Tip of The Week
07/20/10 - Week One
Fighting the dreaded comparisons: Body Image
By Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco, Ph.D.
What is one of the greatest sources of anxiety for women with body image issues? Other women. Women constantly compare their bodies with those of others and inevitably feel that they come up short. This engenders anxiety, shame, and sadness, and can often precipitate episodes of binge eating.
Oxford University psychiatrist Christopher Fairburn recommends a number of useful techniques for contending with comparisons:
- Ask yourself: Who have I been comparing myself to? Have I selected a biased sample (i.e., only thin, model-types)?
- Instead of comparing yourself to thin people only, compare yourself to every third person you see on the street. How do these people look? Can people who are not stick-thin still look attractive?
- Scrutinize others’ bodies as you would your own. Even people who on first glance have a “perfect” body might have some flaws.
- Compare yourself to others in areas other than body shape, such as intelligence, family/friend relationships, and talents.
- Try to notice other aspects of women’s appearance (i.e., hair, eyes, shoes, handbags) rather than just their weight/shape.
- Ask yourself what the benefits and drawbacks of comparison-making are. Are you gaining anything from making comparisons? Or are comparisons merely serving to fuel anxiety, shame, and binge eating?
In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy your therapist will work with you to help you manage your comparison-making and its emotional repercussions.