How Journaling boosts your body image (Video)
By Tanja, Psychologist for Eating Disorders & Body Image
How can you improve your feelings about your body? By being on a diet or exercising more often in the gym to get the “perfect beach body”?
Hi there!
I’m Tanja. I’m a qualified psychologist specialising in eating disorders, negative body image and body hate. I’m also a survivor of anorexia.
My mission is to help you to end your lifelong struggles with food and your body and inspire you to uncover and embrace you true worth. Read more…
You might have realised that it doesn’t work like this, even if you have achieved your desired weight. Having the “perfect” body might give you a good feeling in the short run, but it rarely lasts long.
See the full video here or read the full article below. Have fun 🙂
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At least, it didn’t work for me. After a very restrictive diet, lots of running and finally reaching my “dream” body, I still wasn’t happy. My body looked great, people even told me how amazing my body looked, but all this didn’t give me positive feelings about my body. It was the opposite – I still saw my body in a negative light.
Indeed, the “external” things you do ( such as exercise and dieting) have only a minor impact on how you feel about your body. If you want to change your negative feelings and thoughts about your body into positive, accepting and maybe even loving ones, you need to do “internal” work such as journaling, mindfulness, meditation, self-reflection and more. This internal work will take time, but after a while, you will develop more neutral or even positive feelings about your body.
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With Tanja – Psychologist for Eating Disorders & Body Image
Categories
Eating Disorder Recovery
Body Acceptance & Body
Love
Intuitive Eating
What is journaling?
Journaling has come a long way. As long ago as the 10th century A D the Japanese used to keep. Journaling work is in a similar way to keeping a diary, as it involves writing down your thoughts, feelings, memories and impressions about your life.
However, it is somewhat more profound than keeping a diary, as journaling requires you to think and reflect deeply about yourself, your life, your ideas, your goals and dreams, your fears and priorities. By structuring your thoughts and experiences, you will reach clarity, which will enable you identify and implement solutions to your problems.
The power of journaling to improve your body image
Whether you suffer from an eating disorder, negative body image or body hate, journals can help you to improve your relationship with your body. You can use journaling as a tool to get to know yourself better, your body-bullying thoughts and patterns and to learn how you can accept and love yourself as a whole. This empowering and healing activity also helps you to identify what you truly need to nourish your body, mind and soul and will boost your body image in the long run.
So maybe your journal will reveal that your body hate happens after you let yourself enjoy eating or overeat after an emotional breakdown. Maybe you bully your body when you are disappointed or dissatisfied by something or someone. Or you lash out at yourself when you are anxious and worried about something.
Whatever the reason for you body-bullying is, journaling will help you to identify on these patterns and help you to determine where your negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs about your body come from. By using journaling you can turn your negative body image into a more neutral or positive one.
How to start a body image journal
Journaling is a very personal experience and there is no right or wrong way to do it. All you need is a quiet place, a piece of paper and a pen. The best way to start your body image journaling journey is by writing every day at the same time for at least 10 minutes so that it will become a habit. For example, sit down for 10 minutes of each morning or every evening before you go to bed.
I prefer free-writing, which is just writing down what comes to your mind without thinking or hesitation. However, if free-writing feels too pressured and you don’t feel comfortable or you don’t know what to write, you can simply write down some notes or use some body image journaling prompts, such as:
- “Right now my body/mind/soul needs …
- “When I think of my body, the first thought that comes to my mind is… because …”
- “If my body could talk, it would tell me …”
- “I feel best in my body, when …”
The whole point of journaling is to confront your inner thoughts and beliefes about yourself and your body by being radically honest with yourself. No one else will read what you are writing. The goal for you is to get clarity about your thoughts and to crush the mental blocks that keep you from accepting your body. If you can’t be honest in your journal about your own body, how can you expect to be honest to yourself for the rest of your life?
You don’t need to struggle alone on your recovery journey.
Simply get in touch to discuss how I can help you.
It is entirely possible to overcome an eating disorder or body hate –
I have done it, others have done it and so can you!
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Hi there!
I’m Tanja. I’m a qualified psychologist specialising in eating disorders, negative body image and body hate. I’m also a survivor of anorexia.
My mission is to help you to end your lifelong struggles with food and your body and inspire you to uncover and embrace you true worth. Read more…