Promoting Positive Body Image Online

One of my good friends who I met through my blog and regularly email sent me the link to an online survey that Flinders university has developed in order to investigate why so many people have body image in todays society as well as the best ways bad body image can be improved. I have decided to take part in the study and thought that some of my other readers from New Zealand and Australia would like to take part also. Fingers crossed that through this study some important questions about bad body image are answered including how it can be prevented or changed after it develops.

The following link will take you to the website and survey;
https://www.ppbio.org.au/index.php

Brief Info

Body image concerns are a serious problem that affects a high proportion of young women. The PPbiO is an Australian and New Zealand online trial of 3 programs that can be accessed on computers, tablets and smartphone devices. We are looking for women volunteers aged 18-25 years who would like to improve their body image. Participating involves, completing a brief online survey to determine your suitability for the trial (taking about 25 minutes), being randomly allocated (as in a lucky dip) to one of the 3 programs and then completing the survey on 3 extra occasions: after your program finishes, 6-months later, and 12-months later. Two of the programs will run over 9 weeks while the third program provides tips on improving body image.

Participation will be anonymous (you will not be asked to provide your name) and all information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. This study will provide important information on which of the programs are helpful and should be shared with more young Australian women.

As an appreciation for your time, a $50 iTunes voucher will be emailed to participants who complete all 4 questionnaires over the 12-month study.

My pledge to love myself

The following pledge has been stuck on my fridge for a few months now (ever since I found it on the Internet) and I recommend that you take out a similar pledge to yourself. Stick it somewhere you will often see it and every time you feel self conscious about your body, read your pledge to love yourself. Hopefully it will remind you of what is truly important in life and why you should love who you are.

Just incase you cant read it very well (my kitchen is very dark) ^^ I have the typed text below also;

I honour myself by loving every part of me
I will embrace every flaw because they make me
PERFECTLY IMPERFECT

I give thanks for my daily breaths  because
MY LIFE IS A GIFT

I recognize that the way I treat myself sets the
standard for others and I deserve
ONLY THE BEST TREATMENT

I will count my BLESSINGS over my BLEMISHES
I recognize that loving myself is a difficult journey,
but one worth traveling

I will…laugh, breathe, let goI am worthy of love – the love from others and
more importantly LOVE FROM MYSELF

I am worthy because I am HERE.

20 helpful ways to learn to love your body

20 Ways to Love Your Body

source: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/20-ways-love-your-body

Compiled By: Margo Maine, PhD

1. Think of your body as the vehicle to your dreams.  Honor it.  Respect it.  Fuel it.
2. Create a list of all the things your body lets you do.  Read it and add to it often.
3. Become aware of what your body can do each day.  Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just an ornament.
4. Create a list of people you admire:  people who have contributed to your life, your community, or the world.  Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments. 
5. Walk with your head held high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.
6. Don’t let your weight or shape keep you from activities that you enjoy.
7. Wear comfortable clothes that you like, that express your personal style, and that feel good to your body.
8. Count your blessings, not your blemishes.
9. Think about all the things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend worrying about your body and appearance.  Try one!
10. Be your body’s friend and supporter, not its enemy. 
11. Consider this:  your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months.  Your body is extraordinary—begin to respect and appreciate it.
12. Every morning when you wake up, thank your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can enjoy the day.
13. Every evening when you go to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to do throughout the day.
14. Find a method of exercise that you enjoy and do it regularly. Don’t exercise to lose weight or to fight your body. Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it makes you feel good.  Exercise for the Three F’s: Fun, Fitness, and Friendship.
15. Think back to a time in your life when you felt good about your body.  Loving your body means you get to feel like that again, even in this body, at this age.
16. Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself—without mentioning your appearance.  Add to it daily!
17. Put a sign on each of your mirrors saying, “I’m beautiful inside and out.”
18. Search for the beauty in the world and in yourself.
19. Consider that, “Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way.”
20. Eat when you are hungry.  Rest when you are tired.  Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty.

