Body Image Therapy
Body Image Therapy in Atlanta and Virtually Throughout The US
-Do you find yourself comparing your appearance to others around you?
-Do you feel worse about yourself overall because of the way you look?
-Do you lack confidence in your own body?
Negative Thoughts About Apperance
Many people struggle with body image issues, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or weight. People often compare their appearance to others and can fixate on the ways they wish their bodies looked different. Finding flaws in oneself and lacking confidence in one’s skin can be easy, but the inner critique that comes from beating yourself up can be exhausting. Body image concerns can take a toll on mental health and may even be connected to other issues, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. It is important to recognize when the way you view your body starts to negatively influence your well-being.
Some people with a negative body image might:
- Compare themselves to others around them or others they have seen online
- Feel uncomfortable in their skin
- Do body-checking behaviors
- Have a lot of negative self-talk
- Develop eating problems
- Avoid activities because of thoughts about their self-image
Therapy For Body Image Helps
In our culture, negative body talk is all too common. Social media and advertisements often glorify altering one’s appearance, making it feel normal to criticize ourselves and compare our looks to those of others. While negative thoughts about your body may surface easily, it is entirely possible to transform these thoughts and reduce their impact. Therapy isn’t about eliminating your desire for change; rather, it’s about freeing you from the hold the inner critic has that keeps you from feeling good about yourself. Through therapy, you can learn to quite that inner bully and foster a more positive self-image. Body image therapy specifically encourages body acceptance, reduces negative self-talk, and enhances confidence in your appearance. It has proven effective in helping individuals shift their mindsets and cultivate a healthier perception of themselves.
At Best Within You Therapy and Wellness, we have worked with many clients who came to us with negative self-talk and negative feelings about their appearance and completed therapy feeling confident in their skin. With body image therapy, you will work with one of our psychologists to feel better about yourself. You will learn ways to handle the negative self-talk and find improved methods for self-talk. You will work to catch yourself when you are beating yourself up. You will have specific tools to spend less time thinking and worrying about your body. You will develop a better relationship with your body and wellness while focusing on your individual goals.
FAQ
How Do I Know if I Need Support?
If you are considering therapy, it might be helpful to just try! If you find yourself having negative thoughts or feelings about your appearance, then therapy might be incredibly helpful! Furthermore, if you have been feeling insecure and want to work on confidence, we can help. We are here to listen to your concerns, offer tools and next steps, and be there for you along your mental health journey.
I have been to therapy, and it did not help. Why Best Within You?
Body image training is very specific. Most therapists do not take a class in this in their graduate program. You need to seek out particular education and training experiences to be able to effectively work with body image. It is truly a niche. We have the specialized experience and training at our practice. We work with pre-teens, teens, and adults.
In our Atlanta community, we have many therapists that will consult with our team if a client of theirs has self-image concerns that pop up. We also offer presentations to groups, therapists, and companies about how to improve body image. We have presented to therapists at the Georgia Psychological Association, Georgia Tech’s counseling center, Northwestern University’s counseling center, medical centers, and at corporate wellness events.
Can I have quick tips?
While we do encourage body image therapy if you want to feel better about your appearance, here are some things you can try. In therapy we will tailor our interventions and work towards your preferences, history, and goals. Some of these may resonate while others may not. That’s okay.
- Think about what you want people to remember about you towards the end of your life. Ask yourself if you want to be remembered for your body?
- Try surrounding yourself with people who encourage positive self-talk. It might be very triggering to hear people talking about eating habits, workout habits, or just about their body overall. It could help to follow or unfollow people on social media.
- You can acknowledge parts of you that do not involve physical appearance such as “I am thankful for my friends and family and the connections I was able to build with them.” When you begin to focus on positive things in life that do not only include physical appearance, less thoughts and negative self-talk about appearance can occur. You can also try to repeat positive affirmations about yourself or write them down. You want to make sure you believe what you’re saying to yourself.
- You might try to practice accepting compliments rather than deflecting them. Simply saying thank you is one step.
- Each day, before you go to bed, think of one thing you are grateful for that isn’t related to your looks. This can help to actively shift your focus to things you like about yourself and away from your looks.
- When you notice yourself beating yourself up, try to catch it. Becoming more self-aware of when it happens and what triggers it is a great first step.
If you would like to feel better about your body image know that we are here to support you.
If you are looking for help with body image you are in the right place. The psychologists at Best Within You Therapy & Wellness are not only experts in body image but also work with clients struggling with insomnia, eating disorders, anxiety, depression and more. You can schedule a video appointment or in office appointment with one of our psychologists today.