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!

{via etsy by Candice of Say It Sweet}

Last week I stressed the importance of reading inspiring pieces to help us improve our body image, and I shared some of my favorite posts around the blogosphere.

This week I’d like to share some of my favorite quotes. I’m a big fan of bookmarking and writing down quotes; sometimes, just a few words have the power to remind us of what’s important, lift our moods, make us think — really think — and give us gems of wisdom to carry throughout the day.

{via etsy by Beryl Striewski}

Last week we talked about using certain healthy coping strategies when strong emotions strike. One reader posted a very important comment. She wrote:

These tips are interesting, but how do I slow down enough to do any of these or even breathe? The strong feeling comes… bam, I go to food. I don’t know how to slow down.

I bet many of us have had similar struggles. That’s why I wanted to turn her valuable comment into its own blog post. So I consulted two eating disorder experts on their suggestions for slowing down. Here’s what they said.

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Eating disorders don’t discriminate. They affect people of all ages, appearances, races and religions. Still, when the conversation turns to eating disorders (or disordered eating), we often forget that men struggle, too.

That’s why I was especially interested in speaking with Richard Bedrosian, Ph.D, co-author of this recent study on binge eating in men, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. Bedrosian is the Director of Behavioral Health and Solution Development at J&J’s Wellness & Prevention, Inc.

Below, he reveals what we know about binge eating in men, why eating disorders remain under-recognized in this population, what treatments are effective and much more.

{via etsy by Kirill Rudenko}

In our diet-obsessed, restriction-focused society it seems hard enough to have a healthy relationship with food, let alone a love affair with eating.

But that’s exactly what Dr. Michelle May, M.D., talks about in her latest newsletter. Dr. May is the author of the book Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat and the founder of www.AmIHungry.com.

Many people worry that enjoying eating will lead to scary consequences. That they’ll eat everything in sight, and won’t be able to control themselves. And many are just so used to seeing food as the enemy, as the very thing that stands in the way of their weight-loss goals or flawless figures.

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!

{via etsy by Shira Sela}

One of the things I love about the Internet is the opportunity to read an array of beautiful work. I’m not only inspired by other bloggers, but I’m reminded that I’m not alone. I’m reminded that others have struggled like I have, and understand where I’ve been.

I’m reminded of what’s most important. I’m reminded of my own beauty and the beauty of others.

And I gain so much wisdom about the process of healing my own body-bashing and self-image issues.

{via etsy by Rocky Top Studio}

Yesterday I shared several writing exercises to soothe strong emotions from the book Writing for Emotional Balance: A Guided Journal to Help You Manage Overwhelming Emotions by clinical psychologist Beth Jacobs, PhD.

(See that post here.)

The problem with strong emotions is that they can lead you to feel even more scattered and overwhelmed and yearning a quick — and unhealthy — fix.

Today, I’m sharing two more healthy activities you can do when you’re feeling overwhelmed by a flood of feelings.

Remember that different coping strategies work for different people. So try them all, if you like, to see which ones resonate with you. Stick with what works best, and leave the rest.

While it’s important to release your emotions, sometimes, you just need to take a break. Sometimes, your emotions become so overwhelming that it’s best to have a few soothing strategies up your sleeve.

In her excellent book, Writing for Emotional Balance: A Guided Journal to Help You Manage Overwhelming Emotions, clinical psychologist Beth Jacobs, PhD, shares a few ways that we can “refocus.”

According to Jacobs, refocusing means returning to your emotional equilibrium. She describes refocusing as a way to take a much-needed respite, “like putting down some heavy suitcases to shake out your arms and then picking the suitcases up again.”

Refocusing is important because strong feelings can make you feel terrible, confused and scattered.

And, as so many of us have experienced, strong feelings can lead to self-destructive behaviors. You may feel so bad that you reach for the fastest relief — which may not be the best thing for you.

When you’re in it, really in it, it’s often hard to get out. It’s often hard to think beyond that strong emotion, make wise decisions and feel better.

In today’s world, we’re used to rushing through our lives — especially when it comes to eating. We often do everything while we eat. We eat during our commutes to work, or at our desks as we’re scrambling to finish a task.

Rather than savoring our meals, we eat and read, or we eat and watch TV, or we eat and work on our computers.

We rarely just sit and eat and focus on our food. Sometimes, I wonder if deep down we simply think that we don’t deserve to just eat and enjoy it.  

That’s why, today, I’m pleased to present my interview with Ed Halliwell, who discusses mindful eating and how we can actually savor our meals.

Halliwell is co-author of the book The Mindful Manifesto. He’s a UK-based mindfulness teacher and writer. He also writes for the Guardian newspaper on meditation and well-being, and writes a regular blog for mindful.org.

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!

{via Nordstrom}

I love fashion. (So much so that I post pictures of my outfits every week on my personal blog.)

And I think that fashion can improve our body image. For instance, think about how great you feel when your clothes fit well and you’re wearing something you love.

Fashion is also a fun way to express yourself, another avenue for your creativity.

{via etsy}

Now that you’re familiar with the many types of “fat talk” (see here and here), you can start working to eliminate it.

In her book, The Woman in the Mirror: How to Stop Confusing What You Look Like with Who You Are, Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D, Director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program, explains that eliminating fat talk consists of two tasks.

One is to establish a fat-talk-free zone in your mind. The second is to establish a fat-talk-free zone in your environment.