How bad body image contributed to my eating disorder

My body image issues started long before I ever developed anorexia. When I was really young, I was really quite thin and I was therefore confident in my body. As I got older, the first thing I started to hate about myself was my bum. I hated it and thought that it was way to big and I soon started to feel this way about my legs too.

There was nothing unhealthy about my body at that stage and I was still thinner than most other girls my age. However I think that the reason I didn't like it, was because I would compare myself to my brothers who were both skinny. I wanted to have no bum and skinny thighs like they had but now I can obviously see that boys and girls are built differently and are not suppoed to look the same.

As I got even older and went through puberty I developed a real hour glass figure. I had a very thin waist, which probably indicates that I was in fact healthy however my breasts got bigger, as did my bum and legs. My legs were never really fat, however they were very musclar which I still hated. At first I did not let my insecurities bother me and I just continued to live normally.

Eventually however I felt so awful about the way I looked that I coldn't ignore the way I felt about my body anymore. When I was in year 12 at boarding school, my bathroom had a full length mirror in it so I would see my whole body before I got into the shower each day and I hated every part of it. I started to get acne which just made me even more depressed and self conscious and the only way I thought I could make myself happy was by losing weight.

I think lots of things contributed to my bad body image. I think it was partly due to the fact that Iam a perfectionist and therefore was not happy with my body as I didn't believe it was perfect, as well as the fact that Iwas at a very athletic school where everyone seemed to be a lot skinnier than me. The fact that the boys in my family constantly teased me about my weight also made me more self conscious and of course the media affected me also.

Knowing what I now know, I so desperately wish I could turn back time as I know that losing weight was not going to solve any of my problems. I was a perfectly healthy weight and had no need to lose any weight. The problem was not with my body, but the way that I felt about it. Instead of deciding to lose the weight I didn't like, I wish I had decided to instead put more energy into learning to accept and love my body, the way it was supposed to be.

More on body image...

Weight & Body Image Disorders: Causes, Symptoms & Signs

Article Contents

• What is Negative or Distorted Body Image?
• Signs & Symptoms of Negative Body Image
• Causes of Negative Body Image
• Relationship Between Weight & Body Image
• Relationship Between An Eating Disorder & Body Image
• Treatment For Negative Body Image
• Weight & Body Image Articles

What is Negative or Distorted Body Image?

Body image refers to how people see themselves. Distorted body image (also called negative body image) refers to an unrealistic view of how someone sees their body.  Like eating disorders, it is seen most commonly in women, but many men also suffer from the disorder. You begin forming your perceptions of your body’s attractiveness, health, acceptability and functionality in early childhood.  This body image continues to form as you age and receive feedback from peers, family member, coaches, etc.  Personality traits such as perfectionism and self criticism can also influence the development of a negative internalized image of your body.

Love Yourself – A video for those who struggle with poor body image. As posted by: LoveLyLieKie

Signs & Symptoms of Negative Body Image

Symptoms of unhealthy or negative body image may include:

• obsessive self scrutiny in mirrors
• thinking disparaging comments about your body and frequent comparison of your own shape and size to other people
• envy or a friend’s body, or just as commonly: the body of a celebrity or someone else in the media.

Causes of Negative Body Image

Sometimes body image is negatively impacted by one or more significant events.  For example, a gymnast who is continually chided by her coach and fellow athletes to lose a little weight, may develop a deeply ingrained and long standing dissatisfaction with her body, no matter how thin she becomes.

If  you are concerned about your body image, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is my perception of beauty distorted from years of media exposure that glorifies a very thin ideal that is unrealistic for most people to obtain in a health manner?
• Do I find myself regularly criticizing my own appearance?

Relationship Between Weight & Body Image

A normally healthy weight range for an individual can be perceived as overweight by someone with a distorted body image.  An anorexic young woman may look at herself in a mirror and see a reflection that is greater than her actual size.  Conversely, it is not uncommon for obese individuals to report that they did not realize they were as large as they are and had perceived their body as much smaller until an occasion arises where they see a photograph, video or window reflection that strikes a nerve and causes them to come to terms with their actual image.

