I wanted to share with you a deep study into “what to do” with the science, belief system
and spiritual componenets of body image issues and body dissatisfaction.
Please make sure you take this work in prayer, reach out to us or someone safe to process
or to the Peaceful Eating community for feedback.
What is Body Dissatisfaction?
Philippians 1:20 “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have
sufficient courage so that now and always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life
or by death.”
Body dissatisfaction (BDS) is a form of psychological stress characterized by incessant negative thoughts about one’s body or physical appearance. BDS is influenced by both internal (emotional and cognitive) and external (environmental and societal) factors. BDS is not confined to any age, race, sex, or cultural background.
In 2019, 20-40% of women and 10-30% of men in the US suffered from BDS. Not only is BDS widespread in our nation and world, but the effects can be detrimental to our health and wellbeing. Specifically, higher rates of BDS have been linked to reduced quality of life and increased mental health concerns including disordered eating and eating disorders (DEEDs).
James 4:14 “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then
vanishes.”
The fact is…
Life is simply too short to be plagued by incessant and intrusive thoughts about your body. Indeed, you have a body, but it is not the most interesting thing about you.
You are a whole human complete with complex inner workings of mind, body, and spirit. You have a personality. You have thoughts and emotions, unique talents and gifts. You were purposefully and beautifully woven together in your mother’s womb. And you are an image-bearer of Christ Himself, the very nature and only true form of perfection in all of existence.
If you struggle with BDS, you are not alone. There is hope for recovery and making peace with your body. Shame has no place for those whose true identity is found in Jesus Christ.
Why Do We Wrestle with Our Bodies?
1 Samuel 16:7 “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
We are all seeking a sense of belonging and unconditional love. The need for authentic and
lasting human intimacy is not inherently “bad” and should not be overlooked. In fact, we were
created to live in unity and community with one another.
Why then, is it so difficult to form meaningful and lasting connections with others? Just when you think you might have found that safety net among family, or with a friend…it can be swept out from under you in a single moment. We can all relate.
The concern is not our desire for connection; that is good, healthy, and worth pursuing. Rather, the problem lies with whose approval we allow our worth to rest upon. We seek the conditional approval of man, whereas we should be seeking the approval of God, who has already demonstrated His unconditional love for us.
While we can continue to seek out community with others, we should not be defined by those connections but in knowing Christ, who has already accepted us as we are. That way, no matter what others may say about us (or whether we have gained their approval or not), our foundation is solid and our identity secure.
How Do I Heal from Body Dissatisfaction (BDS)?
Learning to be in relationship with your body in the midst of the pressure and rejections of the world is a challenge! What works for one person may not for another. So, try to keep an open mind and try many things to see what resonates with you most!
Here are just a few strategies and recommendations to help you better cope with your situation and begin to live a full embodied life:
- Remove yourself from the chaos
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Sometimes life gets crazy and our natural reaction can be to quickly turn back to old habits, or succumbing to the pressures of diet culture. Instead, try to stop those thoughts in their tracks. Try to rest. Ground yourself. Take your time! Orient yourself with your surroundings. Identify resources- any item (a cozy blanket) or an activity (prayer) that helps you feel grounded and secure. If we feel unsafe in our body and/or surroundings, our minds will be hyper-focused on “fixing” the basic need for relative safety before we can dedicate thoughtful consideration to making heart-mind-behavioral changes. We need to experience a sense of relative safety in order to create a landing space for recovery to actually take place.
- Go deep in self-reflection
1 Corinthians 1:5 “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we
share abundantly in comfort too.”
It is important to examine your motives and get to the root of each personal goal so that you can really determine if it is a goal worth pursuing. This takes a lot of honesty and self-reflection that many people are not willing to engage in. When wrestling with the pursuit of thinness, a central question to ask yourself is, “Why do I want to weigh less?” Then ask, “When I get to my desired weight… then what?”. How we feel inside can easily transfer to what we see in the mirror. Our bodies are often not the true source of our pain, but the outlet we choose to inflict that pain upon, sometimes without even knowing we are doing so, or why. Directing negative emotions toward our body is a defensive strategy for dealing with unprocessed trauma. When you look at your body- what do you see? What is it inside that you are trying not to face? At the very core of your being, what is desperately seeking to change or to find relief? Is it really an issue of weight/appearance, or is there another underlying reason- perhaps an insecurity, trauma-
induced fear, pressure to conform, or deep sense of suffering- that needs to be addressed?
