Body Neutrality: An Alternative to Body Positivity in Eating Disorder and Disordered Eating Recovery

Recovering from an eating disorder or disordered eating is both emotionally turbulent AND a highly rewarding journey. When it comes to recovery goals mental health practitioners tend to focus on food, weight, and other disordered compensatory behaviors (think: over exercising, purging, body checking, food rules, etc.) When it comes to body image, I have noticed a lack of strategies for addressing poor body image other than loving your body or other inherently positive body image perspectives. I am so grateful that body neutrality skills are a growing trend in the treatment of disordered eating and eating disorders, but it doesn’t hurt to raise awareness and provide education about the benefits of adopting body neutrality. 

So, what is body neutrality and why is it helpful in supporting recovery goals? 

Body neutrality is an intentional perspective you can learn and practice so that you can train yourself to feel more neutral about your body. It is self-evident that feeling neutral is a far superior feeling than hatred, fear, disgust, loathing, or even pride. 

If you are one of the few that can achieve unconditional love towards your body, then keep up the good work! Most people struggle to do so as changes in our bodies over time are inevitable thus creating a shaky foundation for body positivity and body love. Not to mention how difficult this would be for people in marginalized bodies. 

I love the body neutrality perspective because it untangles all the emotional and mental drama placed on the body during an eating disorder and neutralizes bodies in general. Objectively our bodies are our physical structures. Some could call them our vessels, the things we travel around in during our lives. Body neutrality is a state of not supporting either side of the conflict and disagreement (body love vs. body hate). 

The shift towards body neutrality takes time and effort. It is certainly uncomfortable. Some of this has to do with the repetition and habit of body hate in our brain patterns but also it has to do with the normalization of negative labels and biases from society and social media. It is terrifyingly normal for people who identify as women or people in larger bodies to report negative body image thoughts every day and even more so to report the actual evidence they have of being labeled or judged by others. 

I have sat with clients and seen the struggle, frustration, and sometimes rage in their faces when I open the door to potentially widening their lenses and looking at themselves differently. When you are fighting a war with your body it feels just or right that you punish yourself. On the flip side, if the alternative is body love and you are in a marginalized body, the chasm between you and loving your body feels insurmountable 

Does this scene sounds dismal? Don’t worry there is a way out, but the question is what do we do? The first step is that you try to be open and willing to shift your perspective. 

What I have seen with clients is that if they don’t at least TRY to shift their perspective, they will continue to spend the rest of their years trying to fit into someone else’s ideal and remain trapped in the prison of their own self-hatred.

Body neutrality becomes a resting place from the constant chaotic chatter and criticism of the mind. It’s a space where you can find some peace and take some pressure off yourself thus simultaneously lowering your stress levels. 

Body neutrality is shifting your perspective towards appreciation and respect for your body. It is honoring the body as it is and taking a few steps down the body image continuum towards a more neutral zone.

Body neutrality is the space where you do not support your body hatred anymore.

Below are five practical steps you can start on if you want to begin shifting your perspective. 

1. Call a truce on the war with your body. You can’t hate yourself happy, successful, thin or anything else. Step away from living in the body hatred camp. This doesn’t mean you have to now love your body, just make a conscious commitment that you do not want to be stuck in that camp. 

2. Start a daily body appreciation practice. Write down 5 things every day that your body can do.

3. Counteract your negative self-talk with some body neutral phrases. For example: 

• Thank your body, for taking care of me today.

• My thighs are strong and help me walk.

• Thank you belly for holding my organs.

• My arms allow me to hug the ones I love.

• My weight does not define my worth.

4. Focus on your strengths. What are your unique talents, and what are you good at? What do others like about you? Essentially, what do you bring to the table that is not your body. This could be getting clear on your values or looking at your positive character traits or even exploring your passions and dreams. 

5. Clean up your social media feeds. If there are people or sites that make you feel bad about yourself, or that you compare yourself with delete them. What you look at impacts your ability to shift your perspective. Finally, seek out the support of a therapist who specializes in eating disorder and disordered eating recovery. Ask potential therapist if they are Health at Every Size informed and what their perspective is on body image. 

Best of luck and please reach out for a free consultation if you have any questions about therapy or what the process of recovery might look like. 

-Shaundra McGuire 

To book with Shaundra McGuire, RMHCI: https://shaundratherapyandwellness.squarespace.com/