Relationship Between An Eating Disorder & Body Image

Body image concerns and eating disorders go hand in hand.  Often, it is the early dissatisfaction with a young person’s appearance that leads them to conclude that losing weight would enhance their appearance, and make them feel better about themselves and their bodies.  Thus, restrictive eating and over exercising are often next, frequently leading to patterns of disordered eating and weight obsession that can develop into anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, compulsive overeating or binge eating disorder.

Treatment For Negative Body Image

Getting treatment for distorted body image is a critical step to recovery. The problem won’t just go away by itself.   Recognizing and acknowledging your feelings and accompanying body sensations will help you become more comfortable in your body and lessens the tendency to suppress feelings and revert to unhealthy, negative inner diatribes to escape uncomfortable feelings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an approach where irrational thoughts are recognized, analyzed and restructured to more rational self talk, is frequently used. Additionally, dance and movement therapy are often employed to develop a greater trust and appreciation of  one’s body based upon creating internal experiences, rather than simply evaluated one’s body aesthetically.

Many centers for eating disorder treatment specialize in body image awareness.

Slice from Karen Kennedy on Vimeo.

Karen Kennedy is a filmmaker and television producer in Los Angeles, California. For contact information, please email us.

Sourced from: http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/body-image

The importance of good Body image

I honestlly think that developing  a positive self body image is essential in order to make a full recovery from anorexia. I believe that we must not only become weight restored in order to recover, but that we must also learn to love our bodies at that new weight, in order to live the happy andd healthy lives that we all deserve to live.

Firstly, I think that it is necessay for us all to truly believe that we do not need to be skinny to be beautiful. In fact, being thin does not make us look attractive at all if we are not naturally suppposed to be that way. The way our anorexia will make us look is not beautiful at all and it also doesnt make us happy, so why should we put ourselves through so much pain to achieve this thinness?

I think that if you asked anyone (who wasn't anorexic) who was more attractive in this picture, they would say the girl on the right. I think that the girl on the right so much more gorgeous and f I had to choose a girl I had to look like, I would choose the girl on the right for sure!  

I have always had an unrealistic expectation of myself to be really thin, which I suppose is due to me being such a perfectionist. I think that society made me believe that fat was bad and therefore I didn't want to have any on my body at all. So even if I only had a tiny bit in a cerain place, I wasn't happy. Even when I was literally skin and bone I would still find parts of my body that I thought were too big. 

Everytime I start feeling 'fat' or self conscious, I always remind myself that this is only my anorexia lying to me. There is nothing wrong with the way I now look, besides the fact that I still need to gain more weight. I certainly am not fat in any way. We need to remember that there is nothing wrong with having some fat on our bodies, in fact it is essential. 

While I do not struggle with terriblly bad body image at the moment, I know hat I will struggle with it more an dmore the closer I get to my natural set point weight. I am determined however to not let this stop me from becoming the size I am supposed to be, so that my body and mind can work efficiently and healthily. Once I reach this weight I may hate it for a while but I WILL NOT try to fix this by losing weight again. Instead I will try and change the way I feel about my body.

To me, recovering does not only mean reaching my healthy natural weight. It also means being able to look in the mirror at that weight and to be happy with what I see. When I am recovered I will be able truly appreciate all of the wonderful things my body can do for me. feeling self conscious about your body sometims is normal for everyone, but the key is to learn not to act upon these feelings by changing the way we look. 

So if you are struggling with your body image, I suggest making your ultimate recovery goal to not only reach a healtthy weight FOR YOU. But also to learn to love yourself at this weight. As only then will you be able to be truly happy and healthy!  

Positive body image

Quite a few of the people who read my blog are currently struggling with their body image so I am going to try and write some posts on how to develop a better body image and why it is so important. So if you are also currently struggling with this, keep an eye out on my blog over the next few days as I will try and write some helpful posts for you.