- Face the fear with “soft eyes” Psalm 139:13-14 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” When you see your reflection in the mirror or find a selfie in your camera roll…don’t look away from your image! This can be hard as we have all been conditioned to turn away when we see things we don’t like, especially when it comes to our bodies. But due to the brain’s incredible abilities to change and adapt, these negative reactions can be completely reversed with time and dedication. When you see your image, try to observe your characteristics with curiosity and compassion rather than designating changes as “good” or “bad”. Practice replacing negative thoughts and feelings by speaking life and love over yourself. Say it out loud to yourself each morning as you get ready for the day. Or write it down and stick it to your bathroom mirror. If you can’t think of anything at first, try using compliments that others have given to you over the years. Speak affirmations over yourself again and again and soon enough, you will start to believe it.
- Prioritize godly health, not worldly weight standards
1 Timothy 4:8 “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every
way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
No matter the number on the scale, how clean your diet is or how regularly you exercise, you can still be unhealthy. How is this possible? Remember that “health” is not merely the absence of illness and disease. Rather, health embodies all aspects of wellness which extends to our physical, mental, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. Each aspect of health deserves to be prioritized with equal care and attentiveness. This means that health is not accurately indicated by how closely our bodies resemble societal standards of weight and beauty.
When we get caught in the rut of trying to micromanage our physical health, other areas of our well-being start to suffer. For example, the desire to lose weight can begin to overwhelm our system and cause us to turn to diet and eating behaviors which are ultimately not in our own best interest. The pursuit of thinness—promoted by the world, many celebrities, maybe even by loved ones—is not the same as the pursuit of health. Think about it. When we get caught up in a frenzied cycle of trying to get to a certain size, conform ourselves to a narrow-minded, unrealistic expectation of what bodies “should” look like…the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual angles of health are all negatively affected. We tend to think that “fixing” our bodies will lead to improved health, but when our thoughts and emotions are in constant torment from these processes, our well-being is nonexistent making us truly unhealthy.
Instead of compromising your health and wholeness to achieve a particular physical
appearance, consider this: You have a body. Is it imperfect? Yes- our imperfections (illness, tiredness, weakness) come with the normal wear and tear of being a human. But is your body good? Absolutely. You were fearfully and wonderfully crafted in the hands of God the Creator.
Your body is enough. You are enough. Take time to let that sink in.
- Surrender yourself to God James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” This verse is perhaps the toughest one of all to engage with because it is a blatant reminder that we cannot please people and please God at the same time. Convicting, right? We are all guilty of idolatry, which means to give precedence and admiration to the things of this world over God. Our families become idols. Our jobs become idols. Our bodies become idols. Even when we do not have a good relationship with our bodies, constantly being concerned with our outward image is a form of idolatry. When we seek to please others by conforming to their standards of what we “should” be like or what we “should” look like, we allow the enemy to set up footholds in our lives. Our foundation is weakened and the enemy is able to sneak in and begin planting seeds of insecurity and shame deep within us. So, how do we fight against that? How do we keep ourselves from becoming idolaters and those “double minded” people this verse speaks about? Thankfully, the answer also lies in the words of the verse. Submit to God…resist the devil…draw near to God. Here are three calls to action that we can apply to our own lives today. In surrendering our fears and idols over to God, the enemy has no option but to flee and take all his lies along with him. The bottom line is, God cannot exist in the same space as the enemy; when our minds are cleansed and attuned to Christ, our hearts, minds, and bodies are purified and renewed. Of course, these concepts are so much easier said than done. It’s not an overnight change but a continuous process of learning to constantly surrender everything to God. You may be asking “Is it even worth all this work?” The ability to walk in freedom, no longer weighed down by oppressive expectations of this world and those around us; to find true inner peace, a sense of security, and godly confidence…heck, yeah, it’s worth it.
To seek out trauma-informed nutrition counseling and eating disorder recovery services, visit: https://www.tracybrownrd.com/
Resources (Books):
- When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies: Freeing Yourself from Food and Weight Obsession
by Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter - Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode–and
into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber - Nurturing Resilience: Helping Clients Move Forward from Developmental Trauma–An
Integrative Somatic Approach by Kathy L. Kain and Stephen J. Terrell - Unchained: If Jesus Has Set Us Free, Why Don’t We Feel Free? Hardcover by Noel Jesse
Heikkinen - Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by
Melody Beattie
References
- MHF (2022). Body image report – executive summary. Mental Health Foundation. Web
accessed on July 7, 2022, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-
health/articles/body-image-report-executive-summary - NEDC (n.d.). Body Image. Australian Government Department of Health, National Eating
Disorders Collaboration. Web accessed on July 7, 2022, from https://nedc.com.au/eating-
disorders/eating-disorders-explained/body-image/ - Quittkat, H.L., Hartmann, A.S., Düsing, R., Buhlmann, U., & Vocks, S. (2019). Body
dissatisfaction, importance of appearance, and body appreciation in men and women over the lifespan. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 864-864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00864
