There is the misconception that eating disorder therapy can help you have a great body image - to love your body every day, the way that it is portrayed in the media. I love the idea of women thinking that they love their bodies, and feeling beautiful. But sometimes the pressure to constantly feel that way can be too much, and it is often not realistic to feel great about our bodies every day. There is only so far that "thinking positive thoughts" about our bodies can get us to.
Not to mention that constantly thinking positively about your body is almost impossible in today's society. Whenever I go on Instagram or walk around Greenwich, I notice that the world is telling us that our bodies (and we) are not good enough. That we most look better, be thinner, look better, try harder.
True body image healing is a lot of hard active/intentional work, doesn't come passively, and goes far beyond thinking positive thoughts about the body. It doesn't necessarily involve positive thoughts. It often involves reframing your thoughts to things like "I am a real woman. Real women don't have perfect bodies. This is what a real woman's body looks like"
Real body image work is finding who you are outside of your body. It involves learning to place less value on the size of our bodies and our appearances. It involves learning what you deeply value and what deeply matters to you, and centering your life around that instead of the size of your body. Your body then becomes simply a vehicle to live your life in a way that deeply matters. Living your life in a way that deeply matters eventually brings a sense of confidence and groundedness that the number on the scale just can't compete with.
