Body Checking, Pinching Your Tummy and Calling Yourself Fat in the Mirror? 8 Behaviours to Look Out For.

Appearance checking behaviours, in the context of body image, refer to a range of actions or habits that individuals engage in to assess or monitor their physical appearance. These behaviours are often associated with body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and concerns about one's body image.

Common appearance checking behaviours include:

1. Checking how your body looks in the mirror:

Frequently looking at yourself in mirrors, whether it's a quick glance or prolonged scrutiny, to assess your physical appearance. This can involve checking specific body parts or overall appearance.

2. Weighing yourself every single day:

Frequent weighing, (even up to multiple times a day) used to track changes in body weight, including even minor fluctuations.

3. Touching, feeling, pinching or squeezing to check your fat:

Engaging in tactile behaviours, such as touching or pinching specific body parts to evaluate how they feel or to identify perceived flaws.

4. Looking at and comparing yourself with others:

Comparing your bodies to others, either in person or online. This can lead to negative self-perception if you feel that you don't measure up to societal standards or the appearance of others.

5. Seeking reassurance and checking in with others:

Frequently seeking validation or reassurance from others about your appearance. Eg. asking friends, family, or partners questions like, "Do I look fat?" or "Do I look okay in this outfit?"

6. Finding it hard to choose clothes and covering yourself up:

Spending excessive time selecting clothing, frequently changing outfits, or avoiding certain types of clothing due to body image concerns.

7. Excessive grooming and spending too much money on treatments or products:

Spending an excessive amount of time on grooming and personal hygiene routines to improve or maintain your appearance, and feeling distress or agitated if you are unable to do so.

8. Checking photos, using filters, zooming in on your stomach, deleting pictures:

Frequently taking and reviewing photos of yourself to scrutinise and edit physical features.

It's important to note that occasional appearance checking behaviours are normal for most people. However, when these behaviours become frequent, excessive, and distressing, they can be indicative of body image-related difficulties or disorders.

Unfortunately, the more we check our appearance, the more it encourages us to be preoccupied with how we look. And the more we check and scrutinise, the more we tend to magnify our concerns about aspects that we don’t like, or perhaps even notice new ones.

Now, let's do some journalling.

Imagine what your life would be like if you weren’t so concerned with or worried about your appearance.

How would your day to day life be different? Close your eyes and spend some time picturing it, then write down your thoughts.

How much of your day do you think you spend thinking about or worrying about your appearance?

Have a think: what are some of the negative consequences of checking? How does it influence your behaviour/choices? Can you give some examples?

Remember: It’s normal to do some checking. For instance, we might just be checking to see if our clothes are sitting ok, if we have food in our teeth, if our hair looks neat etc. But if we are checking excessively, particularly if focusing on parts that we don’t like, it can have a negative impact on your body image.

However, if you find yourself scrutinising your body in the mirror or constantly checking the mirror for reassurance, ask yourself:

How did you feel about your appearance after checking?

What effect did it have on your mood?

Did you become more concerned or preoccupied by your appearance after?

Did you notice a change in your behaviour after checking? Any of the following?

• Less focus and concentration on tasks

• More self critical for the rest of the day

• Cancelled plans

• Dressed differently

• Ate differently

• More focused on appearance

Finally, you’re going to choose some checking behaviours to start reducing. Select an behaviour or two, and then set a goal. For example, “I’m going to weigh myself every other day, and then down to once every few days, instead of every single day”.