You know the feeling. You step on the scale in the morning, and the next thing you know you’re bashing your body, criticizing your food choices, and “shoulding” all over yourself. You’ve barely gotten out of bed, and already your whole day feels ruined.

Or maybe you wake up feeling ok, but later you catch a glimpse of your reflection, or your girlfriends want to take some group photos, and suddenly your mind is in a tailspin. You can’t think past all the mean things you’re saying to yourself, and you have no idea how to pull yourself out of the downward spiral.

The first thing I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that you’re not alone. I’ve yet to meet a human living in our weight- and appearance-obsessed, toxic diet culture who doesn’t struggle with their body image at least occasionally. Challenging body image moments are normal, they’re not your fault, and there are many things you can do to lessen their magnitude, frequency, impact. Let’s explore some ways to pull yourself out of a body image spiral.

Acknowledge What’s Happening

Rather than trying to stuff down your feelings, non-judgmentally notice and name the moment instead. Try using a neutral phrase like, “this is a difficult body image moment” or “this is a moment of suffering.”

Remember you’re in a relationship with your body and all relationships have ups and downs. This is normal. By noticing what’s happening, you can begin to protect and love yourself through this period of emotional need.

Change Your Self-Talk with Self-Compassion

When your body image is negatively activated, your self-talk is harsh, critical, and judgmental. Needless to say, this isn’t helpful and only adds fuel to the fire.

Practice stopping and redirecting your mean inner voice. As soon as you notice your negative self-talk, say something along the lines of, “I’m being mean to myself, and it isn’t helpful. I’m going to stop saying terrible things now.”

Then, actively work to replace those mean thoughts with self-compassion, a powerful and essential tool for coping with periods of poor body image. The concept of self-compassion is simple — instead of beating up on yourself or your body, say something kind — but the practice can be a challenge, especially if you’re not used to treating yourself compassionately. If it feels difficult, consider what you would say to a dear friend or a loved one feeling a similar way. Likely, you would validate their feelings and show them warmth and kindness.

Practice turning that same empathy and compassion inward. I suggest placing your hand on your heart while saying something along the lines of, “This is a difficult moment; I can offer myself care and love right now.”

In her book, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, researcher Kristin Neff explains that self-criticism activates the body's fight or flight system, triggering the release of cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones. Self-compassion, in contrast, promotes the release of oxytocin, the "hormone of love and bonding.” This helps lower cortisol and blood pressure while decreasing fear and anxiety.

Self-compassion is powerful!

Support Your Nervous System with These Helpful Tools

Believe it or not, body image isn’t really about what your body looks like. Instead, it’s about your thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of your body — and ultimately, what you do with those thoughts. Your body doesn’t change much from morning to afternoon or even from one day to the next, and yet you can be feeling ok one moment and your body image can be completely activated the next. Something in your thoughts or mindset has shifted.

When you’re struggling with body image, it’s important to recognize that you’re feeling badly about your body; your thoughts are fueling the downward spiral and likely dysregulating your nervous system.

In response, practice shifting your attention away from your thoughts and into the direct experience of being IN your body. Here are some tools to help you get out of your head and into your body — we call this embodiment — while also creating a sense of safety for your nervous system:

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique:

Take a few deep, centering breaths and turn your attention to five things you can feel; continue breathing deeply and notice four things you can see, then three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and in turn, one thing you can taste. The more details you can identify, the more grounded you will feel.

Shake It Out:

Raise one arm above your head and shake it back and forth while counting from one to 10. Then do the same thing with your other arm, following it next with one leg and then the other. Continue for one or several rounds. Notice the sensations you’re feeling in your physical body.

Go for a walk:

Get yourself moving and outside in nature. Consider carrying a flower with a pleasing scent or a sprig of pine needles that you can periodically and mindfully inhale. Allow the smell to transport your mind and body to a time that evokes positive emotions.

Belly Breathing:

My friend and trauma-informed breathwork coach, Trish Brewer, recommends this technique to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, regulate your stress response, and promote relaxation:

Find a Comfortable Position – Sit or lie down with one hand on your belly and one on your heart.
Inhale Deeply – Breathe in through your nose, allowing your belly to expand like a balloon. Feel your hand rise as your diaphragm engages.
Exhale Slowly – Breathe out through your nose or mouth, feeling your belly gently deflate. Imagine releasing tension with each exhale.
Repeat for 5–10 breaths – With each cycle, notice the sensation of warmth, safety, and presence in your body.

