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By: Olivia Kline, EDC Administrative Assistant  Throughout your eating disorder recovery journey there may be days where you may experience bad body image. Experiencing this can be difficult to manage and may feel like a pitfall within your eating disorder recovery. However, we have some tips to help you to cope with bad body image days. It’s important to note that we view the goal of a body image healing journey as not necessarily always looking in the mirror and loving how you look, rather being far less focused on your body and instead spending your time and energy devoted to things that matter to you. Ultimately, even if you love your appearance right now-all of our bodies will change as we age and putting our self worth into the appearance of our body is not helpful in the long-run. As our founder, Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C, has said, “I don’t need you to fall in love with your body, I want you to fall in love with your life.” Even though the goal is to eventually be able to focus less on your appearance and body, this is so hard when you have an eating disorder and/or diet culture yelling in your ear. The following are some tips for bad body image days in eating disorder recovery. 1. Prioritize Comfort Grab some comfy clothes and try to find a space where you feel safe. It can be helpful to put on some comfortable clothes that help you to work to shift focus onto other things that are more values-aligned. Also, try to put yourself in an environment or setting that increases your comfort. Take some time to lay on the couch or to find a way to help you relax. 2 Lean on your Support System You deserve to be supported, especially when you are not feeling great. Reach out to those you trust and seek support from. Be open with them about how you are feeling and how they can support you. 3. Ask Yourself What’s Underneath When you are flooded with bad body image, it may be helpful to dig deep and try to uncover what else might be upsetting you. This way, you can work to address what might actually be bothering you, which you may be projecting onto your body. Think of your experience of poor body image as an important signal, which tells you that you might need to pay attention to something else in your life. 4. Self-care Practice self-care in whatever way works best for you! Take time for yourself and do something that you enjoy. Draw, read a book, or watch your favorite show! Think about ways to engage in self-care physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, or personally. 5. Reflect on Your True Values Your brain (and society) may try to convince you that your body is what you have to offer to this world. This is not the truth. Spend some time reflecting on what your true values are, which the negative body image takes you away from. 6. Process How You are Feeling Journal, talk to a loved one, reach out to or meet with a therapist. Take some time to process the emotions that you are experiencing related to and underneath your bad body image. Let yourself feel your feelings without judgment. 7. Practice Mindfulness Mindfulness can help you become more aware of your thoughts and how you are feeling. Practice observing your thoughts and feelings and imagine them floating by like clouds passing in the sky, rather than getting ‘hooked’ by a thought and engaging with it. 8. Follow Body Diverse Folks Online Research supports that following folks in diverse body sizes on social media is a powerful way to improve body image. Try to look at and follow some pages of people who are in diverse body sizes and share positive messaging around food. 9. Practice Self-Compassion Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love or to your childhood self. Think about things that you love about yourself that have nothing to do with your body or appearance. 10. Make a List of Life Goals Think about the goals that you have for your life that have nothing to do with your body or appearance. You can be creative with this and make it in the form of a vision board or collage. Finding Body Acceptance Is Possible! Are you looking for support on your healing journey towards body acceptance? The Eating Disorder Center would love to help. We are here to help you along your recovery journey to find food freedom, make peace with your body and ultimately with yourself. We provide in-person eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD and virtually throughout MD, VA, DC, PA, NY, and FL. We also provide eating disorder recovery coaching worldwide. Reach out to us via our website contact form or call us at 301-246-6856. to get started with a free 15-minute consultation with an eating disorder specialist. Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom. 🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, NY, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy 🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, teens, and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com
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By: Megan Samuels, LCSW-C, Eating Disorder & Trauma Therapist  Eating Disorder Awareness Week plays a crucial role in increasing knowledge about eating disorders and helping individuals find appropriate treatment. However, for us at The Eating Disorder Center, we are focused on raising awareness of eating disorders all year long. It’s important to highlight that eating disorders do not discriminate—they affect people of all backgrounds, including various races, ages, ethnicities, religions, body sizes, abilities, and sexual orientations. Eye-Opening Statistics:
These statistics make it clear: eating disorders don’t have a singular “look.” Recognizing the Signs of an Eating Disorder Symptoms can vary widely from person to person. While many associate eating disorders with restricting food intake, purging, or weight loss, there are numerous other signs that may indicate someone is struggling. Common Warning Signs:
Eating Disorders and Mental Health One of the complexities of eating disorders is their strong connection to other mental health conditions. Many individuals with eating disorders also experience an eating disorder and OCD, an eating disorder and trauma, or occurring disorders of depression or anxiety disorders. Finding the right treatment can be overwhelming, and specialized eating disorder therapy is essential to address both the eating disorder and any co-occurring mental health challenges. At The Eating Disorder Center, our clinicians provide assessments, eating disorder therapy, and recovery coaching for those struggling with eating disorders and related mental health concerns. Whether you or a loved one need a one-time evaluation or ongoing support, we’re here to help. Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom. 🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, NY, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy 🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, teens, and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com *Disclaimer: The information is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for your independent medical decision-making nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. The information may change without notice. No claims, promises, or guarantees are made about the completeness, accuracy, currency, content or quality of information linked. You assume all responsibility and risk for any use of the information.
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The Eating Disorder CenterWe are a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center in Rockville, Maryland.
We also provide eating disorder recovery coaching to people worldwide via Zoom. Click here to book your free 15 minute phone consultation! Phone: 301-246-6856 Email: [email protected] Archives
March 2025
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