Why Body Image Struggles Often Heat Up in the Summer
The weather gets warmer, the layers come off, and suddenly it feels like leaving your house requires all of your mental energy.
Around every corner, you find fitness content showing you Three Easy Exercises to Melt that Winter Fat!, how to obtain “dewy” skin, or an ad for oils that will grow beautiful curly hair in 30 days. Walk through a grocery store and you'll likely encounter magazine covers promising dramatic transformations before beach season.
It's exhausting. In the front of your mind, you know that these things are scams, designed to cause shame and increase profits. But in the back of your mind, something is whispering to you that you might not be as “good” as you could be.
If you've found yourself googling things like:
"How to lose [x] lbs"
"Diets for fat loss that work in two weeks since I have that reunion in a month”
"Normal weight for [your age and gender]"
"Quickest face wash and face cream for acne"
"Hair growth" or “Hair removal”
"How to seem more confident”
You're far from alone.
In fact, body image concerns often become more intense during warmer weather. Summer tends to bring more social events, more photos, more vacations, and more opportunities to compare ourselves to other people. For many people, this can create a perfect storm of anxiety, self-criticism, and frustration.
The Problem Isn't That You Have a Body
Many people assume that if they're struggling with body image, the solution is to change their body.
“If I could just lose weight... If I could just stick to a diet… If I could make myself look like [insert rich celebrity here]... Then I'd feel confident and capable. Then, I would have the permission to be myself.”
Unfortunately, body image doesn't usually work that way. The issue often isn't the body itself—it's the relationship we're having with our body.
Your Body Is Not Something to be “Fixed”
You may be rolling your eyes, thinking “But Russ- My arms are too_____, my stomach is ______ and my skin is breaking out! Am I crazy to want to fix those things?”
To that I say- You are not crazy! And you do have another option.
Somewhere along the way, many of us learned that our bodies are ongoing improvement projects. We're supposed to shrink them, grow them, tone them, compare them, criticize them, and somehow also love them at the same time. And if you’re keeping score, that is a pretty impossible assignment.
What if your body wasn't a project? What if your body was simply the thing carrying you through your life?
What if your body is the thing helping you laugh with friends, swim in a lake, chase your kids, dance at weddings, hike a trail, cuddle your dog, or stay up too late talking with people you love? Something that gets hungry and sends us signals when it needs to be taken care of? We often miss out on experiences that actually matter, forgetting what our body can do for us- it’s a vessel, to bring us through the world.
Three Ways to Reduce Body Image Anxiety This Summer
Now, this change in thought seems way easier said than done. And I agree! But I will share a few tips to decrease that creeping anxiety that has now become less of a whisper, and more of a pounding on the back-door of your mind.
1. Notice What You're Consuming
And no, I do NOT mean food!
Social media algorithms are incredibly good at figuring out what makes us feel insecure. It’s as if the algorithm is living inside of our heads, hearing our meanest thoughts, capitalizing on that anxiety in your chest that blooms when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.
Consider taking an honest look at your feed. Who leaves you feeling encouraged? Who leaves you feeling inadequate? Should you increase the number of calming and adorable baby animals you look at per day?
Unfollow (or follow) accordingly. I know, it probably feels like you’re going to miss out on something… but it can help to lower the volume on shame just a little bit.
Your mental health deserves the same protection as your physical health. We simply cannot have one without the other.
2. Practice Body Neutrality
Not everyone is ready to love every part of their body every day. That's okay! It’s unrealistic to go from “My legs are so short” to “My legs are beautiful! I love my legs!” overnight.
Body neutrality offers another option.
Instead of forcing yourself to think, "I love my legs," you might practice thinking, "My legs let me walk, run, stand, and play with my kids/dogs/friends/etc." Instead of focusing on appearance, focus on function.
Like I said earlier- easier said than done. But one small step away from body hatred is one step close to body neutrality.
You don't have to adore your body to respect it.
3. Don't Put Life on Hold
One of the most frustrating and disappointing consequences of a struggling body image is how much life we tend to avoid.
We skip pool parties. We offer to take the photograph, so we don’t have to be in it. We decline invitations because we spent the entire day in self-hatred and are too tired to go out in a nice outfit. We wait to buy clothes we like, or hold on to clothes that don’t fit. We delay dating! We put off vacations! We are late to our job because we spent 40 minutes trying to fix that weird bump in our hair!
The problem is that life keeps moving.
When our body image is neutral, or positive, we can swim serenely in the pool; jump into the photograph that we hang up and look at every day; we feel empowered and refreshed when putting on a nice outfit to go meet our friends; we try a different style, buy cool pants, and donate the clothes that no longer serve us. We can be present, instead of thinking about that dang hair bump.
You don’t need to wait for your body to be “right” in order to live your life.
When Body Image Struggles Become Something More
For some people, body image concerns are part of a larger struggle with disordered eating or an eating disorder.
If thoughts about food, exercise, weight, or appearance are taking up significant mental space, affecting your mood, or interfering with daily life, it's worth reaching out for support.
You don't have to wait until things become severe before seeking help. In fact, early support often makes recovery easier.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy isn't about convincing you to love your body overnight. It's about understanding where the criticism comes from, challenging unrealistic expectations, and learning to relate to yourself with more compassion and less judgment. It's about finally saying out loud the thoughts you've been carrying around for years.
Many people come to therapy believing they need to change their body before they can feel better. Often, they discover that feeling better starts with changing the way they relate to themselves.
That might look like:
Following people online who make you feel more human and less inadequate.
Not treating every meal as a moral decision.
Catching yourself when you're making unfair comparisons.
Wearing clothes that fit the body you have today instead of the body you hope to have six months from now.
If summer has you feeling anxious, self-conscious, or stuck in an endless cycle of body criticism, know that you're not alone.
You don't need a new diet, you don't need a different swimsuit, and you never need to earn the right to enjoy your life!
Written by Russ Myslewicz, LSW, CADC