It's That Time of Year Again… School and Body Image Issues

School is back in session and I am hearing a lot of common themes around the body and where negative body image issues start.

For some reason, it’s because some are shopping and trying on new clothes after a fun summer. Some are worried about returning to school and seeing their peers after putting on or not putting on weight.

So many things can bring on anxiety around returning to school; wouldn’t it be nice if our bodies weren’t one of them?

I remember the excitement and dread of shopping for school clothes as a young person. I remember feeling excited and scared to go back to school, seeing friends I hadn’t seen all summer, and wondering if they would notice I had put on weight.

This is normal. It is part of being a teen and growing up. Many teens go through this…your teen is not alone. Their stress and concern is totally normal. Your teen is not alone in feeling stressed and concerned; many teens go through this. It is totally normal.

Lately, I have had parents come into my office and talk about the heartbreak they feel hearing their child's anxiety about returning to school.

How can you help your child, friend, niece/nephew feel better or at least safe returning to school?

Teenagers' bodies are constantly changing, which can be overwhelming and daunting. Some teens won’t even talk about how they feel about their bodies. For others, a total meltdown takes place. What if a conversation were started each year before school started? Let your child know that our bodies change throughout life. What if we celebrated our bodies changing? After all, it’s going to happen no matter what. And, how lucky are we that we are nourished enough for our bodies to change.

How can we address teen bodies changing when social media is telling teens it’s not okay to gain weight?

In fact, social media is encouraging kids to lose weight by eating less and finding ways to feel fuller without eating the right amount of food for growth and development.

Recently, two clients mentioned adding chia seeds to their water and asked how this could help them lose weight. So many red flags went off. I began discussing their question by asking what they didn’t like about their bodies and why they thought it was necessary to lose weight. I had many different responses to these questions. Other clients have told me a variety of ways they got the message that their bodies weren't okay.

In fact, parents, grandparents, and loved ones are often mentioned as reasons. Most of us try so hard not to cause harm and say the right thing. Most of us have good intentions, however, we sometimes say the wrong thing without knowing how it may affect a teen.

Let’s celebrate the change in our bodies. Teach your child that change in our bodies is good and that all bodies are beautiful.

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