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Eating & Weight Issues

3 Proven Ways to Boost Your Body Image

by Dr. Sarah Allen
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Do you ever look in the mirror and focus on a particular body part you are unhappy about and then start to be hypercritical and notice and worry about other parts of your body too? You wish your bum wasn’t quite as big in those jeans and then you notice your thighs and the wrinkles on your knees and soon your negative, super critical thoughts are out of control. Here are three ways you can nix those negative thoughts and give a positive boost to your body image.

 

1. Get Grounded

Thoughts race from one thing to another because they are fueled by adrenaline. We think something negative about one part of the body and those thoughts spiral, increasing our anxiety about how we look until we can start to feel utterly hopeless about our whole body.

This simple grounding trick helps you get out of your brain and into your body so you can feel how strong and capable your body is. Start by standing up. Feel that negative energy fueled by those criticisms you are saying to yourself. Let the energy travel down from your brain, through your body and down through your legs and feet. Like roots of a tree the energy is connecting you to the floor. Feel how strong your legs are. Feel the energy coming down your arms and out of your fingertips, shake it out.  Be present in your body and breathe in slowly for the count of 4, hold for 4 and breathe out for 4.

For more grounding techniques read 7 Simple Grounding Techniques For Calming Down Quickly

 

Now that your brain isn’t racing, let’s take a calm look at those critical things you are saying to yourself and challenge their validity.

 

2. Stop That Critical Voice & Be Kind To Yourself

Try to notice what exactly you are saying to yourself when you are being critical about your body. You are probably being very harsh on yourself. You wouldn’t dream of saying those things to anyone else so why is it okay to talk to yourself that way?

Write down a list of your top-ten strengths: What do you like about yourself? What do you do well? Many people I work with find it hard to come up with a list of positive things about themselves, so I suggest they ask a couple of supportive friends to chime in too. Not just about how you look but who you are as a person. When you stop judging yourself so harshly, you begin to see your strengths, as well as your perceived flaws. Build up yourself-confidence by talking nicely to yourself and by reminding yourself of everything you have to offer the world is a powerful tool you can use to head of self-criticism.

 

3. Use Your Body To Trick Your Mind

Another way to get your body to influence your mind is to do the “Wonder Woman” stance, feet apart, hands on your hips , chin up and shoulders back. Smile! Tell yourself you are great. Louder, I didn’t hear you! That’s right, loud and clear, smile and tell yourself how great you are!

Ann Cuddy’s research on body language found that adopting a positive and strong body pose can actually subconsciously change the brain to give us a message that we are a confident person. It also reduces cortisol levels (the stress hormone)and so reduces stress levels. Cuddy’s research showed again and again that when people adopt an expansive confident stance they actually feel more confident and better about themselves.

To read more about the Wonder Woman stance click Presence – A Simple Way To Increase Confidence

 

 

I was recently interviewed by Reader’s Digest for their great article with advice to boost body image. Please click this link if you would like to read it 12 Proven Ways To Boost Your Body Image in 10 Minutes or Less.

Body image issues often go hand in hand with eating and weight issues. To find out more about emotional eating and to download the free booklet Simple Steps To Overcome Emotional Eating (which includes questionnaires to find out what if you are an emotional eater and if yes, type of emotional eater you are) use the sign up form below the book.Simple Steps To Overcome Emotional Eating

Dr. Sarah Allen specializes in empowering women to live the life they want.

Visit www.drsarahallen.com for more blog posts on a variety of issues relevant to women.

She sees clients in her Northbrook office or via telephone or Skype sessions.

She can also be reached at (847) 791-7722 or by the form below.

 

Emails are typically replied to within 24 hours although at weekends and holidays it may take longer to receive a reply. Dr. Allen's professional license only allows her to see clients who travel to her Northbrook office or via remote sessions within IL.

What Is Emotional Eating and How Do You Overcome It?

by Dr. Sarah Allen
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Thank you for joining me today as I share some information about what emotional eating and binge eating are and also some strategies to help with overcoming them.

 

To find out more about emotional eating and to download the free booklet Simple Steps To Overcome Emotional Eating (which includes questionnaires to find out what if you are an emotional eater and if yes, type of emotional eater you are) use the sign up form below the book.

Simple Steps To Overcome Emotional Eating

For more info on emotional eating visit the Weight & Emotional Eating page.

 

Dr. Sarah Allen specializes in empowering women to live the life they want.

Visit www.drsarahallen.com for more blog posts on a variety of issues relevant to women.

