Are You Fixating A Lot On Your Body These Days?

Are you fixating on your body a lot these days?

Do you have a strong urge to diet and lose weight?

Or maybe you’re afraid of gaining weight.

If so, it makes sense.

When life feels out of your control, when you’re feeling anxious, scared and helpless, it’s human nature to search for something that gives you a sense of control.

In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, stocking your pantry and cupboards with multiple weeks worth of food and personal care products likely made you feel a bit in control—something we’re all grasping for right now as we try to navigate this life-altering global crisis that is largely out of our control.

But now that we’re a few weeks in and still facing an unprecedented level of uncertainty, it’s understandable to seek other things that give you the illusion of control.

For you and many others, this might mean trying to control your eating and your body.

Okay Body, Okay Life
Like shopping and stockpiling, focusing on your weight feels accessible, doable and reassuring. If you have a history of dieting, it's an especially calming, familiar place to turn to when faced with so many unknowns. 

Diet culture, after all, has conditioned us to believe—from a very young age and without our consent—that if we can just control our eating and our weight and feel good about our body then everything will be okay and life will be easier.

So it’s completely understandable why you would fixate on your body as a way to cope with the difficult, distressing and overwhelming emotions you’re likely experiencing right now.

Not Really in Our Control
Yet, despite what diet culture has led us to believe, we do not have complete control over the size and shape of our body.

It’s not simply a matter of “eat less and exercise more.”

The human body isn't that simplistic.

Your weight is impacted by multiple complex factors, including your genetics, environment, and social and economic conditions.

And research shows that the vast majority of people who lose weight eventually gain it back, and many gain back more than they lost.

If this has been your experience, it’s not because you failed or lack willpower and self-discipline.

When you deprive your body of food, it thinks it's being subjected to a famine and will do everything it can to survive. This includes triggering numerous compensatory processes, such as hormonal changes that increase your appetite and decrease your metabolism

Weight-Neutral, Sustainable Self-Care
So rather than focus on something that is short-lived, unsustainable, exhausting and potentially harmful to your physical and psychological wellbeing, I encourage you to direct your precious time, energy and headspace toward more meaningful, fulfilling pursuits.

This includes weight-neutral, sustainable and pleasurable self-care practices that help you ride this emotional roller coaster with greater ease and feel better in your here-and-now body.

I also encourage you to be compassionate, gentle and patient with yourself.

Times are tough. Trust that you’re doing the best you can.

If you're struggling and would like support, please feel free to reach out. Thankfully, I'm still able to support my clients via video during this challenging time.