Eating disorders are complicated, but at Charlie Health we believe recovery is possible. Learn more about eating disorders, and body neutrality in our blog.
Body neutrality is the concept that you can exist without hyper-focusing on your body. At its core, body neutrality is a response to the body positivity movement—the movement encouraging people to love and celebrate their bodies as they are right now. Over the last few years, the body positivity movement has gained significant attention, with magazines banning the term "bikini body" and brands promoting bodies of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. But body positivity has one major limitation: It focuses on loving your body when there's so much more to you than your appearance. Body neutrality focuses on moving away from body image and appearance as a source of esteem and instead encourages you to be grateful for everything your body does for you. It's all about shifting your perspective—from low self-esteem and disgust to body appreciation and respect.
Not everyone with an eating disorder experiences negative body image, but body image concerns can be a significant problem for many people with eating disorders. Body image disturbances are diagnostic criteria for many eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Body neutrality is a more realistic recovery goal than full-body acceptance or body positivity, which have been previously suggested as eating disorder recovery goals. While there's nothing wrong with body positivity, holding full acceptance or love of your body as an end goal for ED recovery might seem out of reach for most people, especially those living with body disgust, trauma, or gender dysphoria.
The idea of body positivity is also framed as an absolute. After recovery, body positivity dictates that individuals should love their bodies all the time. However, eating disorder treatment challenges black-and-white thinking—and an all-or-nothing definition of eating disorder recovery would counter this goal. Body neutrality promotes self-acceptance regardless of one's appearance, helping individuals cope with the perfectionism, stress, and lack of control that often accompanies eating disorders.
With that said, not everyone with an eating disorder experiences body image issues, a fixation on weight loss, or an intense fear of weight gain. The most common eating disorder is OSFED (other specified eating disorder), which doesn't have a clear match with any other eating disorder. Ultimately, eating disorder treatment plans will vary depending on one's individual needs and their specific mental health diagnosis.
Whether you have an eating disorder or an unhealthy relationship with body image, body neutrality can help shift your perspective and sense of self-worth away from your appearance. Remember: It's completely normal to have days where you don't feel perfect in your body. Ultimately, our experiences in our bodies are layered, and trying to maintain a single view of your body can be incredibly draining.
Some ways to incorporate body neutrality in your everyday life include:
Eating disorders can affect anyone from any age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or income level. If left unchecked, extreme dieting, extreme weight loss, and other unhealthy behaviors can lead to serious health problems, including malnutrition, severe electrolyte imbalance, mental health problems, and life-threatening medical complications. Eating disorders have the highest fatality rates of any mental health disorder.
If you have an eating disorder, nutrition counseling and psychotherapy can be valuable tools in managing your mental and physical health and promoting lifestyle changes. Comprehensive treatment from professionals, including therapists, nutritionists and dietitians, and medical doctors are often the most effective treatment option for individuals with anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, and other EDs.
If you're experiencing eating disorder symptoms, don't hesitate to reach out for professional support. To start the recovery process, reach out to your primary care provider or another trusted health care provider. They can refer you to a mental health specialist for support, guidance, and treatment
Reaching out takes courage. We’re here to listen to your needs, answer your questions, and match you with an appropriate treatment plan.
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