She sees clients in her Northbrook office or via telephone or Skype sessions.

She can also be reached at (847) 791-7722 or by the form below.

 

Emails are typically replied to within 24 hours although at weekends and holidays it may take longer to receive a reply. Dr. Allen's professional license only allows her to see clients who travel to her Northbrook office or via remote sessions within IL.

3 Questions That Help You To Stop Emotional Eating

by Dr. Sarah Allen

We all eat for emotional reasons sometimes but when eating becomes your main strategy to manage difficult emotions it can become a health and weight issue. It is a temporary coping strategy that can cycle into guilt and shame, ending up with us berating ourselves. We don’t tend to reach for a carrot or a […]

Read the full article →

Five Ways To Soothe Frayed Emotions Without Food

by Dr. Sarah Allen

  Hands up anyone who has reached for chocolate when you are feeling upset. When I say chocolate I mean the whole family-sized bar not a Hersey kiss or perhaps crunchy, salty is your thing and we are talking about a huge bag of  chips. It could be anything unhealthy and it could be happening […]

Read the full article →

What Is Emotional Eating? Is It A Type Of Eating Disorder?

by Dr. Sarah Allen

We have all heard the term emotional eating but what does it actually mean? Emotional eating is a term used when your intake of food is affected by your emotions in some way. It might be that you eat more food than you need to quell hunger or that there are certain foods that you […]

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Number 1 Question That Helps Reduce Worrying

by Dr. Sarah Allen

So Why Do We Worry About Things? Worries bother us. We can’t sleep or concentrate because we have pessimistic thoughts going round and around in our head, but in a way, worries make sense as they pull us in to a false sense of feeling in control. We’re doing something, even if it is just […]

Read the full article →

3 Ways To Curb Emotional Eating

by Dr. Sarah Allen

  Ever find yourself standing in front of the fridge searching for just the right something, even though you are not hungry? Are you crunching your way through a whole bag of chips because you are really angry? Perhaps your emotions have changed your relationship with food. The occasional soothing of emotions by comfort eating […]

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Research Shows Anorexia, Bulimia & Body Image Linked to Disturbance in Brain Region

by Dr. Sarah Allen

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa – disorders characterized by extreme eating behavior and distorted body image and a landmark study at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, suggests that the altered function in the brains of some people contributes to restricted eating in anorexia, overeating in bulimia as well as distorts self-image. […]

Read the full article →

Northbrook Therapist Helps Depression And Anxiety In Chicago Northshore

by Dr. Sarah Allen

I was really quite nervous the day that a reporter from the Northbrook Star came to interview me about my practice and the work I do in the community. I have talked with the press quite a bit in the past because of my role as spokesperson for the Postpartum Depression Alliance of IL and […]

Read the full article →

Your ‘Not To Do List’ For Happy Holidays!

by Dr. Sarah Allen

  It is very easy to forget that holidays are the time to have fun. I think this is especially true for women as they are frequently the ones trying to make everything work out. We have super long To Do Lists and although it feels good to check items off it can also mean […]

Read the full article →
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Eating & Weight Issues

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  • Testimonials

    I have always been on a diet and my mood went up and down as my weight did. My internist thought I might be depressed and referred me to Sarah. I was willing to give anything a try but really thought I just needed more self discipline to stick to my diet. By talking things through with her I quickly realized that not being able to stick to a diet wasn’t really about food, although I certainly craved sweets. I learned to notice how different emotions and situations triggered my overeating and S…

    Anonymous

    When I first came to see Dr. Allen, I was sick of struggling with my weight. With her help, I realized that a lot of my eating habits were a way of dealing with the bad relationship I was in. With her support, I made some big changes in my life, increased my self-confidence and found better ways to deal with my stressful job. Now I don’t need to eat my way to feeling better, I have much better ways to cope with life’s difficulties.

    Ann C.
    • 3 Proven Ways to Boost Your Body Image
    • What Is Emotional Eating and How Do You Overcome It?
    • 3 Questions That Help You To Stop Emotional Eating
    • Five Ways To Soothe Frayed Emotions Without Food
    • What Is Emotional Eating? Is It A Type Of Eating Disorder?
    • Number 1 Question That Helps Reduce Worrying
    • 3 Ways To Curb Emotional Eating
    • Research Shows Anorexia, Bulimia & Body Image Linked to Disturbance in Brain Region
    • Northbrook Therapist Helps Depression And Anxiety In Chicago Northshore
    • Your ‘Not To Do List’ For Happy Holidays!
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