Summertime can stir up body image worries, as countless ads, magazines and websites try to sell you on the perfect beach body. Clients who struggle to believe their bodies measure up or have a poor relationship with food often have negative beliefs and emotions about themselves. Their view of self is distorted and overly determined by physical appearance or physical fitness in a society that overemphasizes thinness or only prescribes specific traits as an attractive physique.

As a result, clients may have developed strategies to overcome a sense of inadequacy in this area, such as idolizing self-control when it comes to diet and exercise or eating “healthy” in public but bingeing and purging in private. These strategies only work in the short term and when they fail, clients may fall into a spiral of shame and despair, sometimes blaming God for giving them the body He did.

With all these factors, it can be hard for many people to internalize the truth of Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” It is counter-cultural to truly place our worth in our identity in Christ versus what the world tells us is important. However, caregivers can help clients cultivate gratitude for the variety of bodies and shapes God made in our world and internalize their inherent worth. This tool is one way to help a client experience Christ’s compassion as they learn to focus on Christ’s view of them instead of their negative beliefs/emotions.