Body image and chronic pain are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain chronic pain, and chronic pain frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Chronic Pain
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives chronic pain
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary chronic pain trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as chronic pain
How Chronic Pain Affects Body Image
Chronic Pain 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 Chronic Pain 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 chronic pain
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and chronic pain