Here are some important reminders that we all need to remember in regards to body image;

Skin Picking

For as long as I can remember I have picked at any small imperfections on my skin which has caused terrible scarring all over my body. I have always squeezed and picked at pimples, blisters, burns, scabs, cuts, dry skin, the skin around my nails and my nails themselves. No matter how hard I try not to, I always end up picking at a scab or imperfection, without even realising it Because it is such a bad habit for me. Usually I dont even know I have been picking until it is too late and I am bleeding.

My picking is definetely emotion related as I am always a lot worse when I am anxious, nervous, worried or upset. I found the following information online here and found it extremely interesting.

Compulsive skin Picking (CSP)

Compulsive Skin Picking (CSP), also known as Dermatillomania, is an impulse control disorder and form of self-injury, characterised by the repeated urge to pick at one's own skin, often to the extent that damage is caused and can be a compulsion of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).

The disorder is characterised and defined by the habitual and excessive picking of skin lesions, or the excessive scratching, picking, gouging or squeezing of otherwise healthy skin, to the extent of causing bleeding, bruising, infection, and/or permanent disfigurement of the skin.  These behaviours are carried out solely to relieve the anxiety or urges being experienced by the sufferer.

Compulsive Skin Picking falls into the family of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders and is linked quite closely with OCD, BDD and the hair pulling disorder, Trichotillomania. It is not uncommon for a person to suffer with a combination of these disorders. Research has shown that around a quarter of those diagnosed with OCD or BDD also have CSP.
Compulsive Skin Picking, which is a response to specific situations and events, can occur at any time during the day but is often more severe during the evening. The individual with CSP is frequently unaware of these triggers.

Usually, but not always, the face is the primary location for skin picking, although of course any part of the body can be the focus. People with CSP may pick at normal skin variations such as freckles, moles or acne, or at imagined skin defects that nobody else can observe. Individuals with CSP may use their fingernails, as well as their teeth, tweezers, pins or other instruments.

While this problem is the source of considerable anxiety and distress to those who pick, it is also distressing for family and friends when they see the results.
People with CSP often feel the need to try and hide or camouflage their blemishes with make-up or clothing. As with other disorders within the OCD spectrum, CSP can be a socially lonely disorder.  Social embarrassment can lead the sufferer to stay indoors and avoid friends. It can also cause problems at work: lateness, owing to time taken by picking and make-up routines, and absence, when the poor state of the skin makes the sufferer reluctant to be seen in public.

The characteristics of skin picking include:

• Recurrent skin picking - face, lips, scalp, hands or arms.
• Immediately before picking there is a high level of tension and an ‘itch’ or ‘urge’.

As with all disorders in the OCD spectrum, most people develop CSP in their teens or early 20's. It may start as a frequently carried out and unconscious habit which develops into uncontrollable picking.

What treatments are available? Initially, see your GP. Many are still less informed about CSP than they are OCD, but you should receive a referral to psychologist or psychiatrist.
Very often patients are referred, first of all, to a dermatologist, which may be appropriate if there is a skin disorder that needs treating, but ultimately you will also need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist for CBT.

A regular form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy may be used, although nowadays Habit Reversal Training (HRT) is the preferred method of treatment for CSP.

Habit Reversal Training challenges CSP in two ways. Firstly, the individual learns how to become more consciously aware of situations and events that trigger skin-picking episodes. Secondly, the individual learns to utilise alternative behaviours in response to these situations and events.

Habit Reversal was developed in the 1970s by psychologists Nathan Azrin and Gregory Nunn for treating nervous habits which are done automatically, such as tics, stammering and skin-picking. Therapy should focus initially on developing Habit Awareness and patients may be asked to keep records of when, where and under what circumstances they normally pick.

Many people believe that if they stop one bad habit it will be replaced with another bad habit. However, one of the key ideas of habit reversal is to replace the harmful habit with another harmless habit that makes the bad habit impossible. This new behaviour is known as a competing response.

