Body Respect Comes First: A Gentle Approach to Healing Body Image

As a therapist, I’ve sat with so many clients—intelligent, kind, accomplished individuals— who feel at war with their own bodies. They often tell me things like: 

“I hate the way I look in pictures.” 

“I feel uncomfortable in my skin, all the time.” 

“If I could just lose weight, I’d finally feel okay.” 

Sound familiar? 

If you’ve struggled with body image, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re living in a culture that  profits from your dissatisfaction. The messages we absorb from childhood, media, family,  and culture obsessed with wellness teaches us that our worth is tied to how we look—and  that our bodies must be constantly fixed, shrunk, or reshaped to be acceptable. 

But here’s the truth: your body was never the problem.

What Is Body Image? 

Body image isn’t about how your body looks—it’s about how you think and feel about your  body. It’s shaped by our experiences, beliefs, trauma, social comparison, and internalized  standards of beauty. 

Body image exists on a spectrum: 

• For some, it’s a passing discomfort. 

• For others, it’s a daily source of distress, shame, or disconnection. 

• And for many, it’s deeply intertwined with disordered eating, eating disorders,  perfectionism, anxiety, or trauma. 

The good news? Body image can change—not because your body changes, but because  your relationship with it does. 

You Don’t Have to Love Your Body to Care for It 

The body positivity movement often encourages “self-love”—and while that’s beautiful, it  can feel inaccessible when you’re in the thick of body shame. So let’s set a more  compassionate and realistic goal: body respect. That might look like: 

• Eating regularly, even if you’re having a hard body day 

• Dressing in clothes that are comfortable, not constricting 

• Resting when you’re tired, not using exercise as a form of guilt 

• Speaking to yourself the way you’d speak to a friend

Respect creates space for healing. And over time, that respect can grow into neutrality,  acceptance, or even—yes—love. 

Practical Tools to Improve Body Image 

Here are some evidence-based strategies I use with clients: 

1. Curate Your Social Media Feed 

Unfollow accounts that make you feel less than. Follow people with diverse bodies, abilities, and ages who celebrate feeling connected to their body, not perfectionism. Exposure to diverse representation matters. 

2. Practice Body Connection 

Body image improves not just by thinking differently—but by experiencing your body  differently. Try yoga, lifting weights, dancing, walking—anything that connects you to how your body feels, not just how it looks. 

3. Notice and Challenge Your Inner Critic 

That harsh inner voice? It’s not you. It’s a collection of absorbed beliefs. Start identifying  those thoughts and responding with a more compassionate inner voice—even if it feels  awkward at first.

4. Reconnect with the Function of Your Body 

Shift your focus from how your body looks to what it does. Your body breathes, carries you,  laughs, heals, holds grief, and experiences joy. That is sacred. 

5. Talk About It 

Body image thrives in secrecy and shame. Naming it in a safe space—like therapy—can be  the first step toward being free in your skin. 

What Healing Looks Like 

Healing body image doesn’t mean never having a bad body day. It means those days don’t  control you anymore. It means you can show up in your life without waiting for your body to  change first. It means you treat yourself with dignity, regardless of what the mirror reflects. 

You are not a “before” picture. You are a whole human being—right now, as you are. 

And if you’re struggling, you don’t have to do this alone. Therapy can be a powerful space to  rewrite your body story, untangle shame, and move toward a more peaceful,  compassionate relationship with yourself.

Written by a licensed therapist who believes that body image is never just about the body— and healing it is always possible.