Practical Tips for Bad Body Image Days
This post is part of my Fed Up series—where we call BS on harmful body expectations and offer real, practical ways to care for yourself instead.
Bad body image doesn’t come out of nowhere—it’s a symptom of living in a world that teaches us some bodies are better than others.
And when that belief system mixes with a dysregulated nervous system? That’s when we wake up feeling like a “floaty blob” who can’t quite sense where she begins or ends.
Especially with summer coming up, transitioning from sweaters to tank tops can leave your brain shouting, “You are naked right now! Why are your arms and legs showing?” after being covered up for months.
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Table of contents
Why Do I Have Bad Body Image Days?
Weight Stigma’s Impact on Body Image
It’s important to remember that negative body image exists largely because society has taught us there are “good” bodies and “bad” bodies.
This isn’t natural or automatic—it’s learned. Society has created a hierarchy of body sizes, which has led to oppression and harm of larger bodies.
Here’s what I tell clients (and myself): the feeling of bad body image is usually your nervous system waving a flag that something’s up.
Think of it like a check engine light.
Have you ever had your check engine light go off and you’re like,
Crap…maybe it’ll go away if I fill up my gas tank.
*fills up gas tank but it’s still on.*
Ok, i’ll keep driving and see if it turns off.
*continues driving for an hour, doesn’t turn off.*
Maybe the weather is triggering something. I’ll see if it’s still on tomorrow.
*it is, in fact, still on tomorrow.*
This is very similar to when we have bad body image days. We don’t have the capacity or awareness to tune in to the ACTUAL problem at play.
A Dysregulated Nervous System and Body Image
When your body feels physically uncomfortable, it makes sense that your brain would assume your body is the problem.
When in reality, you are feeling the physical sensations of a dysregulated nervous system. *Being dysregulated isn’t a bad thing. It’s a normal and needed physiological response to danger.*
Another way to say this: your nervous system is communicating with you to pay attention to something, through physical sensations. And because your brain has been TAUGHT that there are good bodies and bad bodies — it latches onto the idea that yours must be bad. Instead of tuning in to what actually might be going on.
I’d argue that there would be no such thing as “bad body image” if it weren’t for weight stigma.
(Side note: If your nervous system is activated, nourishment might feel hard, too. Here’s how to support your body when you don’t feel like eating.)
All of this to say, your body is not the problem.
Here are practical tips for bad body image days that I personally use and recommend to clients:
1. How Movement Can Improve Body Image
When you find yourself in a spiral about how bad you feel in your body—try asking, “What might my body be trying to tell me today?”
When I feel disconnected (that “floaty blob” feeling), movement helps me reconnect with my body. And before your brain jumps to exercise as a “fix,” that’s not the goal here.
Movement helps facilitate proprioceptive awareness—your body’s sense of its position in space—and supports grounding your nervous system.
Choose movement based on your current capacity:
- Low capacity: Using a weighted tool to provide a grounded sensation without having to move.
- Moderate capacity: Gentle foam rolling or stretching
- Normal capacity: Yoga, mindful walking, or gentle bodyweight exercises
- High capacity: Weightlifting or banded exercises
Want more ideas for moving your body from a place of care instead of control? Read this post about body-positive fitness to explore ways to embrace movement without the pressure to change your body.
2. How Your Environment Impacts Body Image
Sometimes your brain misinterprets emotional discomfort as physical dissatisfaction.
This comes up in client sessions all the time. When we explore what was actually happening during a “bad body” moment, we usually spot a theme.
Everything they describe about the environment is extremely uncomfortable.
Nine times out of ten, what they describe is something like: fluorescent lights, loud music, crowded space, people who feel judge-y, being around new people that are not your vibe, extremely hot and sweaty, clothes that don’t fit right…you get the picture.
Are you overstimulated, or around people who don’t feel safe or supportive? Your brain might latch that unease onto your body. Your body isn’t the problem—your environment might be.
3. How Your Clothes Impact Body Image
Let’s start with the basics: are you physically comfortable in what you’re wearing?
Wearing uncomfortable clothes makes it nearly impossible not to think negatively about your body. Ever had a rock in your shoe? You can’t focus on anything else until it’s gone. That’s exactly how it feels to wear something tight or scratchy or restrictive.
How Clothes That Fit Support Body Image and Comfort
In my experience—and in the experience of so many clients—we often wear uncomfortable things because we’re trying to look smaller. Because they’re trendy. Because they’re “flattering” (ew, hate that word).
I want to give you permission to NOT do that, even though you don’t need my permission.
Here’s the deal: squeezing into clothes that are too small (or “fit” as long as you don’t eat a meal, drink water, sit, or breathe deeply) —just to look a little smaller—always makes your nervous system feel like crap.
And you deserve to not feel like crap.
Harmonious Dressing vs. Flattering: A Body Acceptance Shift
Let’s talk more about how your clothes are influencing your body image.
Instead of aiming for “flattering” (which, let’s be honest, usually just means “how small can you look?”), think about whether an outfit feels harmonious.
Harmonious dressing is about balancing proportions, pairing colors, playing with textures and silhouettes. It’s about the whole vibe, not just how your body looks.
And here’s the best part—you can totally choose to wear something that’s not traditionally harmonious.
For example: I’m short, have a short torso, and a curvier bottom half. Oversized shirts and baggy pants? Not technically harmonious. But sometimes I wear that exact outfit because it’s comfy, and I might add accessories or style my hair to feel more put together if I want to.
Keyword: If I want to — not a “must”, but an option. There’s no right or wrong, good or bad.
4. Gentle Exposure Ideas for Body Acceptance
If you feel like you’re in a good place to challenge yourself, try gentle exposure therapy at home. Wear shorts, tank tops, or swimsuits in your own space — and just be.
Not stare at yourself in the mirror and critique everything you see that you don’t like.
I actually wouldn’t recommend looking in the mirror at all.
Because the point of the exposure is to get used to the sensation of your body being more exposed – not to try to like what you see. That second part may or may not happen depending on where you are in your body image journey.
Bad body image often makes food and eating feel confusing or difficult, too—especially when it’s tied to shame or discomfort in your body.
If you’re noticing that food choices and eating feels stressful with bad body image, this post might be helpful to evaluate your relationship with food.
Final Thoughts
Improving your body image isn’t about loving everything you see in the mirror. It’s about learning to listen. To ask: What is my body trying to tell me? What might I need right now?
Negative body image days aren’t a personal failure. They’re a call to reconnect. A call to regulate. A call to care.
And the best part? You don’t have to figure it all out today. You can start by noticing—by gently tuning in to how your body is trying to communicate with you.
If you’re wanting support with your own body image, I’d love to help. Click here to schedule a free 15-minute discovery call and see how we can support your body image healing together.