Tips for quitting

• If you get the urge to pick, try doing something that ties up your hands for a period of time until the urge passes, or even put oven mitts on your hands until the urge decreases. Even if you hold the urge off for 15 minutes you can work with it, next time try holding it off for 20 minutes and so on.
• Keep your skin as clean as possible. Use anti-bacterial soap or an oil-free cleanser. Try to see a dermatologist. The more clear your skin is, the less of an urge you’ll have to pick at it.
• Cover your mirror with paper if your face is the usual area that your picking focuses on.
• If you bite the inside of your cheeks try eating crunchy snacks when you feel the urge to bite.
• Use long or false nails! The thick tips help reduce picking.
• As with all disorders in the OCD spectrum, stay busy.  The busier you are the less time your mind has to play with the urges to pick.
• When tempted to pick, care for your skin by applying a moisturising lotion instead.
• Get rid of all implements such as tweezers and pins used for picking.
• Try replacing some of the sensory aspects of skin-picking with a more desirable alternative. For example, keep an object by you that you can manipulate (squeeze or pull) such as a soft rubber ball or some Blu Tak.

The only things that help me to stop picking is to be really busy (so that I dont have time to pick), to wear breathable bandaids over scabs on my arms, hans or lega, so that i simply cant pick them and also to out blobs of cream over the sores on my face, so that every time I go to pick the sorea on my face I feel the cream and realize what I am doing So I can stop myself. I also find keeping my hands busy by playing with a stress ball really helps.

I have been incredibely self conscious of the skin on my face lately as I had an acne break out and then picked at the spots until they turned into sores. I have had to try incredibely hard to get them too heal and they finally seem to be getting better, thank goodness! As you can see from the photos I took this morning while walking Tess, my skin still isnt perfect, but thats ok because it doesn't need to be :)

The importance of positive Body image

The four aspects of body image

1. How you see your body is your perceptual body image. This is not always a correct representation of how you actually look. For example, a person may perceive themselves as overweight when they are actually underweight.
2. The way you feel about your body is your affective body image. This relates to the amount of satisfaction or dissatisfaction you feel about your shape, weight and individual body parts.
3. The way you think about your body is your cognitive body image. This can lead to preoccupation with body shape and weight. For example, some people believe they will feel better about themselves if they are thinner or more muscular.
4. Behaviours in which you engage as a result of your body image encompass your behavioural body image. When a person is dissatisfied with the way they look, they may isolate themselves because they feel bad about their appearance or employ destructive behaviours (e.g. excessive exercising, disordered eating) as a means to change appearance.

Why is positive body image important?

Positive body image occurs when a person is able to accept, appreciate and respect their body. Positive body image is important because it is one of the protective factors which can make a person more resilient to eating disorders. In fact, the most effective eating disorder prevention programs use a health promotion approach, focusing on building self-esteem and positive body image, and a balanced approach to nutrition and physical activity. A positive body image will improve:

• Self esteem, which dictates how a person feels about themselves and can infiltrate every aspect of life, and contribute to happiness and wellbeing.
• Self-acceptance, making a person more likely to feel comfortable and happy with the way they look and less likely to feel impacted by unrealistic images in the media and societal pressures to look a certain way.
• Healthy outlook and behaviours, as it is easier to lead a balanced lifestyle with healthier attitudes and practices relating to food and exercise when you are in tune with, and respond to the needs of your body.

Snapshot: 7 Tips for Improving Your Body Image.

Click to enlarge image.

What causes body dissatisfaction?

When a person has negative thoughts and feelings about his or her own body, body dissatisfaction can develop. Body dissatisfaction is an internal process but can be influenced by several external factors. For example, family, friends, acquaintances, teachers and the media all have an impact on how a person sees and feels about themselves and their appearance. Individuals in appearance oriented environments or those who receive negative feedback about their appearance are at an increased risk of body dissatisfaction.

One of the most common external contributors to body dissatisfaction is the media. People of all ages are bombarded with images through TV, magazines, internet and advertising. These images often promote unrealistic, unobtainable and highly stylised appearance ideals which have been fabricated by stylists, art teams and digital manipulation and cannot be achieved in real life. Those who feel they don’t measure up in comparison to these images, can experience intense body dissatisfaction which is damaging to their psychological and physical wellbeing.

