How to Cope With Warmer Weather in Eating Disorder Recovery

By: Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C, Therapist & Founder Of The Eating Disorder Center

For some people in eating disorder recovery, warmer weather can bring up increased negative body image.

As temperatures rise, there are simply more situations where bodies are visible. Shorts, swimsuits, vacations, outdoor gatherings, and social media posts about “summer bodies” can all amplify body image concerns. 

If this happens to you, it does not mean you are doing recovery wrong. It means you are living in a culture that places enormous pressure on bodies, especially during this time of year.

The goal of recovery is not to eliminate every difficult thought about your body (even people without eating disorders may have a negative body image thought from time to time!). The goal is to change how you respond to those thoughts so they no longer control your choices or shrink your life.

Below are several strategies that I use with clients as an eating disorder therapist based in Rockville, Maryland,  drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and broader recovery principles that can help you navigate warmer weather while staying connected to your values.


Shift the Question From “Is This Thought True?” to “Is This Thought Helpful?”

A common CBT strategy is to challenge negative thoughts by asking whether they are true. While that can sometimes be helpful, many people find themselves stuck in endless mental debates about their bodies.

ACT offers a slightly different approach that many people find freeing.

Instead of asking whether a thought is true, try asking whether it is helpful.

For example, you might notice a thought like:

• “My body looks awful in these shorts.”

Rather than arguing with the thought or trying to prove it wrong, ask yourself:

• Is focusing on this thought helping move me toward the life I want to live?
• Is this thought helping me move toward my values, or pulling me away from them?
• If your values include things like connection, family, friendship, creativity, adventure, or being present with loved ones, spending hours ruminating about your body probably does not move you in that direction.

When you notice an unhelpful thought, you do not have to eliminate it. You can simply acknowledge it and choose to place your attention somewhere more meaningful.


Remember the “Passengers on the Bus” Metaphor

One of my favorite ACT metaphors is called the passengers on the bus.

Imagine that you are the driver of a bus. The bus represents your life and the direction you want to travel based on your values.

On this bus are a bunch of noisy passengers. Some of them are kind and supportive, but others are critical, anxious, or fearful.

One passenger might shout:

• “Your body looks terrible. Turn around and go home.”

Another might say:

• “Everyone at the pool will judge you.”

These passengers represent the thoughts and feelings that show up in our minds.

If you try to fight with them or throw them off the bus, you may end up stuck on the side of the road arguing with them all day.

ACT suggests a different approach. You acknowledge that the passengers are there, but you keep driving the bus in the direction of your values.

The passengers might keep yelling. They might get louder for a while. But you do not have to hand them the steering wheel.

Warmer weather situations often bring some loud passengers onto the bus. Recovery means learning that you can still keep moving toward the life you want, even when those voices show up.


Build a Life Around Your Values, Not Around Your Body

Eating disorders and diet culture both encourage us to organize our lives around our bodies.

We might delay plans until we like how our body looks. We might skip events because we feel uncomfortable in certain clothes. We might spend huge amounts of time thinking about how we look rather than engaging with the people and experiences around us.

ACT invites us to ask a different question: 

• What kind of life do I want to build?
• What kind of person do I want to be?

Your values might include things like being a caring friend, a present parent, a curious learner, a creative person, or someone who pursues meaningful experiences.

When body image thoughts start pulling your attention away from your life, it can be helpful to gently redirect yourself back toward your values.

You might ask:

• What action could I take right now that moves me one small step closer to the life I want to build?

Often, that action has nothing to do with changing your body.

It might involve showing up for a social event, spending time outside with your family, working on something creative, or simply being present in the moment.


Practice Opposite Action When Avoidance Shows Up

Eating disorders often encourage avoidance. When body image distress increases, many people feel the urge to cancel plans, skip social events, or hide their bodies.

DBT offers a skill called opposite action that can be very helpful here.

Opposite action involves gently doing the opposite of what the emotion is pushing you to do when the behavior would move you toward your values.

For example:

• If anxiety tells you to skip a picnic or pool day because of how your body looks, opposite action might mean going anyway with a supportive friend.

If the urge is to stay home because you feel self conscious in summer clothing, opposite action might mean showing up for the event you care about.

You do not have to jump into the most difficult situations immediately. Think of it as gradual practice.

Each time you choose connection and experience over avoidance, you weaken the eating disorder’s influence.


Reduce Body Checking

Warmer weather can sometimes increase body checking behaviors.

This might include repeatedly looking in mirrors, pinching parts of your body, comparing your body to others, or frequently asking for reassurance.

Research shows that body checking often increases body dissatisfaction rather than reducing it.

If you notice these behaviors increasing, try experimenting with small shifts such as:

• Reducing how often you check mirrors (even starting by not acting on the urge to body check one time a day)
• Avoiding full length mirrors when you are already feeling vulnerable
• Redirecting your attention when you catch yourself comparing your body to someone else’s

Even small reductions in body checking can decrease the intensity of body image distress.


Curate Your Social Media Feed Carefully

Social media often becomes particularly appearance focused in the warmer months. Diet culture messaging tends to increase during this time of year.

One helpful step in recovery is intentionally shaping what you see online.

Consider unfollowing or muting accounts that promote weight loss, dieting, or unrealistic beauty standards.

At the same time, try following accounts that feature diverse bodies. Seeing people of different sizes, shapes, ages, and backgrounds can help challenge the narrow beauty standards that diet culture promotes.

Over time, this can help normalize body diversity and reduce the pressure to look a certain way.

You may also want to follow accounts focused on creativity, humor, mental health, or other topics that have nothing to do with appearance.


Ride the Waves of Body Image Distress

Body image distress often comes in waves. It can feel intense in the moment, but emotions naturally rise and fall over time.

Mindfulness and DBT distress tolerance skills can help you ride these waves rather than getting swept away by them.

You might try:

• Grounding exercises such as naming five things you can see and hear.
• Gently redirecting your attention to a meaningful activity (i.e. what would you be doing if the body image thoughts weren’t so loud).

Often, if we allow thoughts and feelings to exist without fighting them, they pass more quickly than we expect.


A Final Reminder

If warmer weather is bringing up body image struggles for you, you are not alone.

Recovery does not require that you feel confident about your body every moment of the day. It means learning to keep moving toward your values even when difficult thoughts show up.

The passengers on the bus may get loud sometimes.
​
But you are still the one holding the steering wheel.

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, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy
🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide​

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Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C (she/her), is an award-winning eating disorder therapist and the founder of The Eating Disorder Center, a specialized therapy practice for eating disorders and body image concerns. Jennifer uses ACT, CBT, and DBT to help clients find freedom from eating disorders and body image struggles.  Jennifer is recognized as a leading eating disorder expert and was named one of the top professionals in the field by a premier treatment center. She is the recipient of the Best of Bethesda Award for Best Individual Therapist (2025) and the Best of Rockville Award (2020–2024). She helps clients to live full, meaningful lives, beyond food and body image concerns. ​

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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 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