Body Checking 101

Body checking…what is it? Do you do it?  And can it be helpful or harmful?

Body checking is something that many of us do but we might not even realise. Everyone will casually look at their body, like checking their appearance in the mirror while getting ready in the morning. It's a normal part of life, right? Body checking, on the other hand, refers to behaviours and thoughts related to assessing your physical appearance, including body weight, shape and size.

Body checking can be incredibly debilitating with frequent, obsessive or ritualistic thoughts or behaviours (or perhaps complete avoidance of body checking all together – aka ‘body avoidance’). It involves examining, measuring, monitoring or comparing the physical appearance of your body. And it’s often surrounded by feelings of compulsiveness, anxiety and fear.

I think it’s important to note here that body checking is often a manifestation of body image concerns, and strongly linked with poor body image and body dysmorphic disorder (p.s. here are 5 ways you can support your body image). It’s also closely tied to disordered eating and eating disorders (which you can find out more about here); as well as obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and panic disorder.

So, how do I know if I’m body checking?
You can think of body checking thoughts and behaviours as existing on a spectrum of severity, frequency and preoccupation. They may include:

• Frequently weighing yourself

• Repeatedly taking body measurements

• Constantly checking your reflection in the mirror or reflective surfaces – including seeking out reflections to do so

• Feeling, pinching or pulling at parts of your body, like your stomach or thighs, to assess size or shape; or to feel for fat, muscle or bone

• Regularly trying on the same items of clothing to ensure they fit the same way

• Repeatedly taking before and after photos, or comparing yourself to old photos of yourself

• Fixating on certain body parts as ‘problem’ areas

• Seeking reassurance about body weight, size or shape – like asking loved ones “Do I look like I’ve gained weight?”

• Feeling relief or anxiety after engaging in these behaviours

And is body checking helpful?
No. Body checking encourages a strong focus on your physical appearance, reinforcing the belief that your body is the problem and that physical appearance should inform your sense of self worth or value. It can very quickly become an obsessive habit. And it can lead to untrue perceptions of your body size or shape.

Essentially, body checking occurs in a negative cycle. It’s often linked to the desire to feel better about one’s body, with the hope that it’ll provide a sense of reassurance. Typically, it’ll begin with feelings of anxiety / fear/ worry / loss of control  this leads to the desire to feel better and get rid of those feelings  this leads to engaging in a body checking behaviour. One of two things then typically happen. Option a – momentarily, the negative feelings may subside and a temporary sense of relief may result – however this is usually very transient and the cycle will begin again as soon as another trigger occurs. Option b – the body checking leads to even more negative emotions, and hence more body checking, and the cycle continues.

Just some of the impacts of body checking are:

• Reinforcing the notion that physical appearance is an important factor 

• Reinforcing the notion that one’s body cannot be trusted and must be monitored or controlled

• Increased body dissatisfaction

• Increased disordered eating and eating disorder behaviours

• Intensifying the belief that one’s body is imperfect and / or needs to be changed

• Amplification of negative emotions and mood dysregulation

I’ve realised that I body check…and I now know it’s not helpful…so what can I do?
Of course, everyone’s experience is unique and their own. I invite you to get curious about your own body checking behaviours. Do you do it? What behaviours / thought patterns do you engage in? What are the triggers, circumstances or environments that often lead to these behaviours / thoughts? What are you seeking from engaging in body checking? Does body checking actually provide what you’re seeking? How do you feel before and after body checking? How long do these feelings last? What other behvaiours pop up around it (e.g. increased disordered eating)? Do you notice any patterns? These are all questions I invite you to really sit with.

If body checking is something that you identify with, there are many things you can do. My number one piece of advice is always to work with a qualified therapist who has the experience and expertise to help you – they’ll be able to support you through the process, and importantly also address whatever factors have led to body checking in the first place. In conjunction with this, there are ways to help disengage from body checking, including:

• Identifying body checking behaviours and thought processes – simply being aware is such an important place to start

• Increasing self awareness around triggers that make you want to body check

• Trying alternative methods to cope with feelings of anxiety or fear (that don’t focus on your body)

• Taking a break from social media

• Taking the focus away from your body in general – these 5 tips on supporting body image are a great place to start 

And remember, I’m always here to reach out to xx