Body Neutrality and its Impact on Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a topic near and dear to my heart, as I personally struggled with an eating disorder in high school and during my undergraduate degree. I have now worked with many different clients that have struggled with body image, self-confidence and eating disorders. We’ve known for a long time now that both men and women are expected to look a certain way if you listen to the media. The impact of this on everyone from children to older adults has been huge. Some statistics related to eating disorders in the U.S. include 9% of the U.S. population (around 29 million Americans will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. A little over 10,000 people pass away each year because of an eating disorder. Even with this large number of people that are diagnosed with an eating disorder there are many more that go undiagnosed. Less than 6% of people diagnosed are determined by medical professionals to be underweight which makes it hard to know if someone is struggling with their eating and body (Pike, 2024). There have also been many pushes for body positivity, self-love and other great approaches in the last few years. However, these can be difficult when your brain has been trained to feel one way about your body and you’ve learned many habits that can lead to harmful lifestyles.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, there have been a lot of different movements surrounding self-love and body positivity which is definitely a step in the right direction for us as a society. Body positivity focuses on self-love and accepting our bodies as they are, no matter what. Individuals with eating disorders can deal with many thinking/psychological difficulties including negative thinking, low self-esteem, perfectionism and obsessions which make some approaches difficult. When trying to get unstuck from some of these ways of thinking it can be difficult to flip a switch and decide to love yourself. One approach I have found to be helpful for myself as well as clients I have worked with is body neutrality. 

Body neutrality is not about loving or hating your body but focuses on acceptance and having respect for one’s body. This approach prioritizes the body’s function, what it can do and how it helps us live our lives rather than just our physical appearance. Body neutrality acknowledges that your body is only one part of who you are, not your entirety. With this it shouldn’t be the only thing that dominates how you feel about yourself (Fenneld, 2022). Some phrases that can be helpful when practicing body neutrality are “I am much more than just a body” “My arms allow me to hug the people I love” “I am grateful for what my body assists me in doing every day” “My weight does not define my worth.”

A few ways to start practicing body neutrality are to recognize negative thoughts about our bodies when they occur and try reframing these thoughts, listen to your body and what it needs (intuitive eating/needing movement versus rest), talk to/about your body the way you would about someone else and focusing on your strengths in multiple aspects of your life. Just like other approaches this may not be helpful for some but it’s worth a try to help feel better about yourself as a whole.

 

Fenneld. (2022, April 22). Body Neutrality vs. Body Positivity. Health Essentials . Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/body-positivity-vs-body-neutrality/ 

Pike, E. (2024, February 14). Eating disorder statistics 2024: Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating & ARFID. Eating Recovery Center. https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/resources/eating-disorder-statistics#:~:text=9%25%20of%20the%20U.S.%20population,medically%20diagnosed%20as%20“underweight.”

Briannan-LangdonBriannan Langdon, LMSW

Briannan received her Bachelor of Science in Child, Adult, and Family Services with a minor in Psychology from Iowa State University in 2017 and her Master of Social Work from Aurora University in 2022. Briannan is a Licensed Master of Social Worker (LMSW) in the state of Iowa. Briannan prides herself on being genuine, flexible, and continuing to learn always. She provides office-based, school-based, and virtual therapy services assisting a variety of people with different diagnoses. She is especially passionate about working with children, adolescents, and adults with trauma, attachment, adjustment disorders, relationship stressors, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, impulse control, disordered eating, grief and loss, adoption/parenting difficulties, and anger management. Briannan uses a person-centered, strengths-based approach to assist clients in overcoming their current struggles so they can be their best selves. Briannan has done many trainings including Trauma Informed Care (TIC), Attachment Therapy, Youth Mental Health First Aid, Working with LGBTQ+ youth and many other trainings.

Get to know Bri a little better.