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Session 3

Body Image and Healthy Eating

Session 3

Behaviours & anxiety

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Session 3
Behaviours and biology

Behaviours individuals might have due to negative body image.

From session 2 set 3 goals to help you
achieve your future pie chart:

img

What are some things people do when
impacted by negative body image?

Avoidance

Avoiding situations that make
us anxious.

This might make us feel better in the short term…

However, it can have detrimental effects on body image in the long term.

Checking our bodies

Repeatedly looking for changes.

This can increase negative thoughts about how we look for a number of reasons…

This may momentarily reduce anxiety.

But tends to increase negative body image thoughts over time.

Some examples

Can you drag the correct “avoidance” or “checking” box to
answer the questions?

Checking our bodies
Avoidance
Answers

Looking at my body in the mirror every hour.

img

I think this is...

Drag one of the options into this box

Never looking in mirrors.

I think this is...

Drag one of the options into this box

Refusing to be hugged, to avoid my body shape being felt.

I think this is...

Drag one of the options into this box

Pinching parts of my body/measuring fat.

I think this is...

Drag one of the options into this box

The vicious cycle of avoidance

Avoidance

Miss out on things that could have
given a sense of achievement or
pleasure.

Never get to check out whether
the fears are as bad as we imagined.

Feel less motivated and less able to cope
with the situation in the future.

Feel worse and even
more anxious.

The vicious cycle of avoidance

  • Anxiety associated with body image can lead to
    avoidance behaviours.
  • This can mean missing opportunities to disprove
    the fears that fuel the anxiety in the first
    place and reinforces them instead.
  • Consider the ways that a cycle of
    avoidance may contribute to
    body image issues.

The anxiety curve

Curve
• Remind yourself that anxiety does gradually reduce.
• Avoiding or leaving a situation before your body has had a chance to habituate only reinforces the idea that the situation causes anxiety.
• On the other hand, resisting the urge to avoid any repeated exposure will mean the 'panic peak' is felt less severely over time.

The anxiety curve helps to further illustrate the vicious cycle of avoidance.


Anxiety tends to reach a peak, where it feels at its worst.

Our bodies adjust and the anxiety gradually reduces.

When we avoid/leave the situation, anxiety
drops more quickly.

However, we miss the chance to habituate. Habituation simply means the process of getting used to something.

Curve

Activity: Hot cross bun model

Complete a hot cross bun model

Can you think of a time when you avoided something, or body checked. Use the four boxes to complete your own hot cross bun and reflect on how this impacted you.

Start here

Identify avoidance/checking
behaviour

Behaviours

What thoughts lead to
this/result from this?

Thoughts

What feelings arise
before/after?

Emotion

Note the physical sensations
associated

Physical sensation

Start here

Identify avoidance/checking
behaviour

What thoughts lead to
this/result from this?

Thoughts

What feelings arise
before/after?

Behaviours

Emotion

Physical sensation

Note the physical sensations
associated

The vicious cycle of checking

Feel bad
about yourself.

Check your body/
appearance.

Think about/focus on all the parts of your appearance that you don't like.

Evaluate yourself based
on how you look
(weight/shape/eating).

The vicious cycle of checking

Feel bad
about yourself.

Check your body/
appearance.

Think about/focus on all the parts of your appearance that you don't like.

Evaluate yourself based
on how you look
(weight/shape/eating).

i

Increase in disordered eating
behaviours.

i

More focus on your body reinforces the belief that your body is the problem.

Activity: Index finger checking

  • If you study your index finger, you’ll become aware of details you never noticed before.
  • Take a minute to look at it. Focus on the variation in colour, wrinkles, veins, dry skin...
  • The longer we focus on something, the more we see.
  • Body checking can generate the same type of detail-focused thoughts, which can often be negative (dependent on thinking styles – to be explored in next session).
  • This phenomenon can offer you a greater understanding of the negative impacts of body checking and the way in which it can fuel critical thoughts.

The vicious cycle of checking

Learning other ways to cope and take care of self.

Resist body checking and replace with behaviour
that does not focus on your body.

Less focus on
your body.

Urges to use disordered eating
behaviours are
decreased.

img

Select the top tips you are going to work on this week.

Body avoidance

Reflect on the extent of your avoidance behaviours...

Which avoidance behaviours occur? How often?
List situations where you find yourself avoiding seeing how you look. For example, you may avoid mirrors to prevent seeing your reflection.
Try reducing or stopping the least distressing behaviour on your list.
If you’d like them to acknowledge your progress or encourage you to carry out the above.

Add another top tip

img

Select the top tips you are
going to work on this week.

Body checking

Determine the frequency of your body checking...

What type of checking? How many times per day? Are you aware of how often you might look in the mirror or measure your body?
That you would like to target.
For example, reducing gradually (3x per day instead of 6x per day), limiting behaviours (once per week instead of daily) or eliminating some behaviours altogether (for instance, stop checking thighs).
For example, not checking your body until after work if elimination feels too challenging a first step.

Add another top tip

Pick some top tips you are going to work on this week.

Reducing anxiety

Remind yourself of the long-term benefit of enduring short-term anxiety...

Targeting body avoidance or checking behaviours will likely give rise to anxiety in the short-term, but you are working towards a positive body image in the long-term.
As the more we practice a situation, the less anxious we often feel. Facing our fears gives us a chance to test out whether they are true or not and allows us to challenge our thoughts and behaviours.

Practice a deep breathing meditation...

...and/or progressive muscle relaxation exercises.

Play
Pause

Progressive Muscle Relaxation- Audio File

Fight, flight or freeze response

youtube ID

This video explains how FFF-responses work, some of which may be familiar to you when experiencing high-stress situations.

Moments that trigger negative body image thoughts may be misinterpreted as a dangerous situation by our brain. Sometimes our body enters survival mode quicker than our mind can react.

Ways to turn OFF your fight or flight response 

youtube ID

Slow your
breathing

Relaxation strategy
e.g. progressive
muscle relaxation. 

Mindfulness meditation – this helps you to develop a muscle in your mind to direct your attention where you want it to go. 

Activity: Hot cross bun model

Complete a hot cross bun model

Start here

Identify avoidance/checking
behaviour

Behaviours

What thoughts lead to
this/result from this?

Thoughts

What feelings arise
before/after?

Emotion

Note the physical sensations
associated

Physical sensation

Start here

Identify avoidance/checking
behaviour

What thoughts lead to
this/result from this?

Thoughts

What feelings arise
before/after?

Behaviours

Emotion

Physical sensation

Note the physical sensations
associated

Think of one body image related fear you are going to face after today's session.

You can use your hot cross bun model to reflect on the fear that comes to mind.

Behaviours

Thoughts

Emotion

Physical sensation

Thoughts

Behaviours

Emotion

Physical sensation

Reflections

image
image
image

Well Done!

- Completed
You have

References or Creators Credit

My Notes

Supporting Videos

youtube ID jEHwB1PG_-Q

The Fight, Flight, Freeze Response

youtube ID f0tEcxLDDd4

If you could change one thing about your body, what would it be?

youtube ID u1jRaHrpokA

Mindful Eating