Body image and body-focused repetitive behaviors are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain body-focused repetitive behaviors, and body-focused repetitive behaviors frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives body-focused repetitive behaviors
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary body-focused repetitive behaviors trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as body-focused repetitive behaviors
How Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors Affects Body Image
Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by body-focused repetitive behaviors
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and body-focused repetitive behaviors