The following factors make some people more likely to develop a negative body image than others:

• Age – body image is frequently shaped during late childhood and adolescence but body dissatisfaction can affect people of all ages and is as prevalent in midlife as young adulthood in women
• Gender - adolescent girls are more prone to body dissatisfaction than adolescent boys; however the rate of body dissatisfaction in males is rapidly approaching that of females
• Low self-esteem and/or depression
• Personality traits - people with perfectionist tendencies, high achievers, ‘black and white’ thinkers, those who internalise beauty ideals, and those who often compare themselves to others, are at higher risk of developing body dissatisfaction
• Teasing - people who are teased about appearance/weight, regardless of actual body type, have an increased risk of developing body dissatisfaction
• Friends and family who diet and express body image concerns - role models expressing body image concerns and modelling weight loss behaviours, can increase the likelihood of an individual developing body dissatisfaction regardless of actual body type
• Body size - In our weight conscious society, larger body size increases risk of body dissatisfaction

In western society, body dissatisfaction has become a cultural norm.

Why is body dissatisfaction a serious problem?

Body dissatisfaction is the top ranked issue of concern for young people (Mission Australia, 2011). Body image issues have increased worldwide over the last 30 years and do not only concern young people but affect people of all ages. This pervasive problem is concerning because overvaluing body image in defining ones self-worth is one of the risk factors which makes some people less resilient to eating disorders than others. People experiencing body dissatisfaction can become fixated on trying to change their body shape, which can lead to unhealthy practices with food and exercise. These practices don’t usually achieve the desired outcome (physically or emotionally) and can result in intense feelings of disappointment, shame and guilt and, ultimately, increase the risk of developing an eating disorder.

 

How can you improve your body image?

While some aspects of your appearance can be changed, others, like your height, muscle composition and bone structure are genetically fixed. It is important to understand that there is no right or wrong when it comes to weight, shape, size and appearance. Challenging beauty ideals and learning to accept your body shape is a crucial step towards positive body image.

While changing your actual appearance can be counterproductive, improving your body image is a constructive goal. We have the power to change the way we see, feel and think about our bodies. Here are some helpful tips:

• Focusing on your positive qualities, skills and talents can help you accept and appreciate your whole self
• Say positive things to yourself every day
• Avoid negative or berating self-talk
• Focusing on appreciating and respecting what your body can do will help you to feel more positively about it
• Setting positive, health focused goals rather than weight loss related ones is more beneficial for your overall wellbeing
• Admiring others’ beauty can improve your own body confidence but it is important to appreciate your own beauty, avoid comparing yourself to others, accept yourself as a whole and remember that everyone is unique and differences are what make us special
• Remember, many media images are unrealistic and represent a minority of the population

Programs that effectively increase positive body image focus on reducing risk factors (e.g. thin ideal internalization, peer pressure, bullying and ‘fat talk’, perfectionism) and increasing protective factors (e.g. self-esteem, social support, non-competitive physical activity, healthy eating behaviours and attitudes, respect for diversity).

Getting help

If you feel dissatisfied with your body or are developing unhealthy eating or exercise habits seek professional help. Some counsellors and psychologists have specialised knowledge in body image. Professional 

Sourced here.

Mirror Mirror

The year my eating disorder developed I was away at boarding school and I distinctly remember looking into the full length mirror in my bathroom each day as I was getting in the shower and absolutely hating what I saw. Before I left home a few months ago, I would see myself in my full length mirror on my wardrobe every time I entered my bedroom which just created many opportunities for my anorexia to lie to me about my body.

Last night as I was getting into the shower, I wondered about whether I look much different now that I have gained weight. The truth is i'm not really sure how my body looks because I dont have a large mirror to stand in front of and access how I look. I think that not having a large mirror in my house is a big part of the reason why I have coped relatively well with my weight gain. While I can obviously still see different parts of my body, I cant see my whole body at any one time as you can when you look into a full sized mirror.

