Body

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Body Talk: 4 Ways To Maintain Body-Positivity

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Image courtesy of @gracedchin

Image courtesy of @gracedchin

In honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we feel it’s important to open up a discussion about body image.

The way we feel about our bodies can affect so many aspects of life: our self-esteem, relationships, sexual satisfaction, and academic/work performance. Studies have shown that negative body image can create anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and even increase the risk of suicide.

Body Image

What exactly is body image? It could be described as the story we tell ourselves about our bodies. In short, it is our subjective interpretation - and sometimes a skewed one - of what we look like. If this view becomes overly negative, it can escalate into symptoms of body dysmorphia (imagining or exaggerating a physical imperfection that is unnoticeable to others) or even eating disorders.

What can we do to ensure that the story we tell ourselves about our body is a positive, healthy one?

Body Love

Put simply: balance, appreciation, kindness, and perspective are some key elements needed to create a healthy body story.

  1. Balance - Feed yourself wholesome, healthy foods, but don’t fear indulging once in a while. Exercise to stay strong and happy, not to look a certain way or to feel like you need to control your body. Eat if you’re hungry, rest if you’re tired.

  2. Appreciation - Accept your body for what it has given you. Take time to thank it for the all the things it allows you to do. It allows you to move through this world, to communicate with others, to do important work.

  3. Kindness - You may not always love what you see when you look in the mirror, or when you compare yourself to others’ bodies. Your body, like everyone’s, is perfectly imperfect, constantly changing, and it’s important to be compassionate toward it. Why punish it? It’s your lifetime companion. Seems wise to make friends with it.

  4. Perspective - Try not to become too focused on your one body. There’s a wide world out there that needs you. If you’re feeling negative or insecure, a great way to break that critical self-talk cycle is to help someone else. You as a person are so much more than just your physical appearance.

What do you tell yourself when you see your body in a mirror? Do you feel that you’re seeing yourself clearly? We’d love to know - leave a comment below.

Further Reading

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Gut Feelings: The Connection Between Digestive Health and Mental Health

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Image via Consumer Reports

Image via Consumer Reports

Body + Brain, Together Forever

Over the past decade, diet, nutrition, and general health have become particularly hot topics. Health encompasses both our emotional and physical well-being, so it shouldn’t surprise you that they’re intimately connected.

The Human Microbiome

Emergent research has pointed more and more to the gut-brain linkage. Many studies have begun highlighting the role of inflammation and the importance of maintaining a balanced microbiome.

What is a microbiome, you ask? It is defined as the collective genomes of the microbes (composed of bacteria, bacteriophage, fungi, protozoa and viruses) that live inside and on the human body.

Gut Health’s Relationship to Mental Health

The body reacts to stress in two primary ways - hormonally and immunologically.

Hormones

We know now that chronic stress can create elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to physical and emotional issues such as anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, headaches, as well as gut issues. But this is only half the story.

The Immune System

The other half is that our immune system is also affected by stress. Our immune system responds to stress like it’s an infection, creating inflammation to counteract it. This system is highly effective at protecting our bodies from pathogens, but if the inflammatory response persists for too long, it can create the same sorts of physical and emotional issues as with elevated cortisol levels.

Tips For A Healthy Gut

Diet

Studies suggest that to encourage a healthy microbiome, it’s best to:

  • Limit refined, processed, or saturated fat ingredients (e.g. white sugar, white flour, meat/dairy fats).

  • Incorporate fermented foods (e.g. active culture yogurt, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, or kimchi).

  • Include fiber-rich foods (e.g. whole grains, legumes, whole fruits and vegetables).

  • Look into a low FODMAP diet.

Probiotics

  • Disclaimer: despite much hype, probiotics on their own are not currently FDA regulated or reliably proven to be effective in alleviating symptoms of mental issues such as anxiety or depression. However, research suggests that they are helpful when used in concordance with psychiatric medication. The question remains: can probiotics alone (without pharmaceutical medications) alleviate these symptoms? We’ll have to wait and see what future studies tell us. In the meantime, if they work for you, run with it.

Take Care

  • Keep stress levels to a minimum.

  • Stay hydrated.

  • Get proper sleep.

  • Exercise, do yoga, meditate, or try diaphragmatic breathing exercises.

The Takeaway

As always, it’s important to always be tuned in to your body and emotions. If things feel out of whack - you’re not sleeping well, feeling anxious/depressed/exhausted, having digestive problems - then perhaps it’s time to change something. The solution will look different from person to person; the balance of our bodies and minds is unique to us. But don’t underestimate the power of nutrition. We can harness that power to help keep us well, too. Joy Yang, a National Institute of Health microbiome researcher said it best:

“We have learned that the bacteria living in and on us are not invaders but are beneficial colonizers. The hope is that, as research progresses, we will learn how to care for our microscopic colonizers so that they, in turn, can care for our health.”

What do you eat that makes you feel good, happy, and healthy? Leave a comment below!

Further Links

5 Physical Signs of Depression

 
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Depression: Darkness Visible

This week, we’re putting the spotlight on another of the most prevalent mental health issues: depression. According to the World Health Organization, as of 2018 depression affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Hallmarks of depression include loss of interest in activities, low energy/mood, appetite and sleep disruption, poor concentration, feelings of low self-worth, etc. It can occur alongside other issues including substance abuse and anxiety. Depression is a particularly high risk issue because not only does it impair everyday functioning, at its worst it can escalate to suicide.

5 Lesser-Known Physical Symptoms of Depression

“The madness of depression is, generally speaking, the antithesis of violence. It is a storm indeed, but a storm of murk. Soon evident are the slowed-down responses, near paralysis, psychic energy throttled back close to zero. Ultimately, the body is affected and feels sapped, drained.”

― William Styron, Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness (1990)


This excerpt is from author William Styron’s memoir. In it he chronicles his own experience of what depression feels like, mentally and physically. Many people consider depression to be a disease of the mind while forgetting the toll it can take on the body. The following are some of the bodily manifestations of depression:

  1. Headaches - While not always a direct cause of depression, migraines and tension headaches have certainly been associated with it.

  2. Chronic pain - Mood influences sensory experiences, pain in particular. If you find that you have mysterious aches/pains, check in with your emotional state. There may indeed be a connection.

  3. Fatigue - Regardless of your level of physical activity, depression can make you feel completely sapped of energy. Sometimes, simply climbing a flight of stairs can feel exhausting.

  4. Skin issues - Depression can cause extra stress, resulting in increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This can cause skin issues or aggravate pre-existing skin problems, particularly if you’re prone to rashes or breakouts.

  5. Weight changes - Depression is also associated with fluctuations in appetite. This can manifest in becoming ravenously hungry, completely apathetic towards food (and sometimes self-care in general), or anywhere in between. It varies from case to case.

The Takeaway

As with anxiety, many of the physical symptoms that accompany depression can be quite general. These signs may be trying to point you to an emotional issue like depression, or a medical condition such as hypothyroidism (a hormonal condition that can mimic the symptoms of depression).

The bottom line is that physical symptoms are trying to bring your attention to something. It is important to listen to what your body and mind are telling you. What you find might surprise you and help you learn about yourself.

How often do you check in with yourself, body or mind? Do any of these physical symptoms resonate with you?

Please share with us - like or leave a comment below!

Further Links

Everyone has a story. Let us help you find yours.