Improving Your Body Image and Preventing Eating Disorders

Improving one’s body image, health professionals tell us, is one of the best ways to prevent the onset of an eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious conditions that can be difficult to treat because health professionals do not yet understand precisely how these complex disorders develop. Why do some people develop eating disorders, while others don’t? While many health professionals have put forth many causes for these disorders, no one understands the specific combination of factors that contribute to the onset of an eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are the three most common types of eating disorders. All are characterized by an unhealthy relationship to food, and health professionals believe that cultivating a positive body image and adopting a healthy lifestyle may prevent eating disorders.

The following are five ideas for improving your body image. Practice them daily to make them a part of your life forever.

1. Wear clothes that fit and flatter. Are you one of those people whose closet is filled with clothes that don’t fit right? Many times, we buy what we like, and not what fits or flatters our bodies. Find clothes that you feel comfortable in. Your clothes should make you feel beautiful and comfortable. Avoid tight fitting clothes, or anything that feels even slightly uncomfortable or self-conscious.

2. Don’t avoid certain activities because of your body. Many people who are self-conscious about their body often avoid activities they love. Many individuals may avoid certain sports, fitness classes, dating and even social gatherings because of the way they feel about your body. Remind yourself that ostracizing yourself from the people and activities your love is not going to change your body or make you feel better. In fact, the opposite is true. Creating a supportive community of friends and family, and doing activities you are interested in can make you feel more secure and confident.

3. Helping others can make you feel better about yourself. Consider participating in some kind of volunteer work as a way to help others and feel better about you. Volunteer work can help put you in touch with those who need help, and helping others is a proactive and positive way to raise your self-esteem.

4. Think of your body as your best friend. Eating disorder patients often externalize their own bodies, viewing it as something outside of themselves that they must battle and subdue. Instead, think of your body as a best friend. Would you criticize or even despise your own best friend? Would you support and nurture a good friend, or them poorly? When you think of your body as your best friend, it makes sense to treat it with a sense of respect, love, patience and acceptance.

5. Make a list of all the things you love about your body. Write down everything that comes to mind, even things that seem insignificant to you at first. Read your list daily and add to it at all times. This list can serve as a powerful reminder of your inner strength, beauty and health.

Related Articles

• Helping a Loved One With an Eating Disorder - If you suspect that a loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, you may be wondering how you s ....
• Factors that May Contribute to Eating Disorders - Eating disorders represent a range of complex afflictions that can difficult to understand. In fact, ....
• Tips for Dealing with Your Own or Someone Else’s Eating Disorder - A recent survey provided the alarming fact that a remarkable 70% of us are unhappy with our bodies, ....
• Eating Disorders: What Exactly Are They? - Eating disorders are the diseases caused due to the abnormal eating behavior of an individual. Many ....
• What are Eating Disorders - Eating can be controlled or affected by a range of factors, such as appetite, the types and quantiti ....