Body checking is a plague on the modern individual. Reflective surfaces have become the enemy. From the glass panes on passing cars to our cell phones to the poorly lit changing rooms in our favorite shops, we see our reflection over and over again. Not a big deal, unless you have begun to use those moments to judge yourself, to look for “body faults.” This body checking can not only make your miserable, it can actually make it more difficult to successfully manage your eating and weight.

What is Body Checking?

According to Healthline, the official definition of body checking is “the habit of seeking information about your body’s weight, shape, size, or appearance.” This could mean several different things, including but not limited to:

Manipulating your skin - pinching, poking, stretching, squishing, etc
Obsessive weighing - checking and double checking when you are afraid you’ve put on some weight, or looking to confirm you’ve lost some
Shifting or overly analyzing your clothes - trying to constantly see if there’s a “better” or “more attractive” way that they could fit you
Measuring body parts - wrapping your hand(s) around certain areas or using measuring tape
Fixation - hyperfocusing on body part(s) to the point of picking everything apart

Body checking tends to appear as a compulsion - meaning you don’t realize you’re doing it until you’re already doing it, it’s just something you have to do. Think of it as being on the same plane as biting your nails or sucking your thumb when you were a kid. It’s a nasty habit, and however harmless it may seem, it does have negative consequences.

What’s the Harm?

Think about it for one second: when was the last time you did this little ritual and actually felt good about yourself afterwards?

Perhaps you had momentary relief at best. But soon, very soon, you begin to feel badly and need to check again.

Body checking tends to worsen both our perspectives of ourselves and our overall moods. We don’t exactly tend to be ellated after nitpicking every single thing about ourselves for an undetermined amount of time. How would you feel if a friend analyzed your appearance everytime you were with them? Probably not so good. When we do it to ourselves, sometimes multiple times a day, we get the same results. We don’t feel so good.

Another glaring issue is the link between body checking and disordered eating.

A 2004 study found that there was a clear correlation between body checking and eating disordered behavior. In this study, two groups were interviewed about their habitual body checking. In the first group were women with clinical eating disorders, and the result was a whopping 92% of the group partaking in regular body checking. This was done to assess the shape or weight of their bodies, and was directly linked as being a symptom of their eating disorder. In the second group, a questionnaire was used to assess the habitual body checking in women with and without clinical eating disorders.

The result was a significantly higher amount of body checking being done by women with clinical eating disorders in comparison to women without. It was concluded that body checking was strongly linked with eating disorder traits and symptoms.

Body checking can be a way to avoid or even confirm thoughts of weight gain or the avoidance thereof, as well as justifying diets, fasting, or counting calories. You might look in the mirror and say, “See, this is different! This is why I have to eat/not eat xyz.” A 2013 study even found that body checking was more likely to lead to restriction the same day.

However, these thoughts are not only incorrect, they’re fueling the discomfort that comes with body checking.

How to Break the Habit

Going cold turkey on body checking is not easy. It’s a bit like nicotine mixed with a bit of confirmation bias. Body checking seems to “confirm” that you should continue to do the checking, while chasing unattainable perfection seems to become an unhealthy habit.

It’s not easy. But certainly not impossible. Here are some tips that might help ease your way into being more at ease with what you’re seeing in the mirror:

Stop viewing yourself as an object that you are trying to perfect and start viewing yourself as the old reliable car you had in high school. She had her flaws but you loved her for what she could do and who she was, and a little bit of rust or a bad paint job never changed that.
Take notice of what makes you want to body check. Usually body checking is paired with uncomfortable emotions. Did you not get the promotion you were hoping for? Did you get into a fight with your partner? These hard-to-deal-with feelings can lead to us running to the mirror to cope.
Try finding a different outlet for anxieties. Go for a walk. Call a friend. Try to get the creative juices flowing, take a hot shower, or bake something. Resist the urge to take everything out on yourself and try to turn to more gentle methods of care.
Set limits on social media. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are a great way to keep up with the family and friends, but they’re also rife with filters, edits, and only the best moments. Social media tends to make us compare. Comparing too much can lead to those uncomfortable, insecure emotions we mentioned in the first bullet point, and the cycle repeats.

If You’re Still Struggling

Body checking, while initially seemingly harmless and short term, can quickly spiral to a place of poor self-esteem, eating disordered habits, and long term insecurities. If you feel that you or your loved ones are struggling with this, we encourage therapy to help cope with uncomfortable feelings and body checking “addictions”. Remember, you are not alone in this struggle, and seeking therapy or professional support can be a valuable resource on your journey toward a healthier and more positive self-image.

Body checking is a pervasive habit that can erode your self-esteem, fuel disordered eating behaviors, and perpetuate a cycle of insecurity. Recognizing this pattern and its harmful consequences is the first step toward breaking free from its grip. By shifting our perspective and finding healthier ways to cope with uncomfortable emotions, we can regain control over our self-image and well-being.

It's time to stop letting reflective surfaces be your enemy and start embracing the beauty and uniqueness of your imperfect but remarkable self.

Links:

https://www.healthline.com/health/body-checking
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14705162/

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