DR MARIANNE MILLER
CARING EATING DISORDER TREATMENT IN SAN DIEGO AND THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, AND WASHINGTON D.C. FOR ADULTS & TEENS
Shame, Sex, and Body Image with San Diego Therapist Dr Jennifer Konzen
Feeling ashamed about your body? Does it affect your sex life? Body image issues can be prevalent in San Diego and elsewhere, and it can definitely come into play in your sexual relationship. Whether you struggle with an eating disorder, lots of people feel ashamed about their bodies. If you’re one of them, such shame can get in the way of having a fulfilling sex life, which can lead to even more shame. It’s as though shame manifests shame.
What to Do When You Feel Like Crap About Your Body
Feeling terrible about your body? Did you look in the mirror this morning and recoil? Are you filled with shame and self-loathing when you see pictures of yourself? It can be so difficult in sunny San Diego to grapple with your body image when it seems like everyone is wearing shorts and skirts. You catch yourself in a mirror, and you’re flooded with negative thoughts and emotions about your body. It feels paralyzing and isolating. Whether you have an eating disorder, negative body image sucks.
Body shame is very real. We live in a society that equates how our body looks to our value as people. It has historically been tough for women and increasingly challenging for men as the objectification of bodies increases. It can be especially difficult for non-binary people. For all genders of individuals, society often equates appearance to morality. The dehumanization and oppression in such messages are appalling.
How do you cope with all of this negativity? I have three strategies that can get you on the path to body acceptance. These concepts come from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindful self-compassion.
How Body Shaming in Media Affects Eating Disorder Recovery and How to Handle It
Feel badly about your body? Having a hard time dealing with media’s images of how bodies SHOULD look? Are you just OVER watching movies or Netflix or other TV shows that have NO body diversity? Sick of social media promoting a certain kind of body type and disguising it as “health” or “wellness”? It can feel as though we are bombarded with images on or phones, on TVs, on computers, and on movie screens that send us the message that we need to look a certain way. In San Diego, messages about having a “bikini body” or a “beach-ready” body assault us on a daily basis. Both in San Diego and other places, summer can especially be difficult. All the media show people in fewer clothes, so you may feel even more conscious about how your body looks. In this post, I’m going to identify three ways the media portrays bodies and how it influences eating disorder recovery. PLUS, I’m going to share what you can do about it.
Six Ways to Stare Down Shame in Eating Disorder Recovery
Feel like shame sometimes hijacks your brain and leaves you wounded and broken, laying bleeding on the sidewalk? You’re not alone. Most people grapple with shame in eating disorder recovery. Whether it’s shame about your body, shame about your eating disorder behaviors, shame about your thoughts, or even deep, dark shame that you even exist—shame can be so pervasive and paralyzing. It can be especially hard in San Diego, where the “beautiful life” exists all around you and you feel even more shame because you feel as though you’re not a part of it. Whether you live in San Diego or elsewhere, I want to let you know that it IS possible to overcome shame in your eating disorder recovery. I’ve outlined six strategies to stare down shame, borrowing some from Dr. Brené Brown, who is a shame, courage, and vulnerability researcher.
How to Get Help for Binge Eating Disorder
Struggling with binge eating? Feeling out of control of your eating and don’t know where to turn? I have an excellent starting point for you. I discussed what binge eating disorder is and how to get help on a recent podcast on the Embodied & Well Mom Show that I did on with the fabulous Lindsay Stenovec, MS, RDN, CEDRD of San Diego’s Nutrition Instincts. I have provided a transcription of the main part of the podcast in this blog post. Enjoy!!