I didnt make a conscious decision to not have a full sized mirror in my new house, it just worked out that way through chance but I believe it has been the best possible thing for me. It has stopped me from looking into the mirror and picking faults in my body, which I believe has been especially helpful at the moment as my body is changing. I still havent seen a huge difference in my body, which I think is due to not having a mirror and I therefore do not worry as much about gaining weight as I would have otherwise.

If it is possible, I highly reccommend taking your mirror away while you are in recovery. In fact, if looking in the mirror makes you feel negative about yourself, Why dont you take your full length mirrors away, regardless of whether you are in recovery or not. If your mirror cant be taken away, cover it up. If it is in you bedroom, why not cover the bottom half of the mirror with photos or posters.

I dont think I will ever have large mirrors in my house again as it is just too tempting to stand in front of it and start picking out what you dont like about yourself. I just use a tiny mirror on my bathroom cabinet to do my makeup in and have never needed anything bigger then that. What is the point in having large mirrors in your home if they dont work properly anyway?


If you realised you had a faulty thermometer that gave false readings, would you continue to use it every time you were sick? Of course you wouldn't. I know I cant trust that what I see when I look in the mirror is real, so why should I keep looking in the mirror? So many people have distorted body image issues but I honestly believe that by taking the mirror away, you are eliminating a large part of the problem.

My Sunday

Considering I had to work today, I have still had a pretty good day overall. I got up early this morning and wrote a post for my own blog as well as my guest post for Izzys blog while eating a delicious breakfast. I had a bowl of honey oats topped with a banana as well as two slices of toast with honey nut spread. I had to work today so took my dog Tess for a quick walk early. It was freezing cold and terribly windy so I was glad when I got back home and could warm up by the fire for a little while before going to work.

I really like the people who I work with at the supermarket on the weekends so the day went pretty fast even though it wasn't very busy. Iam very lucky as everyone who Iwork with on the weekends knows about my anorexia and they are all great listeners and very supportive. Something that really annoyed me today was that two different customers at two different occasions told me that I should eat something and gain weight. The first man had overheard me telling the person I was working with that I was cold and he said, "maybe you should eat something then and gain some weight." I didn't know what to say so just ignored him.

The second man just came straight out and said, "gee your thin, you should eat more!" I attempted to tell him that I actually eat alot and then he accused me of lying, as "I couldn't posssibly." I wish now that instead of trying to justify myself, I had just told him to mind his own business. I know I have already written a post about how these comments annoy me which you can read here, but for two people to make these comments on the one day really did bother me.

I think the reason it is bothering me more then it usually does is because I am trying so hard at the moment to gain weight and I am eating so much. I don't think that anyone has the right to comment on how I look and don't see how it is any better than telling an overweight person that they are too fat and that they need to eat less. I know that I am thin but I don't need anyone else to point that out to me and I am currently doing everything I can to change it.

These comments surprised me as I honestly thought that I was beginning to look healthier. While I know I am still thin, I did not think that I looked thin enough so that people would notice and comment. It has made me doubt what I see when I look in the mirror and wonder how much of what I see is real. If these rude comments have done anything positive, it has made me realise that the way I see my body is still very distorted. It has reminded me that I shouldn't trust myself to decide how my body really looks as I approach my goal weight as I will more than likely think that I look a lot bigger then I actually am.

Luckily we only had to work until 4:30 today so there was still enough time for me to walk my dog and cook some chocolate muffins before making myself some tea. The chocolate muffins turned out really well and I am sure I will enjoy them for morning tea each day this week, along with a Up and Go meal supplement drink. For tea I felt like pasta as well as vegies so that is exactly what I had. For the rest of the evening I just plan on relaxing, blogging and watching television (the perfect Sunday night if you ask me). I hope that everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

My lunch; Nutella on 2 hot crumpets, 1 large apple and grapes

Tea; Tomato, onion and basil pasta topped with parmesan cheese and vegetables on the side 

My chocolate muffins :)