Body image

Difficult feelings about appearance or body size, with or without a diagnosable eating disorder.

What it is

Body image is how someone perceives and feels about their own body — and it can be a significant source of distress on its own, separate from (though sometimes connected to) an eating disorder.

Good to know

Negative body image is common enough to feel normal, but “common” isn't the same as “low-stakes” — it can meaningfully affect mood, relationships, and how freely someone moves through daily life.

What helps

Therapy approaches that target the thoughts and comparisons driving body image distress, rather than trying to change the body itself, tend to be more durable. Reducing exposure to content that reliably worsens the feeling is also a legitimate, useful step, not avoidance.

When to seek help

If body image concerns are starting to restrict what you eat, wear, or do, it's worth talking to a counsellor, whether or not it meets criteria for an eating disorder.

Before you call

What to expect at your first counselling sessionNervous about a first session? It's mostly just talking, at your pace. Here's what usually happens — and what won't.

Services that can help

See all related services in NL