Ringing Body Neutrality Into the New Year

Ringing Body Neutrality into the New Year

As Thanksgiving and Christmas have passed, the last holiday to celebrate is New Years. A typical thing people do before the New Year approaches is creating resolutions. This ranges from financial goals to improvement in physical/mental health to picking up a new hobby. One popular resolution among most people is weight loss. Typically during the holidays, people tend to give themselves permission to indulge in all the festive foods until next year rolls around. Once the New Year is around the corner, you will hear someone say, “my New Year’s resolution is to lose weight”. Most of the time, that resolution is not achieved.

Body Positivity vs. Body Neutrality

One topic that has been buzzing around social media lately is body positivity. Body positivity was created to address the way body image influences mental health and overall well-being. However, there are a few problems with body positivity. According to Psychologist Susan Albers, Psy.D., “body positivity is a subset of toxic positivity. Some feel that it blames people for how they feel based on their mindset. It can also push people into trying to feel something that they don’t.” Although the intentions behind body positivity is admirable, unconditionally loving one’s body can seem unrealistic, because many people report being unhappy about themselves. Another criticism of body positivity is that it can be non-inclusive to people of color, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Body images that are often portrayed in body-positive messages still conform to a specific beauty ideal.

Body neutrality is neither loving nor hating your body. Think of it as the middle road of body negativity and body positivity. It is a shift in perspective from body hatred and disgust to body appreciation and respect. It focuses on appreciating what the body can do even if it does not look the way you prefer it to be. Body neutrality tends to be a more approachable and achievable goal as it takes the pressure of body image off. 

The main difference between these two movements is the idea of value. The body-positive approach states that you are beautiful no matter what. The body-neutral approach states that your value is not tied to your body nor does your happiness depend on what you look like.

How to achieve to Body Neutrality

• Make peace with your body. Start taking care of your body instead of punishing it.

• Practice daily body appreciation and replace negative self-talk with body neutral phrases. Write down 3-5 things every day that your body can do.

  • Thank you body for taking care of me today.

  • My legs are strong in order to help me walk.

  • My body works hard and deserves kindness.

  • My weight does not determine my worth.

  • Thank you belly for protecting my vital organs.

  • Thank you arms for being able to hug my loved ones

  • All bodies are different and perfectly imperfect.

• Focus on your strengths. Think about what makes you stand out, what you are good at, your unique talents, and what others like about you.

• Sweeping social media feeds. When you find yourself comparing yourself with someone, or an account/site that makes you feel ashamed or guilty, unfollow them.

One important thing to keep in mind when practicing body neutrality is mindfulness. Comparing yourself on what your body looked like in the past leads to body dissatisfaction. Practicing mindfulness will help you become aware of what is happening right now and what you currently look like. So, ditch the scales and let's bring in the New Year by appreciating all the things your body does for you!

If you are interested in working on body neutrality with one of our dietitians please visit our contact page or click the button below.

Ringing Body Neutrality Into the New Year - Body Image, Dallas Nutritional Counseling