Body
Physical Health
Learning To Love Your “Lockdown Body”
August 8th, 2021 at 12:10 pm
As we prepare to return to normalcy, you may find yourself focusing on the changes that your body might have gone through over the lockdown period. Most of us would be experiencing increased levels of anxiety due to staying indoors and feeling very anxious about our body image.
Just know that you are not alone in feeling so – a recent survey conducted in the UK on body image uncovered the scale of the problem. It reported that 61% of adults and 66% of children feel negative or very negative about their body image most of the time, and the figures were higher for specific groups including women (62%), people with disabilities and transgender people (57%). This means that the lockdown has worsened existing body image anxieties and inspired new insecurities in such groups.
Rather than focusing on your insecurities and pushing yourself to achieve unrealistic post-lockdown body expectations, here are some body acceptance practices you can adopt instead:
- Break body-bashing habits – Instead of criticising yourself when your jeans feel a bit tight, find comfort in a pair of pants that are easy to move in.
- Avoid negative body talk in conversations – If your friends start discussing appearances, redirect the conversation towards something more productive.
- Eat intuitively – Enjoy a balance of healthy foods that nourish your body, as well as desserts and snacks instead of denying your cravings.
- Respect your body’s limits – Choose fun physical activities, such as walking, cycling or dancing, but when you feel tired, don’t give yourself a hard time for taking it easy.
- Ground yourself – When you notice yourself being critical towards your body, remind yourself what it has done for you. Take a deep breath and focus on your body’s strength and ability in the moment.
- Curate a positive social media feed – Unfollow anyone who makes you feel bad about your body or like you need to change your appearance. Find accounts that inspire and empower you instead.
- Practice self-care – Self-care helps us be more compassionate toward ourselves, so make time to attend to your body’s needs.
Even after we return to normalcy, we should continue to work on loving and accepting our body regardless of the season or the occasion. Some days may be harder than others, but the real body goal is to promote and maintain a positive body image. If you still struggle with how you feel about your body, please seek professional help.
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