Congratulations! You engaged in the miracle of bringing a new life onto this earth. But you hear somebody say/ look at yourself and think about how much your body has changed.
This might lead to you feeling depressed or anxious.
So what can we do to help ourselves? Keep reading to explore
- Overcoming Body Image Issues After Pregnancy
- 3 Things to Know About Body Changes After Birth
- And much more!
Overcoming Body Image Issues After Pregnancy
Practicing Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is a way of thinking and understanding that comprises of three elements:
- Being emotionally supportive toward both the self and others when hardship or human imperfection is confronted (self-kindness).
- Allowing ourselves to be present and non-judgmentally interact with the way we feel about stressful situations (mindfulness).
- Connecting ourselves to humanity by embracing our imperfections and vulnerability (common humanity).
Practicing self-compassion techniques helps women after pregnancy address their concerns with body dissatisfaction. They are also more likely to engage in behaviors and/or thinking patterns that encourage appreciation for their body.
We can help ourselves and address our body image concerns with self-compassion in the following ways:
1. Put Yourself in Your Friend’s Shoes
Imagine your friend going through a similar experience and as a result, she does not like the way her body looks after giving birth. She says she has gained so much weight, she is swollen, she has been postpartum for a month now and still hasn’t bounced back to her old self.
Considering this situation, take the time to write down the answers to the following questions:
- What would you do in this situation? How would you talk to them? Note your tone of speech. What do you say to them?
- Now think about a time when you were struggling and answer the same questions. Do you notice a difference?
- What are the main differences and what makes you behave differently?
- What can you change to respond to yourself the same way you would to your closest friend?
2. Embrace Your “Imperfections” and Vulnerability
Even if everyone does not understand it, people can see that your body goes through many changes to nurture, grow and then deliver a baby. The changes happen for a reason, and most of them are completely normal.
Observe your negative thoughts and note the way you talk to yourself. There are high chances that the self-talk will be critical, leading to distress with our bodies.
So how do we embrace our imperfections? Addressing our critical self-talk by reframing the way we think about them can help us in embracing parts of us that are allegedly imperfect.
The best part? You don’t need to fake it!
If you genuinely don’t like a part of yourself, you don’t have to force yourself to like it either. But we can work on reframing the thought in a constructive way that validates the way we feel but also helps us obtain a little bit of neutrality.
Also Check Out: How to Practice Self-Compassion for a Healthier Body Image
| Critical Self-Talk and Reframing Thoughts – Example For instance, when thinking: I hate the stretch marks around my tummy. You could instead think:These stretch marks helped my body grow and adjust for my child. They are a reminder of the way my body helped nurture my baby. This is an example of reframing a negative thought into a positive one and appreciating our body for everything it has been through. However, if this does not work for you, you could instead think: My body went through a lot of changes, it makes sense that it would look different than before. This is more of a neutral way of framing the thought. The thought itself is not inherently positive, nor negative. It simply outlines the facts, which highlight that the body indeed went through changes. |
3. Journalling
Trying to write about your thoughts and feelings really helps display what’s going on in your mind. You can also use journaling as a way to explore:
- What parts of/things about your body make you feel imperfect?
- How would a loved one reply to these imperfections?
- How do I feel about their unconditional love and compassion?
You can also take the time to practice mindfulness when thinking and feeling the compassion and self-kindness from the exercise. Taking the time to be present, focus on those feelings and really process the thoughts with no judgment can help soothe you in the process.
3 Things to Know About Body Changes After Birth
1. Social Media Does Not Show It All
Following famous celebrities and influencers who slim down almost immediately after giving birth is stressful. I mean, they bounced back, why can’t I?
Research tells us that spending time on social media makes it more likely that you will experience low self esteem and body image issues.
We fail to consider that the celebrities’ social media profiles are deliberately curated to look that way. Also, we tend to forget that they have access to time, money, resources and even surgeries that we don’t.
What do we do then? We focus on setting reasonable weight loss goals with the main goal of working to get healthier for you and your family.
2. Everyone’s Experience is Different
Despite the similar process of pregnancy, giving birth and postpartum, everyone’s journey is going to be different.
When understanding individual differences and journeys, we can try our best to understand that it would be unfair to compare ourselves to others. You can take a look at a couple of mothers sharing their different experiences about their body’s changes.
3. You’ll Probably Need More Nutrition
Your body is going through a lot of changes and recovery after giving birth. Research and medical guidelines tell us that is a likelihood that you might need to eat more and/or eat more different kinds of food to help supplement your recovery and daily activity.
It is important to understand and prioritize proper nutrition so that your body can function and address your body image or weight related concerns accordingly. Talk to a medical professional to discuss the best possible diet for you.
Conclusion
Self-compassion is key to addressing body image concerns, especially after giving birth. By reframing negative self-talk and embracing vulnerabilities, we can address our natural bodily changes.
It is also important to recognize that everyone’s recovery is unique and that social media can distort reality and support healthier perspectives and goals for body image.
