Bad Body Image Days Are Normal—Here’s How to Handle Them Without Spiraling

You wake up, look in the mirror, and before you even get your coffee, the inner critic starts:  

"I look terrible."

"I can’t wear anything." 

“How did I let myself go?"

If this sounds familiar, know this: Bad body image days are normal.

And struggling with them doesn’t mean you’re failing at healing.  

It means you’re human.

Here’s how to care for yourself when body image feels heavy.

What Most People Don’t Know About Body Image

Body image isn’t about your actual body.  

It’s about how you feel about your body, which can change depending on:

- Mood

- Stress levels

- Hormones

- Life transitions

- Cultural messaging

You could be the exact same size today as you were yesterday—and still feel completely different about your body.

The problem isn’t your body.  

It’s the way society taught you to value or reject your body.

Why Bad Body Image Days Are Inevitable

Even when you’re deep into healing, some days you’ll feel more tender toward your body than others.

That doesn’t mean you're backsliding.  

It means you're navigating a world that still praises thinness and punishes difference.

The goal isn’t to never have a bad body image day.  

The goal is to respond differently when those days happen.

How to Respond Instead of Spiral

Here’s a 3-step approach I recommend to clients:

1. Notice the script

What is your inner critic saying today?  

Write it down without judgment.

2. Name the deeper need. 

Ask yourself:  

- Am I tired?  

- Am I overwhelmed?  

- Am I feeling disconnected?

Your body image distress often points to other unmet needs.

3. Nurture your body anyway.

- Wear soft, comfortable clothes.  

- Move in a way that feels good—or rest completely.  

- Speak to yourself with the tenderness you would offer a friend.

When Clothes Don’t Fit

When your jeans don’t button or a dress feels tight, it can spark shame.  

But your body changing is not a failure. 

Bodies are meant to change across seasons of life.

You didn’t fail. The clothes failed to adapt to your body’s needs.

Choosing clothing that fits now is an act of respect—not giving up.

On Photos and Taking Up Space

Maybe you’ve avoided being in photos because you didn’t like how you looked.

But every time you hide from a picture, you erase evidence that you were there. That you lived, laughed, loved.

You don’t have to love every photo of yourself.  

But you deserve to be in the frame anyway.

Challenge for you this week:  

Take one photo that captures a feeling you want to remember—not just how you look.

You Deserve to Take Up Space

Healing your relationship with your body isn’t about forcing yourself to love how you look every day.  

It’s about choosing compassion even when love feels far away.

You are not a project to fix.  

You are a life to live—fully, boldly, unapologetically.