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You could be outside smelling the roses or the raindrops.

You could be feeling the sunshine against your skin.

You could be sitting at a lovely bistro, the breeze tugging at your shirt, savoring your scrumptious meal and enjoying some alone time or a loved one’s company.

You could be giggling with friends at a local event.

Monday’s body image-boosting post got postponed because of our blog party for World Mental Health Day. But, thankfully, you can enjoy it on Tuesday.

Remember that every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit that helps boost your body image, whether directly or indirectly — and hopefully kick-starts the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

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Living a meaningful, spiritual life can help you improve your body image because it reminds you that there’s so much more to life than body parts, calorie counts and numbers on the scale.

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When I was knee-deep in dieting and thirsting for thinness, I couldn’t see much else. Of course, I loved my family and I loved learning. But in retrospect it felt like a superficial life. Not my family, and not my schooling. But my perspective on what fulfillment meant. And the places I was searching for contentment.

I was so concerned about my body that I didn’t dig much deeper beyond wanting to be thin, which I saw as a panacea for all my problems. I viewed the world through the lens of my body image issues: Nothing mattered much if I didn’t lose weight or have a mostly flawless figure.

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Yesterday, we discussed recovering from eating disorders. I shared my interview with Carolyn Costin and excerpts from her book,  8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience, with co-author Gwen Schubert Grabb.

One of the topics we talked about was feelings. Learning to tolerate your emotions in a healthy way is important for recovery – and for living life. But many of us, whether we have an eating disorder or not, have a tough time identifying and processing our emotions.

Interestingly, our perspective can make or break negative emotions. As Costin said: “Your emotions are your body’s response to your thoughts.” Or, “What you tell yourself affects your emotional state.”

We run into trouble when our thoughts are inaccurate and self-critical but we see them as pure fact. These are called cognitive distortions. Psychologist and eating disorder specialist Sari Fine Shepphird, Ph.D, defines cognitive distortions as “a biased way of thinking about oneself or one’s environment, including one’s body image, weight or appearance” in her excellent book 100 Questions & Answers About Anorexia Nervosa.

Carolyn Costin and Gwen Schubert Grabb have written a fantastic book called 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience. Not only are both women psychotherapists, but they’ve also been there. Costin began struggling with an eating disorder in her teens. Grabb was Costin’s client, who recovered and then became a therapist herself.

In their book, they write: “This book is about getting over an eating disorder, how we did it, how we helped thousands of others do it, and how we hope to help you do it, too.” Below are several excerpts from the book and my interview with Costin, who discussed everything from obstacles to recovery to strengthening your “healthy self.”

The 8 Keys

The eight keys are based on scientific research, both authors’ personal recovery and their work with people with eating disorders. The book includes stories from Costin’s work with Grabb and other clients of both authors. The eight keys are:

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Anxiety often underlies eating disorders. For many individuals, engaging in eating disorder behaviors helps to soothe them – only temporarily, of course.

Anxiety also contributes to emotional eating and can worsen body image issues. (How many times have you been tense and taken it out on your body? Or vice versa? Or mistook discomfort and nervousness for “feeling fat”?)

But while anxiety seems incredibly overwhelming when you’re caught in its clutches, you can do so many things to minimize your anxiety. It’s a matter of learning some skills. Here’s a list of strategies to try.

Every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit that helps boost your body image, whether directly or indirectly — and hopefully kick-starts the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

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“Seeing ourselves in a way that is not just linked to our physical appearance or the roles we play in our lives is essential,” writes Rosie Molinary in her book Beautiful You: A Daily Guide to Radical Self Acceptance.

(I love Rosie, and just think she’s amazing. You can read her blog here.)