How to Improve Your Body Image
There are several ways to start rebuilding a more comfortable relationship with your body. Small shifts in how you think about and respond to your body can make a meaningful difference over time.
Practice Acceptance Without Pretending You Like Having MG
“Acceptance does not mean that you are ‘okay’ with having MG or that it doesn’t cause you any distress,” Denkin says.
Instead, it means trying to put less energy into wishing MG or its effects weren’t there and more into finding ways to live well with the body you have now, she says.
“Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are excellent treatments to help patients achieve a resilient and proactive mindset in their journey with MG,” says Denkin.
ACT helps you make room for difficult thoughts and feelings while focusing on actions that reflect what matters most to you. CBT helps you identify unhelpful thought patterns and develop more balanced ways of thinking and responding.
Try Practicing Body Neutrality
You don’t have to love every physical change you’ve experienced to develop a better relationship with your body.
Denkin recommends adopting a mindset of body neutrality, which shifts attention away from whether you like how your body looks.
“Promoting body neutrality, or accepting what your body can do and not what it looks like, [may] reduce self-criticism,” she says. Instead, Denkin suggests being mindful of your inherent strengths as a person who existed prior to the diagnosis of MG, which keeps you in touch with your authentic self.
Engage in Self-Care to Support a Positive Sense of Self
“MG does not define a person’s identity,” Denkin says. She recommends paying attention to qualities that have nothing to do with appearance or physical ability, such as being funny, creative, intelligent, caring, or curious.
Self-care can reinforce that broader sense of yourself, too. Depending on what feels restorative to you, Denkin suggests activities such as:
- Spending time in nature
- Preparing a meal you enjoy
- Listening to music
- Taking a bath or doing another relaxing activity
The idea is to give your mind and body care rather than continually treating your body as something that needs to be judged or fixed.
Give Yourself Space to Grieve Changes
You may genuinely miss how your body looked, felt, or functioned before MG, and you don’t need to talk yourself out of those feelings.
“Processing the grief around the physical changes is imperative for emotional healing and will help to improve body image,” Denkin says.
If you’re feeling persistent anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or you’re avoiding people and activities you previously enjoyed because of poor body image, an MG support group or a therapist who has experience with chronic illness can help you work through those feelings, she says.
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