How do you cope when you have negative body image days?
• Was there ever a time where you thought or felt differently about your body?
• What are the top five values you have in life? Another way to think about this is to ask yourself: when you think about how you want to be remembered by others, what are the top five things you want them to remember about you?
• How do you want to think or feel about your body?
• What things can you do regularly (daily, weekly, etc.) to help you work toward this goal?

Things that help in working toward goals

As part of your journaling prompt, it may be a good idea to recognize the behaviors that will help you in working toward those goals. Below, I have offered several things that may help in the process — but please identify the things that work for you individually!

• Reading and learning: Learn about different perspectives or philosophies in the body image world. Read experiences of other people who have struggled with their own body image and how they overcame it.
• Building community: Talk to trusted others about your body image and get their perspectives and experiences with the same thing. The Community page at Fitness Blender is a great place to do this!
• Mentality: Identify self-defeating thoughts that get in your way of being able to maintain your body image goals. Cognitive distortions can often keep us in a negative headspace, so learn to identify and modify them in your everyday life.
• Self-talk and self-compassion: Identify the running monologue in your mind and whether it is working in your favor. Regardless, practicing self-compassion can really help to enhance your body image.
• Therapy: Everyone can benefit from therapy at some point, in my opinion. If you feel you are struggling with body image (or any related concerns), seek out mental health support.
• Identify values: If we no longer value or place emphasis on how we look, then we need to identify the things in our lives that do matter to us. Everyone’s values are different, but can serve as a driver for what we focus on.
• General mindfulness: So much pertaining to our body image and related thoughts and emotions happens outside of our conscious awareness. Therefore, practicing mindfulness can help us to tap into what we are thinking or feeling in any given moment.
• Mindful eating and movement: Stay present when you are eating meals and getting in movement. Be sure to identify how what you eat and how you move make you feel physically and emotionally. Try to maximize the foods and movements that help you to work toward your personal goals.
• Social media: Social media can influence how we think about ourself and the world. So, if you are looking to modify your mindset, learn to critically examine social media content. For some, it can be helpful to follow social media accounts that align with your views — and unfollow those who don’t!

I would love to hear some of the things you come up with in the comments below! What behaviors will you work on to help in developing your body image?

References

Grogan, S. (2006). Body image and health: Contemporary perspectives. Journal of Health Psychology, 11(4), 523-530.