How to Manage Body Image During the Summer

Aug 2, 2025
4 min read

Introduction

Now that the weather is getting warmer and swimsuit season is here, many people may feel increased pressure to look a certain way. This pressure can lead to experiencing “negative body image”. Body image refers to how someone sees their body and how they feel about themselves. It isn’t just about weight. It involves a combination of a person’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors experienced in relation to how you look. In this article, I will discuss how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be used to challenge negative thoughts and build a healthier, more confident relationship with your body.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and actions. A CBT therapist will help you to identify negative thought patterns and harmful behaviors while giving you tools to challenge them. While many CBT therapists focus on the present moment, it can also be used to help you consider how your past experiences (teasing, bullying, family pressure, or comparisons) shape your current thought patterns.

Negative Thought Patterns

One component of challenging a negative body image is to identify negative thoughts that you are experiencing. Here are some examples of negative thoughts that are commonly experienced by individuals struggling with body image.

- “I’m so fat/skinny/gross.”

- “Why can’t I look like them?”

- “People won’t like me because I don’t look perfect”

- “I can’t wear this”

- “If I looked better I would be happier”

These thoughts can have a huge emotional impact. What do we do about these thoughts? The first step is to bring awareness to when these thoughts are occurring. How often do they happen? How intense are they when they do happen? What even are the negative thoughts that you experience? Track when you notice these thoughts coming up. This will help you and your therapist to identify triggers for these thoughts. Do you notice that the thoughts arise in specific situations (beach days, trying on clothes, hanging out with friends, playing sports) or in specific places (bedroom, school, work)? Or do these thoughts come up when you are already feeling sad or angry? You and your therapist can discuss how your past experiences may be influencing your thought patterns and core beliefs. Understanding when, where, and why these thoughts occur is a powerful first step toward changing them.

What to do about these thoughts?

It is important to not engage with these thoughts. Instead, actively challenge them. Instead of getting caught in the spiral, step back and ask yourself questions like: “what would I say to a friend who felt this way?” OR “is there a more compassionate way to look at the situation?”. In therapy, you might be asked to give factual evidence about you taking care of your body. Your therapist will also help you to try and talk to yourself in a kinder tone of voice. Here is an example:

Thought: “I’m so fat”

Reframe: “I may have gained a few pounds, but I am still taking care of my body. My friends care about me for who I am, not what I look like”.

Consider Influences on Your Body Image

Another important part of repairing your relationship with your body image is to consider what is influencing your body image. Do you have friends who are constantly comparing their bodies? Do you have friends who make negative comments about themselves or others? Is your family critical of your appearance or does your family expect you to eat a certain way? Do you find yourself comparing yourself to social media influencers? Other people can have a drastic impact on how you experience yourself. If you notice that you always feel bad about yourself after seeing certain friends or family members, consider taking a step back from the relationship while you heal. Similarly, consider taking a break from social media. Be intentional about the voices and messages that you allow in your life.

Recognize Behaviors

Finally, it is also important to understand how your thoughts and feelings influence your behaviors. Here are some common examples of behaviors that people with a negative view of themselves engage in:

- Excessive dieting

- Restricting food, skipping meals, labeling foods as “good” or “bad”

- Counting calories

- Continuously checking their appearance in the mirror

- Hyperfocusing on specific body parts

- Comparing yourself to others

Though it is important to ensure that your body has proper nutrition and exercise, it is also important to know when these behaviors have a negative impact on your thoughts and feelings. If you struggle with extreme dieting, food related obsessions, compulsive checking, or other body related struggles, please seek the help of an eating disorder specialist. Though experiencing negative body image does not mean that you automatically have an eating disorder, it is important to be aware of when your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors become so rigid that it poses a risk to your physical health or daily life. Working with a therapist can help you to find healthier ways to cope with discomfort or insecurity.

Conclusion

Body image concerns can impact you at any time. However, you do not need to stay in the cycle of shame or self-criticism. CBT can help you to identify negative thoughts, challenge them, develop self compassion, and build healthy support systems and coping skills.While working with a therapist, you can work to strengthen your self confidence and learn to have a compassionate mindset.