How to Feel Confident in Your Body This Summer: A Therapist’s Guide
Introduction: Summer in Chicago and Body Image Pressures
Summer time in Chicago: a time for going to the pool, being by the lakefront, going to street fests and soaking up all the outdoor time possible before the winter returns. A great time for activities and getting to spend time with friends and family however it can also bring up a lot of thoughts and feelings around body image. With increased temperatures, there is more room for feeling self-conscious about your body, how clothes are fitting and comparing yourself to others.
This is a common time of year where negative body image, self-esteem and our relationship with food and movement comes to the forefront. With this pressure of having a “summer body”, social media and the continued shift of “beauty standards”, summer has become the season where there is a desire to have the “best” version of your body be presented to the world. Acknowledging that this is a very normal experience because of the world we are living in, it does not mean that you have to go through the mental struggle of dealing with negative body image alone. In this blog post, we will be covering causes for body image issues to be coming up in the summer, signs that you might be struggling, and coping tools that you can take with you as a starting point in feeling more comfortable in your thoughts and feelings about your body.
Why Summer Triggers Body Image Issues
So what is it about summer that causes body image issues to come up? There are two categories of causes: internal and external. Starting with the external causes, there is diet culture that is persistent with what “summer bodies” look like and what foods are associated with a “hot girl summer”. With constant pressure from the messaging around us, there is this constant chase to be in a “smaller” body because it feels like you “should” be because of the season. Paired with another external cause, social media, it becomes a constant hyperfixation on what bodies look like on vacation, in a bathing suit, and the comparison that happens between you and influencers or even you and a younger version of you. Both of these external factors are already setting the stage for feeling negatively towards yourself and that’s when humans start to go internal in their thoughts. The internal causes for body image issues to come up in summer are increased negative self talk and fear of judgment. With higher temperatures, comes more skin exposure and more likelihood to be wearing a bathing suit. Wearing a bathing suit can bring up a lot of insecurities that already existed but are amplified because there is this constant “evaluation” of your body that isn’t at the forefront during winter months when people are covered in layers. Bodies are constantly changing, ebbing and flowing throughout different chapters of life and yet there is this constant judgment of needing to “change” your body. In the summer, when going to the beach, the pool or other public spaces, the negative self-talk can then influence fear of judgment. Fear of people being able to see the things you might feel insecure about, fear of others knowing your insecurities and worried about the assumptions that other people might make about your body size and shape. As humans, we are worried about other people’s perceptions yet a good question to ask yourself is if that’s your own stuff related to how you see your own body image?
Signs You Might Be Struggling with Body Image
With experiencing negative body image in the summer, there will be “warning signs” of you potentially needing to work on that relationship with your body and/or see a therapist. A few of those signs are as follows:
Negative self talk
Experiencing a lot of shame or guilt
Body checking in a mirror/ reflective surfaces
Increased body comparison with others
Increased anxiety
Avoiding certain activities or clothes
Increased isolation
Overexercising
Restricting food intake
Increased irritability
Lack of joy from activities you used to enjoy
These signs are a check-in of sorts to see how your body image might be impacting your life. It can also be something that others around you, family and friends notice before you do based on how you are behaving towards them. If you are experiencing any or all of these signs and symptoms, I want to normalize how many female and male presenting people are navigating this conversation in their own minds when it comes to body dissatisfaction. A study done in 2013 revealed that 69-84% of women experience body dissatisfaction, where they particularly want to be in a “smaller body”. For males, the body dissatisfaction comes from wanting a “more muscular” physique with 10-30% of men experiencing this. These statistics go up when talking with trans and LGBTQ+ individuals; especially gay, bisexual and transgender men who struggle with body image more so than their cis-gender counterparts (NEDA, March 2025). By normalizing the struggles of body image, we are opening up the conversation to be vulnerable and recognize what our bodies do for us rather than focusing on how the body is perceived by others and yourself.
How to Navigate Summer in Your Body
Coping tools for navigating body image in the summer are going to look different depending on who you ask. Not everyone is going to find the same tools helpful and that is why this is a starting point for you to have some tools to try out and see if they work for you. Depending on different factors, some of these might not be realistic for you so take what you like and leave the rest.
Firstly, reducing social media time. I know, I know, it is something that everyone has heard before but with the amount of research done about how harmful it can be when it comes to body dissatisfaction, it is worth considering how much time you are spending on instagram, tiktok, twitter, etc. and analyzing different bodies and comparing them to your own. If you can’t reduce this time, consider potentially following people who share content around your similar body shape and size as a way to see what normal bodies look like. What you wear during times of being in a negative headspace will also be important in being able to be present. When in doubt, wear your “safe” clothes that will be comfortable to wear when you are hyperfixating on your body. For each person this will look different so always have a safe option with you whether it’s during summer or on vacation.
When interacting with others and engaging in activities, try to focus on what your body is able to do, how your body is helping you function, move and be present with others. By being in the moment and being mindful of all the things you “can” do, we are actively trying to cognitively challenge the negative self-talk. The next step to doing so, is being able to recognize those patterns of thinking and tell yourself, that those patterns of thinking are unhelpful. Can you acknowledge that hyperfixating on your body is causing you to miss out? Obviously, this is much easier said than done but the more that you practice, the more you will be able to get to a place of neutrality around your body. Feeling “neutral” about your body is going to be a goal in working through any body image concerns as that is more realistic than working towards body positivity.
When to Seek Support
Like mentioned above, navigating body image in the summer can bring up a lot of inner messaging around your body throughout your lifetime so everybody’s needs and goals will look different. As you start this journey of healing your own relationship with body image, try to start with talking to yourself from a place of self-compassion in small ways. If you are finding yourself “stuck” in how to deal with the thoughts and emotions related to body image, therapy can be a place where you explore honest conversations about how you got to this place about your body and how you can feel more comfortable in the way you look at your body. When looking for a therapist, ask them what kind of approach they take when discussing body image and ask for what you are needing from them when navigating this topic. Balanced Awakening has therapists who focus on mind-body connection and body image who can help you continue that healing process!