Trish shares that “this practice shifts focus from the mind to the body, fostering calm and self-compassion. Try inhaling for 4–6 counts and exhaling for 8–10 counts to enhance relaxation.

Even three deep belly breaths can create a sense of grounding. Use this technique in stressful moments or as a daily mindfulness practice.”

Put On Your Most Comfortable Clothes

Wearing clothes that fit and feel good on your body is a tremendous act of self-care all the time, and it’s even more important when you find yourself in a downward body image spiral. Clothes that are too tight or that otherwise pull or tug or feel uncomfortable will be a constant reminder of discomfort in your body.

Here’s the way I often explain it to clients, courtesy of Brianna Campos with Body Image with Bri. If you get a paper cut, in and of itself it’s usually no big deal. However, if you repeatedly get a papercut in the exact same spot, sooner or later it will fester into a bigger, more pressing wound.

Likewise, every time your clothing tugs, pinches, or pulls, or you catch a glimpse of something that just doesn’t fit you well, it’s like getting a papercut to your body image. The more of those moments you have throughout the day, the deeper the emotional wounds you’re inflicting. In my coaching programs, we call clothes that don’t fit “papercut clothes.” I recommend clearing away or donating your papercut clothes as a protective measure for your body image — and at the very least, don’t wear them on a difficult body image day.

Choose things that feel good and are enjoyable to wear.

Stay Off the Scale

If you’re working on healing your body image, I suggest putting your scale away or donating it altogether. If you’re not ready to do this, that’s ok. Commit at least to staying off it when you’re in a body image spiral.

The scale can be a form of body checking, which is essentially the practice of frequently or repeatedly monitoring or collecting data about one’s shape, size, appearance, or specific physical features. Weighing yourself frequently can be a form of body checking, as can pinching or measuring certain areas of your body, repeatedly scrutinizing or “checking” certain body parts in the mirror, feeling for prominent bones, or hyper-monitoring the fit of certain items of clothing.

Watch for these behaviors and practice not doing them, especially on difficult body image days.

Do Something Kind and Enjoyable for Yourself

This is a period of suffering and radical self-care is one of the best tools in your toolbox. Remember that no matter how you’re feeling about your body in this moment, you still need to eat and nourish your body today and every day. Have a yummy meal and add some nutrients that will help you feel energized and supported.

If you’re able and it would feel good, move your body in a way that’s enjoyable — do some yoga, have a solo dance party, do a fitness class you enjoy, take a walk, do some gardening, it doesn’t really matter as long as you’ll enjoy it and can do it safely.

Take a nap if you need it. Put on your favorite playlist and do something you’ll enjoy like a creative project or hobby. Call a friend and schedule some time together. Read a book, watch your favorite tv show or movie, give your pet a cuddle, or hug your kids.

Choose things that will bring a smile to your face or make you feel well cared for.

Try Some Positive Affirmations

Many people find it helpful to have some positive mantras or affirmations they can say to themselves during these difficult periods. Here are a few of my favorites:

My body deserves my unconditional respect.
My body is my home and my partner.
I am so much more than my body.
How my body looks is the least interesting thing about me.
I’m learning to feel at peace in my body.
The size of my heart is so much more important than the size of my jeans.
A tree cannot be wrong; neither can my body.
There is no wrong way to have a body.
I am worthy. I am valued. I am enough.

Choose something that resonates with you and put it in as many places as will be helpful for you to see it, such as the screen saver on your phone, in your notes app, on your bathroom mirror, in your closet, on the dash of your car. Pull out your affirmation and repeat it to yourself as many times as you need to.

Seek Support

The tools I’ve shared here can help you stop a body image spiral, and I hope you find them enormously helpful. Longer term, my wish is for you to find true healing and lasting body peace.

This work doesn’t happen through trying to change your body — it happens by exploring the deep-rooted beliefs that fuel fear, shame, and self-judgment. It happens through a compassionate process of challenging harmful cultural ideals, unpacking your personal experiences and unique body story, and learning to unhook your self-worth from how your body looks.

I want you to know that no matter how long you’ve been struggling with your body image, you can and deserve to heal. Most importantly, you don’t have to do this work alone. If you’re ready to take your next step towards genuine healing, I invite you to reach out for support through either private counseling or my small group coaching program. I offer a safe, compassionate space where you can explore, heal, and truly come home to your body.

How to Stop a Negative Body Image Spiral (10+ Proven Strategies You Can Use)