Services:

Body Image Counseling

 

 

Men and women of all ages and cultural backgrounds struggle with eating disorders and many more deal with disordered eating issues or concerns about their body. For example, 91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting and 22% dieted “often” or “always.” Regarding body image, 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance.

 

Perhaps you are tired of dealing with your own struggles. You might be unhappy with the size or shape of your body. Or you might be exhausted from hiding your binge eating or purging behaviors. Or perhaps you are tired of counting calories in pursuit of perfection and control. You are not alone. Maybe you’re worried about your son or daughter. Or perhaps you want to know how to help a friend. We hope that information on these pages will help you learn more about the wide array of eating concerns facing college students and the resources available to help you or a loved one.

 

When you look in the mirror, how do you see yourself? Body image is our personal view and interpretation of our body.

 

Some signs and symptoms of a distorted body image include:

 

- Thinking or talking about the flaws in your body.
- Spending a lot of time in front of a mirror, obsessing about specific body parts.
- Weighing yourself frequently and judging yourself by the number on the scale.
- Refraining from enjoyable activities because you are ashamed or self-conscious about your body.
- Obsessing about food, weight, and fitness level in private and/or in public.

 

Distorted body image and dieting are thought to contribute to eating disorders. Learning to accept the body that you have, see through media messages, and to practice healthy lifestyle behaviors are the keys to staying healthy

 

Body image is how an individual perceives, feels and experiences her or his body. It involves how you think and feel about your appearance and what it is like to live in your body. Body image exists on a continuum with individuals who largely feel positively about their body at one end of the continuum. These individuals do not tie their self esteem to their pant size or whether they are perceived attractive by others. They base their self esteem on a variety of factors. At the other end of the continuum are those individuals who feel very negatively about their body the majority of the time, experiencing shame related to their appearance. These individuals are more likely to tie their self worth to their body shape and level of attractiveness. People with negative body image are more likely to develop eating disorders.

 

It is estimated that around 80% of all women struggle with their body image. It is also believed that an increasing number of men feel negatively about their bodies. An individual’s body image is impacted by many factors including one’s overall self esteem, relationships and exposure to the media.

 

There are many ways to improve one’s body image. One strategy is to seek out individual and/or group counseling. Realize that there are many people suffering from this disorder, and seeking help from someone that knows and understands how you feel is a great step toward recovery. If you think you or someone you know might have abody image or eating disorder, come see one of the professionals at Front Range Counseling Center. Recognizing this problem is the first step towards getting better, and we can help.

 

 

We encourage you to set an appointment today.  We are here to help!