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